UHDTV to Reach One in Eight U.S. Homes by Year-End, Says Study

This year could represent the tipping point for UHDTV, with 4K displays reaching 1 in 8 U.S. homes by the end of the year, according to a new report from research firm Strategy Analytics. Demand is being driven by the popularity of very large TVs with screen sizes of 50 inches or higher, which account for more than 80 percent of all UHDTV shipments, the firm said.

To put that in historical perspective, HDTV reached roughly the same level of household penetration by the end of 2007. The research firm noted that, in the early days of both HD and UHD, displays arrived on the market before there was much to watch on them. "In the case of Ultra HD, streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon are offering some Ultra HD programming, but with less than 10 full-time Ultra HD channels operating globally today, most consumers have to make do with generally less-than-impressive upconverted content," said Chirag Upadhyay, connected home devices analyst, in a prepared statement.

The firm said UHDTV will be in more than 11 million North American homes by the end of 2016 and further predicted that, by 2020, it will be impossible to buy a 40-inch or larger TV that is not UHD. We'll take that prognostication with a grain of salt, given that we can remember when 3D advocates were promising that all HDTVs sold would one day be 3D-capable, and that didn't play out as expected — Samsung and LG in particular are phasing out 3D in their 2016 products.

Source: Strategy Analytics

While UHDTVs share of the installed base is largest in North America, the leader in terms of sheer number of shipments is China, where about 25% of TV shipments are UHD. In addition to China and the U.S., manufacturers also shipped more than 1 million units each into Germany and the U.K. last year.

Globally, the report says, UHDTV shipments grew to 32 million in 2015, up 160% compared to the previous year. The Asia-Pacific region generated more than 50% of demand for UHDTV in 2015, and will account for more than 40% of demand in 2020, when UHDTV shipments are expected to reach 180 million worldwide, Strategy Anlytics said. The full report is available to subscribers at the Strategy Analytics website.