LG aims to overtake Samsung, Sony in 3-D TVs next year

BERLIN, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) -- LG Electronics Inc., the world's second-largest TV supplier, said Sunday that it plans to claim at least 25 percent of the global 3-D TV market next year and supplant its rivals Samsung Electronics Co. and Sony Corp.
LG, which trailed Samsung and Sony in the second-quarter 3-D TV market, also expects its "Cinema 3D TV" models to account for 20 percent of the worldwide 3-D TV market this year, its TV head said.
"If we retain 25 to 30 percent of the global 3-D TV market next year, we will be the No. 1 in the world," Kwon Hee-won, vice president and chief of the company's TV business, told reporters at a trade fair in Berlin.
LG's rivals Samsung, Sony and Panasonic Corp. field 3-D TVs in hopes that the ability to make images pop from the screen will fuel higher demand for TVs. The high-end products also command premium prices.
Samsung Electronics led the worldwide 3-D TV market in the second quarter, claiming 34.4 percent of the market, followed by Sony with 17.5 percent, according to DisplaySearch. LG was the third-largest 3-D TV maker with a 12.4 percent share.
LG's Kwon said its lightweight, low-priced 3-D TVs that use the film patterned retarder technology will account for 70 percent of the company's overall TV production, as LG expects 3-D TVs to find a wider range of buyers.
In the battle to claim the industry standard, LG's 3-D TV technology is in competition with Samsung's shutter-glass technology.
LG Electronics, however, expects its flat-screen TV sales to fall short of its initial sales target due to the lower-than-expected demand in Europe and the United States.
LG, which shipped 27.6 million flat-screen TVs in 2010, expects 15 percent annual growth this year to around 31 million units. Its original target was 40 million units.
Next year, it hopes to boost its TV shipments by at least 15 percent, the company said.
ylee@yna.co.kr