Dubai: Samsung is aiming to cash in on the ultra high-definition (UHD) LED TV sets to rejuvenate sales as they are going to grow at a faster pace than the normal resolution LEDs this year.
“UHD LED TVs will be more in demand than organic light emitting diode (OLED) due to the cost factor,” Vinod Nair, general manager of TVs at Samsung Gulf Electronics, told Gulf News after launching the 65-inch curved TV in Dubai on Monday.
TV manufacturers are expected to ship OLED 4K TV technology this year. Right now LED TV with 4K technology is known as ultra-high definition TV but the price of OLED 4K TV is going to be exorbitant.
A 55-inch curved OLED will cost $9,000 (Dh32,400) while a 50-inch LED TV will cost only $1,000 in the US. The price difference is around nine times but the quality is in very high definition.
Both Samsung and LG have launched the curved OLED TVs last year and this is the first curved UHD TV from a manufacturer.
Ultra high-definition TV or 4K TV boasts a pixel format of 3840 x 2160 pixels, four times that of current 1920 x 1080p Full HD TVs, and have great clarity and depth. OLED TVs are Full HD display panels.
The difference between the curved and flat displays is that the distance between the sofa and TV from the centre and the edges of the TV is the same.
Awesome experience
“Due to the awesome viewing experience, many consumers are likely to own one of these ultra-high definition (4K) TVs despite the cost factor,” said Sweta Dash, senior director for display research at IHS.
OLED TVs will really “serve the high end of the market.” The cost is very high. The cost is almost eight times higher than the same size LCD TV.
Even in 2018, Dash said that LED 4K sales will be higher than OLED 4K. LED panel prices will continue to fall in the years to come compared to OELD TV panels. OLED panel prices will take time to fall due to manufacturing difficulties.
This year, Samsung will be launching UHD TVs (curved and flat) from 48 inch to 105 inches.
The 65-inch model will be available from May for Dh24,999 and the 55-inch, 78-inch and 105-inch models in the third quarter. Nair said the prices for the other models are not fixed.
“UHD is an affordable technology but OLED is a niche technology and costly, and will take time to attain market share. Samsung has a market share of 41 per cent in the UAE in the TV segment and 72 per cent in the UHD category,” he said.
On whether people will buy costly TVs as the technology is changing every year, Nair said Samsung TVs are future proof, which means that even if the technology changes every year, people don’t need to change the TVs every year and they just need to change a set-top box like evolution kit. He said the evolution kit is the brain of the TV. “Our mid-to high-end models have the capability to attach evolution kit,” he said.
