TFT-LCD panel maker AU Optronics (AUO) currently ships 400,000 LED-backlit LCD TV panels monthly and it expects shipment volume to increase to 800,000 units in the third quarter and further up to 1.2 million units in the fourth quarter, according to industry sources.

Fellow panel manufacturer Chimei Innolux's (CMI) monthly LED TV panel shipments will increase from below 100,000 units at present to 300,000-400,000 units in the third quarter and one million units in the fourth quarter, the sources said.

The growth of LED-backlit LCD TV has been limited in 2010 by shortage of key components including sapphire-patterned substrates and LED chips. LED TV shipments worldwide are estimated at 30-40 million units, about a 20% share of the global LCD TV market.