Vizio dominates US LCD market

California's Vizio remains the dominant maker of LCD TVs in North America, despite heavy advances by its main rival, according to a report from the research firm iSuppli. Vizio sets accounted for 13 percent of all LCDs sold during the third quarter, a mere 0.2 percent better than South Korea's Samsung. The latter has managed to dramatically boost its share, jumping from 10.8 percent in the second quarter to its current 12.8; this pales next to Vizio's recent climbs however, since the company only lept to prominence in the second quarter, beating out established heavyweights such as Samsung, Sharp and Sony. The latter two are currently third- and fourth-placed in iSuppli's rankings.

Analyst Riddhi Patel says that Vizio's success is mainly attributable to a combination of low-cost models -- taking the edge off sometimes prohibitive HDTV prices -- and high-profile sales locations, namely retail chains such as Circuit City. Vizio has also increased its marketing assault, seeking to establish its brand in shoppers' minds.