Ultra HD (UHD or 4K) TV household ownership will grow from less than 10% of homes in the US for the next four years to 33% of homes by 2020 according to Strategy Analytics.
Key Strategy Analytics predictions, in the Ultra High-Definition TV Displays: Global Market Forecast 2012-2020 report, for the UHD TV display market:
UHD TV shipments will account for 41% of global flat panel TV units in 2020, up from just 4 percent in 2014.
The US will overtake China in 2020 to become the leading country in terms of UHD TV household penetration. By region, UHD household penetration will reach 32% in North America, 22% in Western Europe and 18% in Asia Pacific by 2020.
Entry level prices for UHD TVs will drop below $2,000 before the end of 2014 from one or more of the major global TV brands (Samsung, LG, Sony, and Panasonic).
Brand share rankings for UHD TV will begin to mirror those of the overall flat panel TV market with Samsung, LG, and Sony dominating global sales volumes outside of China.
“Demand for UHD TVs is exceeding previous expectations and current adoption rates are similar to those of 1080p TVs back in the mid-2000s when sales penetration hit around 5% of total flat panel demand by the end of year 3 of 1080p sales,” commented David Watkins, Service Director, Connected Home Devices.
“By the end of the decade, UHD will become standard in screen sizes larger than 40-inches although sub 40-inch sets will remain mostly within the realm of 1080p.”
Eric Smith, Analyst, Connected Home Devices added: “Despite the limited availability of UHD content, early adopters of UHD TVs are being attracted by vendor promises of improved picture quality. TV manufacturers are working to perfect the upscaling engines of their sets and will look to put a strong marketing focus on the merits of upconverting1080p to UHD content until the dam breaks on UHD content and broadcast services begin.”