It is a while since the picture on liquid crystal display screens has been this good. Defying the slump in consumer demand, Asian LCD panel manufacturers are shipping out more screens and getting slightly higher prices. Large panel shipments rose 28 per cent month-on-month in March, according to WitsView, a market researcher.

Profitability remains elusive, but hopes are not. As LCD prices edge closer to breakeven, some forecast manufacturers will move into profit next year. Shares in the world’s three biggest makers have risen by an average 41 per cent this year.