AUSTIN – March shipments of large-area TFT LCD panels reached 37.9 million units, up 29% sequentially, according to DisplaySearch.

Large-area TFT LCD revenues reached $3.9 billion, up 31% compared to February.
 
Shipments were down 5% year-over-year, while revenues were 47% lower than March 2008, indicating the magnitude of price declines over the past year, says the firm.
 
All three major applications – notebook PC, monitor and TV – showed more than 20% sequential growth, and total shipments were the highest in six months.
 
February shipment results indicate the TFT LCD industry had reached the bottom of the cycle, and March’s results show some recovery, says DisplaySearch.
 
Notebook panels had the highest month-over-month growth at 38%, followed by LCD TVs at 30% and LCD monitors at 24%. However, monitor panel shipments were still lower than the same month last year. Notebook panel shipments were flat and TV panels were 14% higher than March 2008.
 
Mini-note PC (5" to 10.2") panel shipments were 2.7 million in March, up 79% sequentially. HannStar continued to be the leader in mini-note panel shipments, says the firm.
 
For notebook PCs, 16:9 panel shipments reached 2.8 million, a 24% share of the 11.6 million notebook panels shipped, up from 17% in February.
 
In monitors, 16:9 panels reached 4.3 million units, a 28% share of the 15.4 million monitor panels shipped, up from 26% in February.
 
Meanwhile, 32" TV panel shipments reached 4 million units in March, the highest monthly volume ever, according to DisplaySearch.