TCL Corp is shifting to lucrative high-end products such as 3-D and LED-backlight LCD televisions and expanding the brand overseas. Sales of LED televisions are rapidly rising in China, the company’s Chief Sales Officer Hao Yi said. Of all its flat panels, the percentage of LED televisions sold has increased from 10% at the start of the year to 30%. “The rate will rise to 50% next year,” he said. “LED is the future of the TV industry.” TCL is also one of the first manufacturers making and selling 3-D TVs that do not need glasses to watch. The General Manager of the company’s Branding Department, QC Liang, believes the technology will take off in China next year as the price falls to a level nearer the cost of a 2-D screen, with the price difference shrinking to CNY1,000 to CNY2,000. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said in September it will launch a trial 3-D channel next year to help boost content. Nearly half of the company’s total revenues in the first nine months came from the international market, Hao said, adding that overseas acquisitions could be a possibility if the right opportunity comes along. TCL’s sales volume in overseas markets was CNY14.25 billion for the first nine months – an increase of 40% from a year ago.

Shanghai plans to make home broadband 10 times faster and establish a citywide mobile broadband network, with more 3G base stations and a next-generation broadcasting network by 2012, local officials said. The city is one of the 12 pilot cities and regions chosen to test Three Network Convergence — the convergence of Internet, TV and mobile networks. Shanghai is to encourage cooperation between local TV broadcasting and telecommunications firms, such as joint ventures between the sectors. Meanwhile, there will be more cross-platform services such as internet Protocol TV (IPTV), mobile TV and online broadcasting organizations on one unified network. For Three Network Convergence, Shanghai plans to establish a fiber optic network to 1 million households with a speed of 100 megabits per second, more than 10 times present levels. Telecommunications carriers plan to add 2,000 Wi-Fi hotspots and 1,300 3G base stations to build a mobile broadband network covering the city. Wang Xiaojie, General Director of the Science and Technology Division of the General Administration of Press and Publication, (GAPP) said that the TV set is the most popular and affordable device for integrated services. Wang noted the lack of interactivity at present, saying: “The biggest bottleneck of the TV network is single-way transition but it will change,” the Shanghai Daily reports.

Samsung Electronics and LG Display, the world’s top two LCD panel makers, will invest a total of over USD6 billion to build two advanced panel plants in China. Samsung received approval to construct a 7.5-generation LCD plant in Suzhou in Jiangsu province and will invest USD2.26 billion in it, Zou Jikai, Samsung China’s Spokesperson, confirmed.  LG Display, the world’s No. 2 LCD panel maker, got the green light to spend USD4 billion for an 8th-generation plant in Guangzhou. These next-generation LCD panel plants allow firms to make bigger-sized LCD screens to meet demand for TVs of 40-inch or above. Most LCD facilities in China now are fifth or sixth generation, according to experts. Seoul-based LIG Investment & Securities Co Analyst Choi Do Yeon said that “China is a market where a very large number of households haven’t switched to LCD televisions yet. Even though it’s the fastest growing market in the world, it still has a lot of growth potential. The new factories can be beneficial in terms of securing distribution channels.” China became the largest LCD-TV market in the third quarter, surpassing the United States, according to Soh Hyun Cheol, Analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp in Seoul. Meanwhile, AU Optronics Corp (AUO) has received approval from Taiwanese authorities to build a USD3 billion LCD panel plant in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, the first 7.5-generation plant invested by a Taiwan firm on the Chinese mainland. Its approval was seen as a bid to maintain the island’s technology edge amid rising competition from South Korea.

Acer will invest USD150 million in Chongqing to build its biggest global IT manufacturing center and set up its second base in the mainland. “Within three years, China will surpass the U.S. to become the world’s biggest computer market,” said Acer Chief Executive Officer Gianfranco Lanci. “Our growth rate in the notebook sector in China is about 20% to 25% year-on-year,” Lanci said. According to market research firm IDC, Taiwan-based Acer ranked sixth in the mainland, with a second quarter market share of 3.6%, while market leader Lenovo had 28.7%. “In the short term, it is very hard for Acer to outperform Lenovo and Dell in the mainland market,” said Wang Jiping, Research Manager at IDC China. “Its rivals are Taiwan-based Asus, which accounts for 5% of the market share, and HP, which has 8.2%.” Wang said China’s PC output will surpass the United States by 2013. Acer said 90% of its Chongqing manufacturing center’s output of more than 40 million units will be exported.