Samsung aims to quadruple LED-backlit TV sales

South Korea's Samsung Electronics on Sunday said it aimed to quadruple its sales of LED-backlit flat panel televisions to 10 million units this year.

The world's top LCD (liquid crystal display) television maker said that in 2009 it sold 2.6 million of the LED-backlit televisions, which use light emitting diodes, up from its initial target of two million.

"Samsung plans to make an aggressive move to help its LED (backlit LCD) TV lineups make up more than half of its total TV models this year," the company said in a statement, carried by Dow Jones Newswires.

It said it expected sales of the LED units to grow fourfold to around 10 million units this year, suggesting they are rapidly superseding traditional LCD televisions in the fast growing global market.

It added Samsung plans to expand its LED range from three models currently to eight this year.

LED-backlit televisions have thinner screens and consume less electricity than other existing flat panel televisions, according to Samsung.

Samsung said it plans to unveil three-dimensional LED-backlit models at an electronics fair starting in Las Vegas on Thursday.

(c) 2010 AFP