Ultra HD (4K) LCD TV shipments grew nearly 400% on year to reach 4.7 million units worldwide in the first quarter of 2015. Volume barely dropped from the seasonally strong fourth quarter, with especially strong demand in China during the Lunar New Year holiday season, according to DisplaySearch. However, growth for the rest of the TV market was not as robust in the first quarter. Overall TV shipments, including LCD, plasma, OLED and CRT, fell 2% on year, while LCD TV shipments alone rose just under 3%. The disparity in growth has to do with the significant reduction in both plasma and CRT shipments compared to a year ago.

4K TV shipments to China increased by 244% on year to more than 2.6 million units in the first quarter of 2015, the firm found, adding that 4K TV shipments in China account for over half of global demand and set a new high-water mark in the world's largest 4K market. This growth was driven by an expanded assortment of screen sizes between 40- to 50-inch that have recently become available from manufacturers.

Overall, 9% of all TV shipments in first-quarter 2015 were 4K TVs, but when looking at larger screen sizes, the share of shipments rises significantly. More than 31% of 50-inch and larger TVs were 4K TVs, the firm said.

Based on revenues, Samsung Electronics was the top brand shipping 4K TVs in the first quarter, accounting for more than 32% of worldwide 4K TV sales, which is down slightly since the fourth quarter of 2014. Even so, the strong seasonal shift to China meant that China brands gained share during the quarter, owing to their relatively high mix of 4K TVs. Collectively, 4K TV accounted for 16% of China brands' TV shipments in the first quarter. By comparison, 4K TVs accounted for 11% of Samsung's TV shipments during the quarter. Fellow South Korea brand LG Electronics was the second-largest 4K TV brand in the quarter, with a revenue share of 15%, followed by Hisense, Sony and Skyworth, noted DisplaySearch

Driven by price competitiveness in the North America market and increasing demand in the China market, the penetration rate for 4K TVs is expected to reach 20% globally in 2015, noted supply chain sources.

Costs for 4K TVs have now dropped to 1.15 times that of Full HD units while pricing remains at around 1.5 times higher. Large-size TV demand meanwhile is increasing and consumers are leaning more toward purchases of higher-end 4K units as a result.

Global TV shipments are estimated to reach between 200-210 million in 2015, with 4K TVs accounting for 40 million to represent approximately 20%, the sources estimate.