VFD Displays: A Mature Technology With Unique Advantages and Future Development Opportunities

The VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) is a widely used electronic component made of vacuum tubes and fluorescent powder that can display information such as numbers, letters, symbols, and graphics with high brightness, good contrast, rich colors, wide viewing angles, and long lifespan. Compared to LCDs, VFD displays have higher energy consumption and costs, but they are still widely used in some applications such as audio equipment, TVs, and computers.

In recent years, the market shipments of VFD displays have been relatively stable but overall declining. According to market research data, the global VFD shipments were around 6 million units in 2019, about 5 million units in 2020, and the market size of VFDs is expected to further shrink by 2025.

Globally, there are relatively few manufacturers of VFD displays, including Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi in Japan, Noritake Itron in the United States, and Chengdu Shengchuang and Shanghai Jinming in mainland China. Toshiba occupies a large share in the global VFD market. The VFD display products of these manufacturers have advanced quality and technology to meet the needs of different customers.

Although VFD technology is relatively mature, it is still favored by the market. In the future, VFD displays will develop towards higher resolution and better display effects, while also further expanding their applications in high-end cars, audio, robots, and other fields. With the increasing demand for high-quality displays, VFDs are expected to continue to play their unique advantages in bringing clearer and more realistic visual experiences to people.

Under the development of emerging technologies, some industry insiders believe that VFD technology may face greater competitive pressure in the future. However, as a mature display technology, VFDs still have their unique advantages and market demand in specific application fields.