Samsung Display struggling in large OLED panels for TVs

Samsung Display, the world’s largest OLED producer, is finding it difficult to develop large-sized OLED panels for next generation TVs, sources said on June 10.

"Samsung is apparently struggling with the product concept, and the designs for the materials deposition equipment is now undergoing change,” said one industry watcher on the condition of anonymity.

The display maker has delayed the entry of deposition equipment to be supplied by Japan’s Canon Tokki to the first quarter of next year from the originally planned fourth quarter of this year.

The biggest potential problem of the new panel technology – also known as the quantum dot OLED tech – is that it hasn’t been able to solve the infamous ‘burn-in’ effect in OLED panel TVs. Burn-in indicates a persistent part of the image on-screen such as channel logos or a news ticker, remaining as a ghostly background no matter what else appears.

Burn-in was why Samsung Electronics’ Visual Display department ditched the OLED project in 2014, and why Samsung has been persistently arguing that OLED panels are unsuitable for TVs.

Adding to its woes, QD OLED is essentially the same as LG Display’s WOLED technology.

Due to these setbacks, Samsung Display’s plans to roll out the next generation TV panels from its LCD manufacturing lines at the L8 plant in Asan City of South Chungcheong Province will be set in motion by the year’s end. Originally, Samsung had been forecast to undergo the move – codenamed ‘Project C’ – by Q3.

Samsung Group had been aspiring for large-sized TV OLED panels for a while now, with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong being briefed regularly on the progress.