A Japanese daily says South Korean and Japanese firms are engaging in a fierce battle for supremacy in the 3-D television market in the U.S.

The Yomiuri Shimbun said Friday that the functions of 3-D TVs produced by the rivals Samsung Electronics, Panasonic and Sony do not differ much except that Samsung offers the TVs at a much lower price.

The daily cited U.S. media reports which show that there is no need to buy expensive brands until 3-D TV content becomes fully established.

Yomiuri says that North American consumers also tend to place more emphasis on price than on small differences in functions and that Panasonic and Sony will likely fall behind in the price race.

Samsung posted a 27-percent market share in flat screen TVs in North America last year, far ahead of Sony's 15 percent and Panasonic's eight percent.