Confusion still reigns...

Several new TV technologies are hitting the market at the moment, and yet again there is confusion, with clients wondering what LED TV really is, and whether this new technology called OLED will really happen. We asked Paul Gray from DisplaySearch how LED backlighting has been impacting the LCD TV market.

I think one of the things that set markers have been trying to do is to draw a line with the past and to say  “here is something new and different”. Therefore, it supports the value propositions to the consumers. Very definitely LED Is here and producers are rushing to make new LED models for the market.

There is confusion in the market as manufacturers are calling it “LED TV”. How should we be approaching this product?

I think it’s a slightly disappointing thing that people are just saying LED TV because it doesn’t help consumers make the choice. And when consumers get confused, they just turn over the price tag. So I would have preferred if people would explain more what LED does in terms of backlighting.

What volumes are you seeing of LED backlighting at the moment and what are the projections for the future?

We expect around 3.7 million TVs will be sold this worldwide. We also expect that by 2013 around 40% of TVs will have an LED backlight. What happens in the middle is going to depend a lot on the demand for LEDs, how quickly people can produce them at the right quality, or how quickly the quality standards get relaxed. But what is clear is that LED backlighting is the focus of the LED industry now and we think that about a ¼ of the LEDs will go into display applications.

When you are tracking LED backlight sales, is it mostly white LEDs or are there still colour LED backlights being sold?

Certainly one of the things we’re seeing is a shift away from direct lit LEDs, which were often RGB, flagship products. They were the absolutely luxury, performance models. And now the LEDs are being democratised and going into white direct ones, or edge LED as far as they can go. So it’s about bringing LED in at the right cost.

Again, edge LED is missing some of the advantages of the direct-lit backlight.

Yes, at the moment set makers have a tough choice, which is they go for performance with direct lit… or thinness with edge-lit. Probably in two years time, there might be some technological advances that will let you have both, but for now, they need to make a choice.

THE FACTS AND FIGURES: LED to Dominate TFT LCD Backlights in 2011 With 56% Market Penetration

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will become the dominant large-area TFT LCD backlight unit light source by 2011 with a 56% share, according to the most recent DisplaySearch Quarterly LED & CCFL Backlight Report. Traditional backlights using fluorescent tubes (CCFL and EEFL) for notebook PC, monitor, and TV displays will drop to 44% of the market in 2011. DisplaySearch forecasts that LED penetration will skyrocket to 78% in 2015.
With the transition to LEDs already taking place in the notebook PC segment, DisplaySearch forecasts LED penetration in large-area TFT LCD will reach 27.8% in 2009 (Figure 1). As a result of the LCD TV supply chain’s efforts to promote LED backlit TVs, and the introduction of new LCD monitors with LED backlights, LED penetration in large-area TFT LCD is forecast to reach 44% in 2010. Traditional CCFL and EEFL backlights are forecast to fall from 72% in 2009 to 55% in 2011.
“LEDs have significant advantages over CCFL and EEFL backlights, such as power consumption, slim form factor, enhanced performance and market differentiation,” noted Yoshio Tamura, Senior Vice President of DisplaySearch and leader of the materials and cost research team. “While there are still some technical and cost premium concerns about LED backlights, this is the first time the LCD TV supply chain (including backlight, display and consumer products) has joined forces to aggressively promote the benefits of LED backlight products.

“We are seeing a tremendous LED backlight structure improvement, with cost reduction and supply chain revolution efforts, and this will only accelerate over the next five years. LED backlights will continue to drive momentum for continued growth in the TFT LCD industry. As LED backlights gain share in TFT LCD, pressure will be added on emerging display technologies such as PDP and OLED,” Tamura concluded.

OLED on Horizon - getting closer ...

Going onto OLED, LG Display has said a 32’ OLED TV in 2013. How real do you see that as a projection?

I think the question is not whether people can make OLED. The decision now is moving from one of technology to economics. And that we’ve seen in the past with many other products is that the best technology doesn’t always win. And what really counts is whether producers can sell it at the right price that consumers find attractive. And OLED really has its work cut out to hit the price points with the right performance with LED backlit LCDs.

Displaysearch is also tracking OLED sales. How are they going and what are they mainly going into?

At the moment, we do see a small foothold in TV, the Sony XCL1 being an example. However, at the moment, OLED is still in small screen sizes and it’s very interesting to see when it’ll start breaking out into TV or whether LED lit LCD Is creating such a phenomenal combination of value and good enough performance that OLED has to struggle.