Global shipments of ultra high-definition liquid crystal display TVs spiked nearly five-fold in the first quarter from a year ago, with South Korean TV makers taking up a majority market share, a report showed Tuesday.
  

TV makers around the world shipped out a total of 4.7 million UHD TV models, otherwise known as 4K TVs, in the first three months of this year, growing by almost 400 percent from a year earlier, according to the latest report by market tracker IHS Technology.
  

The 4K display, which is 3,840 pixels wide, is currently the highest standard for the ultra-high definition TVs that TV makers are seeking to adopt into the mainstream by 2018.
  

The 4K models accounted for 9 percent of the overall first-quarter shipments, but they took up more than 30 percent in the large-size segments like 50 and 60 inches, it added. 
  

The LCD TVs were the only category that has made about 3 percent on-year growth over the cited period. In contrast, the growth of other types of TVs, such as plasma and organic light-emitting diode, has slowed 2 percent in the first quarter from the previous year, the report said.
  

South Korean TV manufacturers kept a strong presence in the global UHD TV market, with their combined market share reaching 47 percent as of end-March.
  

Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co. stood at the top with a 32 percent share, while its smaller rival LG Electronics Inc. followed with 15 percent.
  

Chinese and Japanese makers, including Hisense Co. and Sony Corp., were ranked in the next top spots in the chart, the report said. (Yonhap)