Taipei, Sept. 18, 2008 (CENS)--Seeing market share rising to 19.8% from 19.5% a quarter earlier, MediaTek Inc. retained the No.1 title on global TV-chip supplier list last quarter, according to market research organization DisplaySearch.

No.2 player Trident Microsystems commanded 11% of the market worldwide last quarter, down from first quarter`s 15.7% and drifting further behind MediaTek.

DisplaySearch attributed the widened distance between MediaTek and Trident mostly to reduced orders from Samsung Electronics, which has increasingly built in-house chips into its middle-range and low-end TVs. Although the order cuts have dealt blows to contract chip suppliers by varying degree, MediaTek has received the modest of all.

Industry watchers estimated MediaTek to get further boost once cooperation between LG Display (LGD) and AmTRAN Technology on tapping mainland China`s low-priced TV market begin to produce results. MediaTek is a major shareholder in AmTRAN.

LGD and AmTRAN plan to co-open a TV factory in Suzhou of the mainland to produce sub-30 inch LCD TVs at US$500 targeted at the mainland market. The partnership is estimated to offer MediaTek the chance to sell its chips into Samsung`s TVs. AmTRAN`s Vizio-branded TVs are using MediaTek chips.

World`s Top 4 TV Chip Vendors And Their Recent Shipments

Ranking	Maker	Q2 `08	Q1 `08	Market share (%)
1	MediaTek	5.9 million chips	5.4 million chips	19.8
2	Trident	3.2 million chips	4.2 million chips	11
3	Mstar	2.8 million chips	2.2 million chips	9.4
4	ST Micro	2.5 million chips	2.8 million chips	8.4
Total		29 million chips	27 million chips

Source: DisplaySearch

(by Ken Liu)