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Manufacturers are shipping more more television sets than ever, according to the latest figures from DisplaySearch.

Overall TV shipments are up 28 percent over this time last year, and up 26 percent since the previous quarter. The biggest gainers for the second quarter of this year are LCD TVs, up 52 percent. Small screens--19, 22, and 32 inches--accounted for much of the growth. LCDs also gained market share against plasmas, rising from 77.5 to 79.8 percent of units shipped. Still, plasmas still showed healthy gains as well, up 34 percent over the previous year and 35 percent over the previous quarter.

The leading TV brand in North America was Samsung, with 19.1 percent of all units shipped. Samsung was also the leader in LCD TV, increasing its share from 13.5 to 18.3 percent. Number two in LCD was Sony, its share dropping from 13.4 to 11.7 percent. Panasonic led the way in plasmas, at 31.2 percent, down from 35. Vizio, a new name in plasma, claimed 13 percent of the market, bumping Samsung from the number two slot. But Vizio lost some ground in LCD as other new brands breathed down its neck.

A caveat: These figures are for products shipped, not products sold. How many of them will zip through the pipeline into the homes of consumers remains to be determined. Some may not sell through immediately, resulting in higher inventory levels and potentially different sales rankings.

Why the surge in products shipped? A DisplaySearch analyst suggested attractive new products by Samsung and Sony may be part of the puzzle. I'm no analyst, but I'd also guess that stores are stocking up in advance of both the holiday shopping season and the DTV transition deadline in February 2009.

See press release.