Comments by Projector Reviews staff:
Pacific Media Associates provides us with regular updates on industry (projector) trends. They break out projectors in multiple categories such as Pico and Pocket projectors (they are now calling them "New Era" projectors, Mainstream, and High End (mostly larger fixed/install projectors and rental and staging models).
PMA itself has been polling the dealer base for a long time. For many years my old company Presenting Solutions would report every projector sale we made to them each month - breaking it out by model, quantity, etc. The've been polling the largest dealers for well more than a decade, providing a real pulse on the shape, and direction of the projector industry - both business/education/government, and home.
BTW, it shouldn't surprise anyone but the home projector segment is tiny compared to the rest of the projector industry. As you look at the numbers in the press release below, notices that each of the categories numbers are pulled from different sources, some data is from distributors, some from dealers, some from integrators. With that in mind, please realize that the biggest strength of the data is PMA's consistent polling. It's great for comparing month to month or year over year.
But, when it comes to picking the best selling projector models, keep in mind that each set of numbers is servicing primarily one distribution channel, not all.
Thus, it may well be that strong showings for one or more products in one channel doesn't mean the same projector is strong in other channels. As an example, look at the Mainstream category numbers: You see that NEC and InFocus dominate in the number of units via Distributors. Both manufacturers rely heavily upon distributors for moving the product through. By comparison, some other companies, let's say Panasonic and Epson to pick two, rely more on direct sales to the largest dealers, and far less on distributors. Thus, it is conceivably possible that both of those companies could have a projector that outsell any of the top 5 listed, simply because that report does not track units sold directly to large dealers. For example the dealers that advertise on our site, almost all buy directly from the likes of Epson and Panasonic, not through distribution...
In other words, keep an open mind. That notwithstanding, there's plenty of useful data to mine from PMA's numbers. There are several research companies "competing" against PMA. Between all of them, you can paint a really excellent picture of the industry, but since each uses different methodology, and even define their categories differently, you do need to put on your thinking cap if you are looking for more than a basic feel for the projector industry sales. -art
Press Release
PMA Announces Top-Selling Projector Models During November
Monthly Tracking Reports Show Optoma, NEC, InFocus and Epson Most Popular Across New Era, Mainstream and High-End Categories
Menlo Park, California, USA – December 28, 2012
. Pacific Media Associates (PMA), the worldwide market information experts on front projectors, has posted their recent results to the “Top Selling Projectors” area of their website.
For more than 15 years now, Pacific Media Associates (PMA) has collected monthly sell-through data from leading North American projector dealers, retailers, web resellers and distributors. Their Tracking Service family of monthly reports offers timely sell-through data and analysis on unit sales, true volume-weighted street prices, and inventories of front projectors for these channels.
Each month, Pacific Media Associates posts the Top 5 Projector Lists for the following product categories:
New Era / Pico and Personal (sub-1000 lumens) Projectors – The November results showed that three of the Top 5 selling models, by unit volume, to be Optoma PK –Series pico projectors. Coming in number one, two and three, respectively, were the Optoma PK-320, the Optoma PK-120 and the Optoma PK-201. Rounding out the Top 5 were AAXA’s M2 Micro pico projector and Vivitek’s Qumi Q2 personal projector. In addition, DLP technology remains most popular for the New Era category, with four out of the Top 5 models being DLP based. This “Top 5″ list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Retail Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American retailers and web resellers.
Mainstream (1000 to 3999 lumens) Projectors – For the Mainstream category, NEC took top honors, by unit volume, with the best-selling NP-V260X. InFocus landed the number two and three spots respectively, with the IN112 and IN114. Hitachi took the fourth spot with the CP-X3015WN and NEC rounded out the Top 5 with the NP-V260. In addition, XGA resolution models were most popular for Mainstream purchasers, with three of the Top 5 having 1,024x768 resolution. This “Top 5″ list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Distributor Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American distributors.
High-End (4000+ lumens) Projectors – The November 2012 results showed Epson leading the pack with the top two selling models – the PowerLite 1945W and the PowerLite Pro G5750WU. NEC also made a strong showing in the High-End category with the NP-PA500U-13ZL in the number three spot, and the NP-PA550W-13ZL taking the fourth spot. Mitsubishi rounded out the Top 5 with their WL7200. In addition, WXGA units were most popular in the High-End category, with three of the Top 5 models having 1,366 x 768 resolutions. This “Top 5″ list is compiled from data collected from PMA’s monthly Pro A/V Projector Tracking Service sample, which is made up of North American dealers and integrators
Resellers, distributors, manufacturers, and the press are invited to visit PMA’s site each month at www.pacificmediaassociates.com to see the 5 Top Selling projectors for these categories, as well as new product blogs and information on Pacific Media’s projector market research offerings.
About Pacific Media Associates
Pacific Media specializes in worldwide front projector market information, including New Era (sub-1000 lumens), Mainstream (1000-3999 lumens), and High-End (4000+ lumens) categories. Their
Industry Service family of publications provides detailed worldwide quarterly updates (sell-in data and forecasts) on front projector markets, newsletters on new products and other key industry developments, and biennial
Web surveys of North American dealers and end users (including organizations and individual consumers). Their
Tracking Service family of monthly reports offers timely sell-through data and analysis on unit sales, true volume-weighted street prices, and inventories of front projectors sold by leading North American retailers, resellers, and distributors. Pacific Media Associates was established by Dr. William Coggshall, who was a co-founder of Dataquest (now part of Gartner) and helped start the syndicated high-tech market information business. The company headquarters is at 1060 Siskiyou Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Telephone +1 650-561-9020 www.pacificmediaassociates.com
