BEIJING -- The country's liquid crystal display (LCD) TV market is expected to grow 49 percent a year up to 2010, with shipments soaring to 20 million units in that year from 1.4 million units in 2005.

That average shipment increase should drive annual revenue expansion of nearly 60 percent to 12.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, versus 1.3 billion dollars in 2005, but average selling prices would slide to 641 dollars in 2010 from 906 dollars in 2005, research house iSuppli Corp said.

LCD TV sales would account for 56 percent of China's overall television revenue by 2007, while unit shipments of LCD TVs would match those of bulkier cathode-ray-tube TVs by 2010, it added.

Unit shipments of 30-inch TVs and even larger sets would enjoy the fastest growth rate amid declining prices, and should account for more than 80 percent of the country's LCD TV market by 2010, it said.

Plasma display panel TVs, however, appeared less interesting to domestic TV makers due to insufficient supply and a sharp price decline expected over the next five years.

But iSuppli predicts the plasma TV market will nonetheless grow an average 30 percent a year to 2 million units by 2010 from 546,000 units in 2005.