Prompted by price competition and thinning profit margins, Chi Mei Optoelectronics will be cutting off its 30" LCD TV panel production by the end of 2004. Its 5.5 generation line will primarily produce 32" LCD TV panels.

 

As sixth generation TFT LCD panel plants begin to install equipment for mass production, 32" and 37" LCD TV panels are firmly substituting 30" panels as future mainstream size. The less than US$50 price difference between 30" and 32" LCD TV panels is urging system makers to set 32" LCD TVs as their flagship specification in 2005.

 

Prices for 30" LCD TV panels now range between US$725 and US$750, even lower for value-line models. However, 32" LCD TV panel prices have dipped as low as US$750 under Samsung's aggressive move to grab share in this segment, a price even lower than that of some higher-end 30" models.