OLED TV: Introduction and Industry News - Page 64

Yesterday we reported that LG slashed $1,000 off their curved 4K OLED TVs, and today the company also lowered the price of the flat models (the EF9500) to match those curved ones.

So now you can buy the 55" flat 4K OLED for $2,999, and the 65" flat 4K one for $4,999. This is still priced quite high but much more affordable than only a few weeks ago when LG first launched those TVs and priced them at $6,999 for the 65" model and $5,499 for the 55" model.

LG's OLED TV prices keep dropping, and today the company reduced the prices of its 55" and 65" curved 4K OLED TVs by $1,000. The 65" 65EG9600 is now on sale at Amazon.com for $4,999 while the 55" 55EG9600 is shipping for $2,999.

This makes LG's current OLED pricing a bit confusing. The flat 4K OLEDs are now more expensive than the curved OLEDs - but it's likely that LG will match those prices soon. The latest 55" FHD curved model, the 55EG9100 is shipping for $2,499 - which means that you only need to add $500 to get 4K resolution.

DuPont announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art, scale-up manufacturing facility designed to deliver production scale quantities of advanced solution-based printed OLED materials. DuPont specifically says that these materials will target OLED TV applications.

The new OLED facility has large-scale formulation systems and can support simultaneous production of multiple product lines. DuPont invested over $20 million in this new facility, which was also funded by a grant from the state of Delaware back in 2012.

LG's 55" flat 4K OLED TVs (the 55EF9500) are finally shipping in the US - for $3,999, the same price as LG's curved 4K OLED, the 55EG9600. The 65" flat model is also shipping for $5,999.

The EF9500, available in either 55" (55EF9500) or 65" (65EF9500) models feature a flat 4K OLED panel, HDR, a new anti-glare filter, WebOS 2.0 and quad-core CPUs. LG offers similar curved models, the EG9600 TVs at the same prices.

Vestel, the Turkish-based tech giant is about to bring several new high-end TVs to the market, adopting technologies such as 4K, curved panels, HDR, Android TV, Quantum Dots - and OLEDs. The company is offering its designs to other brands as an OEM.

Vestel says they plan to introduce an OLED TV to the market in early 2017. Vestel aims to create a high-volume TV, aiming to sell a large amount of TVs at a relatively low cost. It's highly likely that Vestel is talking to LG Display to supply them with those OLED panels. LGD is already supplying OLEDs to several Chinese makers, including ;including Skyworth, Konka, Changhong, and Haier, and is also supplying the OLED for Panasonic's new OLED TV.

LG Display is one of the two companies that lead the OLED industry, and the Korean display maker recently announced a major shift in focus from LCD displays to OLEDs. We conducted a short interview with an official from LGD regarding the company's OLED business goals and aims.

Q: LGD's CEO recently gave a very exciting speech regarding OLEDs, as the company shifts its focus towards OLEDs. What made you take that decision? How do you see the OLED TV market evolving in the next few years?

Market competition is getting fiercer with Chinese manufacturers rapidly catching up in terms of technology and capacity. In response, we recognize that differentiation in product and technology is essential to growth and maintaining leadership in the display industry.

The display measurement experts at DisplayMate posted a very interesting article comparing LG's 65" 4K OLED TV (the 65EG9600, which costs $5,999) and Samsung's top of the line 65" 4K LCD (the UN65JS9500). DisplayMate performed dozens of tests, comparing those two high end TVs in several scenarios.

Black level comparison, OLED (left) vs LCD (right)

DisplayMate finds that the OLED TV outperforms the LCD in all the tests - the only category in which the LCD outperformed the OLED was brightness with average picture level higher than 25%. Specifically the OLED offers a higher contrast, a higher color accuracy, much better viewing angles, faster response time and higher power efficiency.

LG launched its 55EG9100 a few months ago, and this new TV is is now shipping for $2,499. The EG9100 is a 55" curved Full-HD OLED TV that features webOS 2.0, a dual-core CPU, magic remote and passive 3D (2 glasses included). The TV is ultra-slim at 4.8 mm.

The 55EG9100 is LG's entry-level 2015 OLED TV, and its' $500 more expensive than the 2014-model, the 55EC9300 (which is now on sale for $1,999). LG's 55" 4K curved OLED, the 55EG9600 costs $3,999.

LG's 65" flat 4K OLED TVs (the 65EF9500) are finally shipping in the US - and as expected the prices are the same as the curved version - $5,999. The 55" models are not shipping yet - but Amazon says they will ship within 3 to 5 weeks.

It's great to see LG finally shipping flat OLEDs. The EF9500, available in either 55" (55EF9500) or 65" (65EF9500) models feature a flat 4K OLED panel, HDR, a new anti-glare filter, WebOS 2.0 and quad-core CPUs. LG offers similar curved models, the EG9600 TVs at the same prices.

Last month announced it is bringing its EF9500 flat 4K OLED TVs to the US, with the 55" one priced at $5,499. We estimated that LG will actually lower the price to match its 55" curved 4K OLED, and this indeed happened today.

Amazon.com now lists the 55EF9500 at $3,999 - the same price as the 55EG9600 curved OLED. Amazon says the TV will ship in 3-5 weeks which means sometimes in October.