U.S. TVs trending smaller, data shows

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- More Americans are turning on smaller liquid crystal display televisions to watch their favorite programs, research data indicates.

A research firm, DisplaySearch, said it found a 52 percent increase in the number of LCD televisions shipped to retailers in the second quarter of 2008 with 19-, 22- and 32-inch sets representing the bulk of those sales, The New York Times reported Saturday.

The data also indicated that compared to 2007, sales of all televisions sizes and types have increased by 28 percent so far this year.

DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon said the switch to more advanced, yet smaller, televisions had been partially predicted in light of the upcoming U.S. switch to digital broadcasting.

"We had expected a shift to moderate screen sizes, but we did not expect overall volumes to increase that much," he told the Times.

The newspaper said Samsung's share of the increased LCD sales was tops with 18.3 percent, while Sony was second with a 10.4 percent market share.