Samsung to tackle TV challenges

Yoon Boo-keun, left, president of Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics division, and Scott Ahn, right, LG Electronics’ chief technology officer, introduce their firms’ products and strategies in separate press conferences at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the opening day of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Tuesday (KST). / Courtesy of Samsung, LG

By Kim Yoo-chul

LAS VEGAS ― Samsung Electronics Tuesday vowed to develop more user-friendly features for its TV lineup to tackle Apple’s challenge in the sector.

During a press conference at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the Las Vegas strip Tuesday, Samsung Electronics President Yoon Boo-keun said his firm will seek to maintain its strong lead in the TV business.

``This year, Samsung’s goal is to help people discover a world of possibilities. We aim to delight them by having them experience what they had never dreamed,’’ Yoon said to some 1,500 reporters.

``Consumers should have more choices. They need easier, simpler ways to find and enjoy what’s important to them. To that end, we have dramatically improved accessibility and the content experience through our TV user interface,’’ Yoon, who also manages Samsung’s consumer electronics business, stressed.

Yoon’s remarks came after Sony unveiled the world’s first 56-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV here at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Citing data from its internal analysis, the executive said that 80 percent of consumers want TVs that can be updated with the latest features. ``Samsung has seen the world becoming more connected. Samsung has created connected home appliances, social cameras, products that provide easier and more convenient ways to interact with families and friends,’’ he said.

In line with its initiatives, Samsung is putting more focus on ultra high-definition (UHD) televisions, which offer four times the resolution of today’s models.

At a separate press conference, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai surprised Samsung and the entire technology world with unveiling the world’s first 56-inch prototype that combines the two technologies in a single set. Its screen is supplied by Taiwan’s AUO.

It is one inch larger than Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics’ OLED TVs and Hirai stressed that Sony is seeking to regain its lost market leadership through large OLED sets. The Japanese firm has sold some of its core assets to streamline and realign business strategies to become more profitable.

Samsung’s bitter rival LG Electronics is also aiming to lead in next-generation TVs by confirming its plan to sell its 55-inch OLED TV from March, costing $12,000.

LG Electronics Chief Technology Officer Ahn Seung-kwon said at a press conference that his company is betting heavily on smart technology aimed at making TV viewing and Internet experiences better than ever.

LG expands display investment

LG Display, the world’s biggest manufacturer of liquid crystal displays (LCD), plans to expand its investment in displays to 4 trillion won ($3.8 billion) this year as demand is expected to rebound on the back of strong sales of smartphones and other consumer devices.

``This year’s investment budget for LG Display is set as high as 4 trillion won,’’ said company officials who are visiting the electronics trade show that began Tuesday. The display arm of LG Group invested some 3 trillion won in 2012.

The officials said demand for displays will remain healthy this year helped by increased spending on devices by consumers in developed and developing economies.

They said LG will start operating a massive Chinese factory from the latter half of 2014 as scheduled, though there are some worries that the global display industry will again experience oversupply, hit by aggressive investment plans by Chinese LCD makers such as BOE and CSOT.

LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom told the Korean media that his company plans to mass-produce bendable and unbreakable displays from late 2013.

``Our top business priority this year is to strengthen leverage for OLED, ultra high-definition (UHD) and film-patterned retarder (FPR) 3D screens,” Han said in a press conference at the Bellagio Hotel, on the sidelines of the CES.

“We are ready to be more aggressive for sales of LG’s in-house in plane-switching (IPS) based screens for use in mobile devices and tablets.”

The chief executive also said that there will be no compromise with Samsung over the ongoing legal patent battle.

``There will be no compromise. We are trying our best to open new markets with fair competition with Samsung. But this isn’t the right time for us to compromise,’’ he said.

Samsung Display sued LG Last year for infringing on display-related patents held by the former.