Thanks to falling production costs leading to declines in average selling prices (ASPs), shipments of ultra-high-definition (UHD) 4K desktop monitor displays are expected to increase steadily. According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report, even as overall desktop monitor demand falls to 133 million units in 2014, 4K UHD monitor shipments will reach two million units, and by 2017 shipments are forecast to reach approximately 8% of the market. The ASP for 4K monitors is forecast to decline from $1,347 in 2014 to $927 in 2017.

"Increased 4K-class monitor shipment volume will depend on how far and how fast ASPs decline," said Hidetoshi Himuro, director of PC and IT research at NPD DisplaySearch. "Although manufacturers hope toraise prices for 4K-enabled monitors, price competition has already begun."4K monitors are targeted for applications like computer graphics, photo processing, CAD/CAM, and multi-operation environments; however, as ASPs decline, the 4K market will expand to encompass standard office operations that require more data on a single screen. The majority (56%) of 4K monitor demand in 2014 will come from advanced regions, like Japan, North America, and Western Europe.

Initial 4K monitors from Sharp, ASUS, Dell and other brands include 23.8", 28", and 31.5" sizes. With many 4K monitors smaller than 30" launching in 2014, 27" is expected to be the average 4K monitor display size. "During CES Lenovo, LGE, and Samsung all made 4K monitor announcements, and we can expect several more from other brands this year, as well," Himuro said. "Sharp, Innolux, LGD, AUO, and Samsung will be the leading 4K monitor panel suppliers in 2014."

The NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report covers the entire range of desktop displays products shipped worldwide and regionally and provides information about touch penetration, historical shipments, forecasts and revenues. For more information about the report, please contact Charles Camaroto in the United States at 888-436-7673 or 516-625-2452, e-mail contact@displaysearch.com, or contact your regional NPD DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan.