OLED TV: Introduction and Industry News - Page 59

Samsung announced plans to launch 14 new SUHD (LCDs enhanced with Quantum-Dots) TV models in 2016. Samsung says they applied a "second-generation quantum dot technology" which will update the overall picture quality, and is also Cadmium-free.

Samsung acknowledges that their 2015 SUHD TV "may have fallen behind" OLED TVs in terms of picture quality - but the new models will have "drastically" improved brightness.

LG's flagship 2016 OLED TV, the 65" Signature OLEDG6 is now shipping in the US, for $7,999. At least according to Amazon, it seems that quantities are still limited though.

LG's Signature OLED G6 is LG's top-end TV model for 2016. The G6 feature an ultra-slim on-glass design, a high-end pivoting Harman Kardon soundbar, LG's webOS 3.0, Color Prime PRO technology and HDR.

Danish high-end consumer electronics designer Bang & Olufsen announced that it is going to launch its first OLED TV in 2017, using LG Display's OLED panels. B&O announced a "strategic technology partnership" with LG to develop the new televisions.

LG's 2016 OLED TV lineup

It's great to see B&O commit to an OLED TV. LGD is already supplying OLED TV panels to Panasonic and China's Skyworth, Changhong, Haier, Konka and KTC. Philips also announced plans to release an OLED TV soon with LGD's panel.

In September 2015 LG Display presented new double-sided OLED display prototypes, in both curved and flat formats. LG now officially launched those products under their new commercial OLED unit.

The Dual-View Curved Tiling OLED offers slim tiles (two, three or four), each 65" in size and 4K in resolution that together create eye-catching displays. The whole system is run by a high-performance chipset and has 128GB of internal memory - so it does not need to be connected to any PC or media player.

The OLED Association posted an interesting story detailing their forecasts for the OLED market's growth between 2014 and 2018. In the bottom line, the OLED-A expects the OLED market to grow at a CAGR of 22% in that period. Capacity will grow from 1 million sqm in 2009 to 6.8 million sqm by the end of 2018.

The small/medium non-flexible OLED segment is seen as stagnating in 2016, with a relatively modest growth starting in 2017. Overall growth will be 7% CAGR in 2014-2018 as many small players will grow their capacity (but will not reach large volumes) or enter the market and it seems that SDC will not increase production by much. In 2018 nine companies will produce small-sized rigid OLEDs, led by Samsung (62%), JDI (8.8%), AUO (8.3%) and LGD (5.4%).

LG Display have officially asked Samsung Display to start making OLED TV panels again and help Korea beat Chinese companies to the OLED market. LGD's CEO says that Samsung will indeed join with LG, and this more a matter of timing.

LGD further updates that the work towards its $8.7 billion P10 OLED fab in Paju has begun - or at least some of the land work is underway. This will be the world's largest OLED fab, and will produce both large OLED TV panels and small panels for mobile devices.

IHS says that the sale of OLED materials (emitters and other materials) increased 12% in 2015, to reach 26,000 tons and $465 million in revenue. Most of the growth came from OLED TVs, and this is set to continue in coming years, with volume reaching 100,000 tons by 2018 - or $1.8 billion in revenue.

IHS says that the market for small/medium display materials will more then double from 2015 to 2018, but OLED TV material growth will be even faster. Materials for WOLED TVs will outsell materials for RGB small/medium displays in 2017.

Samsung Display recently confirmed that it is still developing large-sized OLED panels, and a couple of weeks ago it was reported that Samsung is discussing a large investment (around $3 billion US) into a new OLED TV panel fab.

New reports from Korea gives more details about Samsung's OLED TV plans. Samsung is actually considering a slightly larger investment - around $3.3 billion in a new fab, with an aim to enable Samsung Electronics to launch OLED TVs by 2018. Samsung is looking to build a Gen-8 (2200x2500 mm, or six 55" panels) fab - and will need to start ordering equipment soon. The new fab will enable Samsung to produce about 495,000 square meters in 2017 (7,500 monthly substrates) and over 2 million square meters in 2018.

A few weeks ago Samsung Display confirmed that it is still developing large-sized OLED panels, and today there's a report from Korea that states that Samsung is discussing a large investment (around $3 billion US) into a new OLED TV panel fab.

According to the Korea Display Industry Association, SDC aims to build a Gen-8 (2200x2500 mm) fab, with orders starting in September 2016. Samsung will convert an existing LCD line to OLED production.

During an event in Europe, Philips announced it plans to launch their first OLED TV in Europe later this year. The company said that the first model will probably be a flat 55" model - although this hasn't been decided yet.

Philips' TV brand is now being handled by TP Vision, which actually made the demonstration in Brussels. TPV demonstrated an OLED panel prototype next to an LCD to show how the OLED image quality surpasses the LCD panel.