They are making Organic Light-Emitting Diode television thin as 4 millimeters and 200 times clearer images than their current liquid crystal display models. These two Korean companies are making this change to OLED technology to further enhance their advantages they gained during the transition from analog to digital TVs. Sony and Panasonic are lagging again as the OLED market may be the fastest-growing in the US$100-billion (S$125-billion) industry during the next three years.
OLED TVs could be another game-changer and Korean companies are leading the initial development stage. Sony and Japanese companies aren‘t really responding. OLED TVs don’t need separate backlights and can be half the thickness of the iPad 2.
The technology uses less power than LCD but has higher contrast rates. Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung and Seoul-based LG showed 55-inch (140-centimeter) sets at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
Japanese manufacturers probably won’t enter the OLED market until after 2013, said Alvin Lim, an associate director at Fitch Ratings in Seoul. Sony‘s incoming chief executive Officer Kazuo Hirai said in an interview last month that OLED sets won’t represent the bulk of TV sales.
Outgoing President Fumio Ohtsubo said in January that Panasonic wants to introduce OLED sets “not long after” Samsung and LG.
(아주경제 송지영 기자)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com