Left: Visitors at Samsung Electronics’ headquarters in southern Seoul last month examine the company’s new light-emitting diode (LED) backlit liquid crystal display (LCD) television enabled with stereoscopic three-dimensional (3D) images. Right: A model displays Sony’s 3D television set at the Ceatec exhibition, Asia’s largest electronics trade show in Chiba, Tokyo, in October last year. / Korea Times File |
By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
Top-tier global TV makers are engaging in stiff competition to secure the leadership in the next-generation and probably more profitable 3D TV sector.
The sci-fi blockbuster "Avatar" and other recent titles have sparked massive interest in 3D films and prompted studios to plan a stampede of new movies, boding well for 3D TVs.
Manufacturers hope the 3D technology will be as big a boost for the industry as the transition to color televisions from black and white.
On the top front, there are the two long-time bitter rivals but ironically partners ― Samsung Electronics and Sony Corp. of Japan.
Attention is being focused on whether the hardware-driven Samsung to successfully deny fresh and bigger challenges from Sony in 3D televisions, analysts and officials say.
The Tokyo-based entertainment conglomerate, which relinquished as the TV leader position to the South Korean company since 2005, has been set an aggressive 3D TV sales target for 2010 at 2.5 million units.
The target is an increase of more than 20 percent than Samsung's 2 million units. Analysts say Sony's such upbeat target is based on the strengths of its comprehensive 3D-related software.
"We've already been acknowledged that. Samsung is tasked to continue the recent TV momentum after the soft-landing of last year's LED-backlit LCD TVs. Sony hopes 3D TVs will be the right revenue source to revive its sagging TV momentum," a high-ranking Samsung executive told The Korea Times, Friday.
"The key questions are how manufacturers will effectively attract general consumers by promoting the sets for an initial boom-up. In contents, Samsung is in near to finalize the partnership talks," according to the executive.
It is working with online movie providers to stream 3D movies from the Internet to television sets, though Samsung spokesman declined to provide the names of service providers.
Samsung has just begun to roll out the 46- and 55-inch 3D TV models in the U.S. market, which is three months earlier than Sony's June release.
The models are priced at $2,599 and $3,299, respectively. In terms of prices, Samsung's models are attractive. Sony will sell a model with a 46-inch screen, including two pairs of 3D glasses for $3,875, media reports say.
"We are slightly worried about Sony's moves and firm stance toward 3D TV business. But in TVs, we have better distribution channels, enhanced brand recognition and promotion capability," a senior official at Samsung's marketing team said, asking not to be identified.
Samsung said everyone who buys one of its 2010 3D TVs and 3D Blu-ray player or home theater system will get a kit that includes viewing glasses and a 3D version of Monsters vs. Aliens, under a deal with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.
Howard Stringer, Sony's chief executive, said there would be a 3D set in home by the end of 2010.
Hardware or Comprehensive?
Although it seems evident that Samsung Electronics and Sony are swearing their firm paths for 3D televisions, corporate strategies taken by each are different ― hardware-focused by Samsung, comprehensive-driven by Sony.
Analysts are divided over which strategy will eventually pay off. But they are giving more credits for Sony's comprehensive 3D strategy.
A chief researcher at Seoul-based Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) Park Seong-bae said Samsung has edges in hardware for the whole TV segments ― LCD, PDP and LED and expected Samsung to release thinner and stylish next models.
"Sony and even Panasonic were preparing for the 3D TV market. As for a big picture, Sony wants to build TV-Disc-Content-Game as a single structure for a greater sustainability," Park added. Sony has Sony Pictures under its wing.
"In that sense, Sony, which is envisioning a comprehensive entertainment company, will take advantage of its game business, contents and movies, compared with Samsung and LG Electronics, which remain focused on hardware," Kim Dong-won, an analyst at Hyundai Securities, said.
With more players, as well as Samsung and Sony, the market for 3D TVs is booming up.
Insight Media, a market research firm, said the demand for 3D TVs will rise 31.2 million units or 13.6 percent of the total TV market by 2012 from 6.8 million or 3.1 percent in 2010.
The world's No. 2 TV maker LG Electronics plans to sell 3.4 million units of 3D TVs in 2011, while Panasonic Corp., the world's fourth-largest after Samsung, LG and Sony, has started selling its first 3D sets. Panasonic plans to sell 1 million units of 3D TVs for this year.
LG Electronics has been shipping a number of its 47-inch 3D TVs to India-based media entertainment group ― Valuable Group. Valuable plans to broadcast much popular cricket games via 3D TVs to be installed in bars and restaurants.
Although it is clear that 3D sets for the home will appeal to technology and home-theatre enthusiasts, it remains to be seen if the TVs will entice regular consumers to spend $500 or more above the price of a comparably sized standard TV and Blu-ray player.
Still, many consumers have only just bought new high-definition TVs, and analysts say they are unwilling to spend on another upgrade any time soon, especially when viewers must wear special glasses to see images in 3D.
James McQuivey, a chief analyst at Forrester Research, said only 1 million U.S households will own 3D TVs by the end of this year, due to higher prices and the scarcity of contents.
yckim@koreatimes.co.kr
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