Dubai: It sticks like a wallpaper, and is bendable. Welcome to the latest display technology.
LG Business Solutions brought an innovative TV display technology to the Gulf in a bid to take a bigger share of the growing regional digital signage and hospitality market.
At LG’s stand in the ongoing Gitex in Dubai, it was eye-catching to see the 1.2mm thick OLED (organic light-emitting diode) 65-inch bendable 4K TV stuck on the wall like wallpaper.
Audai Altaie, regional director for B2B sales at LG Middle East and Africa, told Gulf News that the connection and the data to the TV are supplied by a magnetic strip connected to a media player.
OLED technology emits light only when electricity is applied. Older TVs like CRT, plasma and LCD require backlighting.
Without the backlighting, OLEDs are more energy efficient, thinner and easier to make. OLED TVs feature a true black background, something LCD displays can’t match right now.
Altaie said that some of the verticals in the government and semi-government sectors have slowed down, but there is growth in other verticals such as retail and hospitality, especially in the UAE.
Despite weak oil prices, Altaie is very positive about the outlook.
“Right now, the oil price is stabilising over $50 (Dh183.5) and it will reach $60 before the end of the year. Around 10 years ago, we were living when oil was trading at $50 and $60. With the feedback I got from Gitex from the customers, I believe we will make a lot of success and growth next year,” he said.
Signage market
According to Research and Markets report, the digital signage market was valued at $16.88 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $27.34 billion by 2022, at a compound annual growth rate of 6.7 per cent.
The growth is propelled by the increasing demand for digital signage in public and commercial sectors along with its cost effectiveness and assured return on investment.
The report said that the demand for digital signage is also fostered by emerging technologies used in displays, including the increasing usage of high-brightness displays in out-of-home advertising applications and emerging ultra-narrow bezels and 4K displays in the market.
Altaie said the regional digital signage market is growing every year by 20 per cent. The new demand is going to come from the transportation and recreation sectors. Customers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and even Iraq are looking for the new technologies.
Bendable
“The bendable OLED displays are around 30 per cent more expensive than the normal OLED TV and around 50 per cent higher than 4K displays. The 65-inch OLED display is expected to be around $8,000 and available by next month,” he said.
LG is also showcasing dual-sided curved display panel with 8.9mm thick and flat dual-sided screen with 8mm thickness.
“Every year we bring different display sizes targeting different verticals. Before, TV technology was changing every five years and it reduced to three years, and now every year it is changing. Last year, it was ultra high-definition (4K) display and thinnest bezel and now it is paper-thin OLED,” he said.
He said the organic TV is expensive but LG already has bookings for this technology. That does not mean LG is quitting LCD UHD technology. LG is showcasing a full range of signage displays from 49-inch to 98-inch.
Even though OLED has had limited success penetrating the consumer TV market, Altaie said that there have been some notable developments recently in the digital signage market, where the physical attributes of OLED screens offer the potential for marketing products in new ways.
