Major domestic electronics makers have had a rough year, with many this week projecting massive group net losses for the year to March because of the strong yen, natural disasters at home and abroad, and the sputtering global economy.

Industry observers said Friday that factors beyond companies' control, including the Great East Japan Earthquake and Thailand's record floods, clearly affected their businesses — but only to a certain extent.

Instead, they pointed to their declining fortunes in the TV market as a more significant setback.