Following the launches of large-screen OLED televisions by LG and Samsung, a new report has sought to clarify their potential impact on the television market.
The data released by IHS iSuppli shows that the global shipments of such televisions will be limited for the next few years, mainly due to the high cost of manufacture and the challenges in doing so. Despite predicted rapid growth, by 2015, the screens will only account for 1% of the global television market.
Low production
Vinita Jakhanwal, director of small, medium and OLED displays at IHS, compiled the analysis.
She comments: 'There are only two companies that have launched large OLED televisions this year and both will have to use existing fabrication plants to make them for market. Next year is likely to see a similar problem, although as the units will be produced all year, there will be an increase in yield.'
The report states that only 34,000 OLED televisions are likely to be produced in 2012, with this number increasing to 321,000 for 2013. However, as companies finalise their gen. 8.5 manufacturing facilities, the global shipments increase to 2.1 million units by 2015.
Price to the consumer is another concern, with a figure of around $8000 (€6,000) attached to the LG unit.
Jakhanwal states: 'LG has indicated that it wants to lower this to $4,000 in 2013. OLED displays can be sold for lower costs, as they can be manufactured more cost-effectively. They require fewer components; however additional processing is needed for performance, which can add to prices.'
The report also analyses the difference between a 55-inch OLED screen and its LCD counterpart. OLED offers a display resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, compared to LCD's 1,920 x 1,080px HD resolution. Display response times are also impressive, OLED offering 1 millisecond, while LCD response is 2 seconds.
Both LG and Samsung are expected to begin shipping their televisions to market by Q3 2012.
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IHS iSuppli
Market research and analysis
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