TFC Info's recent Flat Panel Brand Customer Perception and Preference Tracking Study 2011 compares and contrasts the business and entertainment segments in a detailed analysis of the flat panel market. This research reveals that there are some big differences between the market segments in the major motivators behind each technology. As end users weigh their most important characteristics desired with these motivators, the final purchase decision could be affected.
Overall picture quality and some aspects within the image quality spectrum are motivators behind future LED LCD purchases in entertainment. Some of the highest rated reasons for choosing an LED display include picture quality, contrast, resolution, lower power consumption and thinner panel. These findings are interesting as LED backlighting, lower power consumption, and thinness of panel were some of the least important things considered when purchasing a flat panel by entertainment end users in this study.
The technical aspects are driving corporate end users to LED LCDs. The top three reasons for choosing an LED LCD are lower power consumption, No burn in issue (clearly burn in issues with plasma are still apparent in the pro market), and a thinner panel. Currently most ultra thin displays are still intended for the consumer realm. Professional displays are expected to do more and have different logistical needs than in the home. In the corporate world considerations for cabling, mounting, locking, and the capacity for cooling have to be considered. While a high percentage of professionals would prefer purchasing an LED LCD, it may be some time before this shift would eventually be able to take place.
LCD is a more suited option at this time for professional use. While there is greater desire for an LCD in the corporate world, the reasons behind choosing an LCD does not differ between business use and home use purchasers. End users state they would choose an LCD because of price, lower power consumption and no burn in issues. Increasing price competitiveness has greatly helped LCD, and in some ways end users are choosing LCD technology because of perceived plasma burn in and reliability issues. This indicates that much of LCD's success has been due in part to the failure of plasma display makers to convey improved reliability to the public, especially among home users where plasma remains popular.
The top three motivators behind plasma purchases for entertainment use are overall picture quality, contrast, and having a wider viewing angle. These top three motivators are real and major factors considered when purchasing a flat panel display for home use.
TFC Info's recurring annual flat panel study analyzes important purchasing factors, price sensitivities and premiums for sizes and upgrades, preferences on channel, purchasing location, influencers, brand performance (awareness, use, affinity and associations), and much more.
