April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] LG Electronics is expected to showcase the world’s largest micro LED TV at the IFA electronics trade show, which will be held later this month, according to news reports on Aug. 17.

LG’s first micro LED TV is anticipated to be around 175 inches in size, larger than Samsung’s 146-inch Wall TV, which was unveiled at the CES trade show in January, according to a source quoted by local daily Segye Ilbo. The looming LG TV will also likely beat its rival in terms of thickness, as it will be thinner than the 80-millimeter Samsung TV.

The upcoming LG TV will reportedly not be made for homes until productivity improves and production costs go down.

LG, meanwhile, refused to confirm reports about the new television.

“It is true that the company has been conducting R&D projects for micro LED TV technology,” an LG spokesperson said, declining to reveal whether the company plans to display its own large-sized micro LED TVs at the German electronics trade fair.

A micro LED TV is made of millions of self-emitting chips that are smaller than 100 micrometers, and boasts better picture contrast and energy efficiency than the existing high-end OLED and LCD-based products, including Samsung’s QLED TVs. It does not require backlighting units, thanks to the self-emissive nature of the tiny LEDs, so it is much thinner than the other types of TVs.

Due mainly to technical difficulties and cost effectiveness, Samsung, the first mover in the segment, is currently focusing on rolling out large-sized commercial micro LED TVs -- a large screen makes the procedure to have the small chips attached on a panel easier. It aims to release the premium micro LED TV for general consumers, named “The Wall Luxury,” next year. The planned high-end TV will have a thickness of 30mm, much slimmer than the current 80mm, according to Samsung.

As large-sized TVs have been receiving more popularity among consumers, the micro LED TVs, which usually come in large sizes, are expected to increase their presence in the TV market down the road, according to market watchers.

Research firm IHS forecast that the segment for 75-inch TVs will be worth US$8 billion in 2021, up from US$3.3 billion in 2017.

The IFA trade show is scheduled to kick off in Berlin on Aug. 31.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)