(iTers News) – As 4K UHD technology ecosystem has not matured enough to become a next generation of grow engine that can pump up new excitements and vigor in the years-long dormant TV market, TV makers across the world are looking at alternatives.
The world’s two largest TV makers – Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics – stay divergent in their bet on what will revitalize long-idle global TV demand, however.
At a press conference held at IFA 2016 trade show running from Sept 2 through Sept. 7, Kim Hyungseok, president of Samsung Electronics’ TV business said, “If we can have a convincing reason to persuade consumers to replace their TVs, that’s where TV market growth begins. Samsung is looking to second TV market that is calling for personalized contents and innovative TV design. As you may know, there are already 3 TV sets in the U.S. household on average.”
Contents and design customization are what he expects to drive second TV market growth. Samsung is testing the personalization services of TV contents and tailor-made design concepts. .
For example, Samsung launched ‘Serif TV’, boasting an alphabet I-shaped TV design that is tailored to women’s taste. The company is also selling ‘Joy TV’ in India, a specially designed TV for Indian consumers who love to hear music albums. The Joy TV comes built with a large speaker system at its bottom. . Equipped with bigger-than-normal size speaker, Joy TV’s lively theater-like sound-system enables the locals to enjoy Bollywood movies which are full of music and dance.
“By personalizing TV contents and designs, we can create second and third TV market,” Kim of Samsung stressed. Asked about the competition between Samsung-championed QLED vs. LG-backed OLED to become a next de facto TV screen technology, he stayed muted, but asked, “Is it necessarily a better TV, if it sheds light on its own coming with no backlight units. I think there are other ways to render pure and real black colors using backlights”
QLED is a s variation of LED-lit LCD panel technology that comes added with a quantum dot enhancement film layer. Coming on the top of BLUs, the QDEF filter through lights from LED-based backlight units to improve color representation .
On the other hand, Samsung’s backyard arch-rival LG Electronics stays more focused on technology in their hunt for new growth catalyst. LG is pinning its hope for TV market recovery on life-like picture quality OLED screen.
Kwon Bongseok, vice president of LG Electronics, said “I am for sure that OLED TV would trigger a next wave of growth curve. As an increasing number of TV makers are now adopting OLED displays, OLED TVs would soon become a de facto standard, their rapid embrace of OLED TVs would turn up competition and then drive down prices, making them more affordable.”
To cash in on the market potentials, LG has lined up 20 OLED TV series from 77 inches to 55 inches.