The stand for this one-of-a-kind curved OLED TV from LG Electronics is studded with 460 Swarovski crystals.
SEOUL — LG Electronics plans to expand its organic light-emitting diode TV business with the introduction of an ultrahigh-resolution 4K model in its home market this month.
The South Korean company aims to build the OLED business into its second-largest profit center after its liquid crystal display TV operations, which have taken a hit from the emergence of cheaper Chinese-made models.
LG will introduce a 65-inch ultrahigh definition OLED TV for 12 million won ($11,989) in South Korea before launching it in North America and Europe. It also plans to bring a 77-inch model to market within the year.
In January 2013, LG released the world’s first 55-inch OLED TV. The scheduled launch of the new 4K model is part of LG’s efforts to offer an extensive selection of high-definition and high-end OLED TVs. The 4K TVs offer four times the resolution of full high-definition sets.
LG is planning to showcase a one-of-a-kind curved OLED TV at the IFA consumer electronics fair, due to kick off Sept. 5 in Berlin. Going all out for the event, the company collaborated with Austrian jewelry brand Swarovski to create an eye-catching stand for the TV studded with 460 crystals.
OLED TVs use organic “self-emitting” materials, which don’t require a backlight, to deliver crisp, high-contrast images. This allows for thinner display panels and lower power consumption than LCD models.
But price continues to be a problem for LG. When 55-inch OLED TVs were first released, they cost more than 10 million won each. That price has come down to around 4 million won, but many LCD TVs sell for as little as 2 million won. The key will be how much LG Display, an LG affiliate, can reduce the cost of producing OLED panels.
On the sidelines
Other major electronics makers are taking a cautious stance toward developing OLED TVs.
Samsung Electronics of South Korea, which followed LG into the OLED TV market in 2013, has not launched any products this year. It believes that OLED TVs are not competitive enough because LCD TVs can offer comparable image quality at lower prices.
Sony, Panasonic and Japan Display, with investment from the Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, plan to establish a new company to develop OLED panels. The new company, to be set up in 2015, will initially focus on producing midsize panels for tablet computers.
LG says it is now selling as many OLED TVs each month as it did in all of 2013. But unless other companies join the fray, the market for OLED TVs will not take off for quite some time.
