盡管2005年第四季度的出貨量勁增，前投在EMEA（歐洲/中東/非洲）地區(qū)的銷售還是比2004年同期要遜色不少。iSuppli分析師認為，這主要來自平板顯示的競爭。縱觀2006年，iSuppli預測前投市場將比2005年增加26%的出貨量，這種增長來自于教育/消費/小型企業(yè)市場的需求，比如，德國世界杯的影響。但是，世界杯帶來的拉動效應將比前投制造商的期望要小。

On Display

EMEA Front Projection Sales Rise by 37.5 Percent in Q4

Market expands—but growth stymied by component shortages

By Sanju Khatri and Andrew murray

　　Despite strong sequential growth in the fourth quarter of 2005, front-projector shipments in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region were flat compared to the same period in 2004, due to rising competition from flat-panel displays in the consumer segment, according to iSuppli Corp.

　　Sales of front projectors in the EMEA region rose to 506,286 units in the fourth quarter, up 37.5 percent from 368,302 units in the third. Revenue rose 28 percent sequentially during the quarter.

　　For the majority of projector makers, the fourth quarter was the strongest period of the year, as is usually the case. Companies including Sony, Acer, Epson, Optoma and Toshiba saw spectacular sales gains ranging from 86.5 percent to 48.5 percent. Other players achieved less impressive gains due to their focus on the education market, which typically slows down in the fourth quarter.

　　Table 3 presents iSuppli’s ranking of the top-10 front-projector suppliers in the EMEA region in the fourth quarter.

　　Table 2: Top-10 Front-Projector OEM Ranking in EMEA Region in Q4 (Ranking by Unit Shipments)

　　In general, there were three trends driving the market in the fourth quarter.

　　First, the end of the financial year in many countries in continental Europe gave a boost to sales to the business sector, as companies snapped up projectors with their remaining budgets. However, some projector makers noted that the impact of the end of the financial year was not as pronounced as it was in the past. Many companies still are using projectors that were purchased back in 2000. {{分頁}}

　　The replacement of these projectors over the next couple of years should provide a much-needed sales lift for suppliers, particularly in the corporate sector, iSuppli predicts.
The second trend driving the market in the fourth quarter was consumer sales, at least in some countries. Consumer sales in France and Germany yet again led the way, while the United Kingdom continued to disappoint. Competition from flat-panel TVs continues to be a major obstacle to growth for projectors in the consumer sector.

　　The third trend was the education sector, which continued to be the main driving force in many EMEA countries— particularly Spain, Russia, Poland and the United Kingdom to a lesser extent.

　　While the market’s sequential growth in the fourth quarter of 2005 was impressive, the picture was not quite so positive in comparison with the fourth quarter of 2004. There were some notable exceptions, particularly the Taiwanese manufacturers, i.e. Acer, Optoma and BenQ, which all enjoyed very strong unit sales increases in the fourth quarter of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004.

　　Looking forward to 2006, the EMEA front projector market is expected to achieve a healthy year-on-year growth rate of around 26 percent, reaching 1.98 million units. The drivers for this growth will be the education, consumer and Small Medium Enterprises (SME) markets—as well as demand associated with the World Cup in Germany. However, the impact of the World Cup on sales is likely to be less dramatic than many people are expecting. 

　　Moreover, revenue growth in 2006 will not be as strong as the unit increase.

　　Market revenue in 2006 is expected to rise by slightly more than 4 percent compared to 2005. With the continuing downward trend in prices due to an oversupply in the market, plus the trend toward greater sales of low-end products, revenue growth in 2006 is expected to be limited.

　　A general trend in the EMEA projector market is that sales through IT channels are taking share from sales through the professional A/V market. One of the main reasons for this is that the Taiwanese companies, which are increasing their market share aggressively, are mainly selling through IT channels. 

　　However, it’s not all bad news for the A/V sector. The education market is still dominated by A/V channels.

　　TheA/V channel remains strong in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and much of Scandinavia.
 
　　Germany and Italy are the two markets where AV companies have suffered the most from the competition from the IT channel. Sales through retail channels are continuing to grow throughout certain parts of western Europe, notably France and Germany.
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　　Sanju Khatri is a principal analyst with iSuppli Corp., covering projection and large-screen displays. Contact her at [email protected]

　　Andrew Murray is a senior analyst, electronic displays for iSuppli Corp. Contact him at [email protected]