Manufacturers will have to install features currently only available as paid-for add-ons in top-of-the-range HDTV models if sales growth is to be sustained.
That is the conclusion of a report by research firm DisplaySearch which suggests that sales of HDTVs will peak in the next two or three years.
It goes on to say that sales will then fall unless manufacturers can add compelling features that consumers are willing to pay for.
Calvin Hsieh, the director of research at DisplaySearch, said internet connectivity, full 1080p resolution, PVR capabilities and upgraded HDMI port specifications need to become standard fare by next year.
“Our research shows that the growth of the market will peak between 2009 and 2011,” he said.
“Thereafter, growth will be limited without the development of new, enhanced features for TVs.”
Less than half the digital TVs sold in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East with screen sizes larger than 40 inches have 1080p resolution – Japan has the highest penetration, at 90 per cent.
Mr Hsieh said that while internet access is beginning to show up in sets from Panasonic, Sharp, and Sony, among others, once network connections are integrated right into a chip instead of requiring an ungainly add-on box, more applications will emerge that take advantage of the connectivity.
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