San Juan Capistrano, California, USA – May 9, 2013. PMA Research, the worldwide market information experts on front projectors, has published their latest research findings on the worldwide projector market. Total projector volume was 1.95 million in 2013Q1, down slightly from 2.07 million units in the same quarter last year. These figures now exclude projector modules embedded in host devices such as cell phones, camcorders, and heads-up displays, which are reported on separately by PMA Research.

Despite a challenging quarter for the overall projector market, there were several areas of positive growth. Sales of pico and personal projectors (sub-1000 lumens) posted a double-digit volume gain vs. last year’s first quarter. PMA Research CEO Nick Rogers said, “In the Personal Projector market, compact and mostly Wide XGA projectors are nearing 1,000 lumens. These lightweight models, which feature solid-state illumination, have gone from less than 10% share of the mobile market only a few years ago to more than 50% share now.”

Sales of Mainstream projectors (1000-3999 Lumens) were lackluster in most countries around the world, mainly due to cutbacks in government and education projects, when compared with last year’s first quarter. However, several segments within the mainstream market were clear overperformers, including Wide XGA and 1080p commercial and home entertainment projectors. Sales of short-throw models, including interactive projectors, continued to show strong momentum and topped 20% of mainstream volume during the quarter. Finally, the first quarter also marked the ramp-up of new lines of mainstream and high-end projectors with laser and laser/LED technology. More models will hit the market in the coming months.

Sales of High-End projectors (4000+ Lumens) performed quite well during the quarter compared with 2012Q1. Sales of these high-bright projectors, particularly installation models in the 5000-6000 lumen and 7000-10000 lumen ranges, registered solid growth in most developed and developing countries. Many of the traditional mainstream projector manufacturers are pushing upwards into higher-margin segments, and demand remains strong around the world. In the other part of the high-end market, worldwide d-cinema sales managed to stay unchanged compared with the past few quarters. Despite high digitization rates in developed markets, sales rose sharply in China, India, and Latin America.

About PMA Research

PMA Research specializes in worldwide front projector market information, including Pico and Personal Projectors (sub-1000 lumens), Mainstream Projectors (1000-3999 lumens), and High-End Projectors (4000+ lumens). PMA’s Industry Service family of publications provides detailed worldwide quarterly updates (sell-in data and forecasts) on front projector markets, blogs and briefings on new products and other key industry developments, and biennial Web surveys of North American dealers and end users (including organizations and individual consumers). PMA’s Tracking Service family of monthly reports offers timely sell-through data and analysis on unit sales, true volume-weighted street prices, and inventories of front projectors sold by leading North American retailers, resellers, and distributors. PMA Research, formerly Pacific Media Associates, was established by Dr. William Coggshall, who was a co-founder of Dataquest (now part of Gartner) and helped start the syndicated high-tech market information business. The company’s US headquarters is at 25852 Avenida Cabrillo, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675. Phone: +1 (949) 493-4601.  www.pmaresearch.com