By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
Samsung Electronics plans to showcase a next-generation high-definition TV using a 31-inch active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AM OLED) display at the upcoming international consumer electronics fair.
If Samsung releases the TV set on schedule, the company would become the first consumer electronics company to commercialize the biggest OLED TV.
Samsung’s rival Sony, which has introduced an 11-inch model with a 3-milimeter screen with a price tag of some $1,700, has reportedly developed a prototype of a 27-inch TV set, according to industry sources. TMD, the joint venture between Toshiba and Matsushita, has recently postponed its plan to commercialize 32-inch AM OLED TV sets from 2009 for technological reasons, while Panasonic is still in the research and development stage.
``We had considered exhibiting 40-inch AM OLED TV sets at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to be held early next year in Las Vegas. But it is highly likely that the 31-inch model will be on display as the bigger and pricey one could face difficulty in attracting more major clients,’’ a Samsung spokesperson said Wednesday, asking not to be named.
``We will also display 14-inch AM OLED TV sets at the fair,’’ the official added.
Compared to a flat-panel LCD television with a known contrast ratio of 1,000:1 or a plasma TV with 20,000:1, an AM OLED TV is said to have more than a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Moreover, the displays can handle fast motion, such as the movement in video games, very smoothly.
Its response time is 1,000 times faster than that of LCDs, reducing the production of after images. Unlike LCDs, AM OLEDs do not require pricey backlighting.
This results in about 30 percent thinner displays than LCDs, while consuming 40 percent less power. Additionally, AM OLEDs have become a robust and cost-competitive technology.
The most popular HDTVs today range from 37 to 42 inches with LCD screens taking the clear lead.
Despite these advantages, analysts say strategic alliances with parts makers securing clients to provide the panels could be the key to the expansion of the AM OLED TVs as LCDs are becoming cheaper to produce thanks to new technologies.
iSuppli, a market research firm, said the OLED TV set would have to be at least 20 inches and cost much less to penetrate the mainstream TV market.
According to the firm, OLED TV shipments are expected to reach 1.2 million units in 2012 from 8,000 this year globally, with sales rising from a meager $1 million to $691 million by then.
``These numbers, however, are a very small share of the overall TV market, which accounts for less than half of 1 percent of the 242.7 million TVs expected to be shipped in 2011,’’ the firm said.