Typically, Q4 sales are big for many retailers and manufacturers of products like TVs and computers. Many companies make a large portion of their yearly sales during the last quarter of the year. However, the poor global economy meant Q4 2008 was significantly down for many companies.

Vizio has announced the results for its Q4 2008 HDTV sales. According to the company, it had recorded setting sales for its TVs and is now the second largest shipper of HDTVs in America surpassing Sony in shipments. Vizio says that its sell through for the holiday 2008 season increased 52% compared to the 2007 holiday season, despite the poor economy.

Total Vizio shipments for the quarter were 1.2 million and its products made up 15% of all flat panel TV shipments in the U.S. for the quarter. Vizio posted year-over-year growth of 15% for Q4 2008.

Vizio VP Laynie Newsome said in a statement, "The demand for VIZIO products has never been stronger. Even during times when tier one competitors drop their prices (and lose millions of dollars in the process) the American Consumer clearly recognizes VIZIO as a preferred consumer electronics brand."

DisplaySearch's Paul Gagnon said, "VIZIO demonstrated 53% Q/Q flat panel TV growth in Q4'08, the strongest among the top 10 brands for all of North America according to DisplaySearch's shipment tracking, climbing from #5 to #3 in total flat panel TV units while basically only participating in the U.S. market. We expect that consumers in 2009 will be especially concerned with getting the most value for their money, which aligns well with VIZIO's product strategy, even in their premium XVT line."

Reuters reports that the top brand in TVs for Q4 2008 was Samsung with a 20.2% share of the market, down from 20.8% in the previous quarter. Sony dropped to the number three spot with a 13.5% share of the market, down from 13.9% the previous quarter. Vizio held 14.3% of all flat panel TVs for the quarter.

Analyst Riddhi Patel from iSuppli said in a statement, "According to our initial analysis and despite the current economic downturn, VIZIO has moved to the number two position in the U.S. flat panel TV market during the critical fourth quarter. The current sales environment is obviously difficult for all television makers due to the slowdown in consumer spending; retaining position and achieving growth in these challenging times is an accomplishment."

Part of the success of Vizio as a brand is an often much lower price than other leading TVs. Vizio also enjoys a prominent position in many Walmart locations around the country. As the economy weakens, many consumers are flocking to discount outlets like Walmart in an attempt to make their money go farther.

Vizio also offers a premium line of HDTVs called the XVT line that offer features not found in the lower-end Vizio sets. The TV maker is also cited as one of the key reasons that plasma TV technology has made a comeback. Sales of the company's 32-inch plasma TV made up the majority of plasma TVs sold in several quarters. However, Vizio announced this month that it would end production of plasma TVs.