Samsung to Invest $11 Billion in ‘QD OLED’ TVs

Samsung Display has announced plans to invest $11 billion in a hybrid video display that melds the quantum-dot technology used in its LCD-based quantum dot (QD) QLED TVs with OLED, according to The Korea Times.

In a move aimed at keeping aggressive Chinese rivals such as TCL at bay, the report said Samsung will repurpose an LCD manufacturing line in Korea to produce “high-margin QD-OLEDs” in large screen sizes. The facility is expected to begin mass production of QD-OLED displays in 2021 with a focus on screen sizes bigger than 65 inches.

The technology reportedly uses blue OLEDs as a backlight source, with red and green quantum dots printed over the top of the blue OLED layer.

The announcement comes at a time when TCL and other China-based TV makers are coming on strong with sales of low-priced LCD TVs.

For the first time ever, TCL sold more TVs in North America than any other brand during the first quarter of 2019, surpassing No. 1 ranked Samsung, according to IHS Markit Technology, which tracks TV sales through its “TV Sets Intelligence Service.”

Although it was second to TCL in unit sales, Samsung maintained a “commanding lead in terms of revenue” due to its focus on more upscale TVs with larger screen sizes. In the global TV market, Samsung has been No. 1 for 13 consecutive years.

During a ceremony announcing the investment, the Korean government announced plans to invest more than $300 million in next-generation display technology over the next seven years.

COMMENTS
jnemesh's picture

So it makes sense that Samsung would compete by developing screens that the competition doesn't have the technology to copy. I can't wait to see the end result of their research!

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