Can you see the television?

The next, best and brightest television is always on the way, even as screens have got wider, thinner and prices fell.

Plasma TV was introduced in 2001, HDTV PVR (personal video recorder) in 2003, IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) in 2005, and 3D HDTV in 2009.

This year, LG and Samsung have launched the organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions that are as thin as 4 millimetres and produce images 200 times sharper than current liquid-crystal-display (LCD) models. Apple’s iPad 2 measures 8.8 millimetres.

“OLED TVs could be another game-changer,” said Hyun Park, an analyst at Tong Yang Securities Inc. “The Korean companies are leading the initial development stage. According to IHS, global shipments of OLED TVs may grow to 2.1 million sets in 2015 from 34,000 in 2012.

“This technology, already used in mobile devices including Samsung’s smartphones, uses less power than LCD and has a higher contrast rate, creating more vivid images,” Sweta Dash, Senior Director, LCD Research, IHS iSuppli, told Gulf News.

She said Samsung and LG will introduce 55-inch OLED TVs this year. The main problem will be the high production cost. The factories for mass production are not available until next year. There will be production, albeit at a slow pace. Japanese manufacturers probably won’t enter the OLED market until after 2013.

OLED will gain market share in smaller sizes, especially smartphones, but for bigger sizes it will take time to gain momentum. OLEDs are the “cash cows of the future” and LCDs are obsolete, representing a huge growth opportunity in coming years.

With LG showcasing its 55-inch OLED TV at the Gitex Shopper, the Korean firm plans to capture and solidify an early lead in the next generation display market by launching it in the UAE by end of the year.

“We are foreseeing that this new category in home entertainment will dominate the market but also focused on 3D TVs. LG is already working on meeting the demands of consumers and will launch OLED models in order to achieve the number one position in the market,” D.Y.Kim, President of LG Gulf FZE, said.

“OLED TVs in the 40-inch range are also scheduled to be launched later on. Their launch dates will be determined in accordance with market developments,” he said.

According to market research firms, global OLED shipments are set to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 29 per cent from 2011 to 2015, compared to 5.8 per cent for LCDs.

“Globally, we launched the OLED TV at CES 2012. It is produced from a single pane of glass and displays the ultimate in picture quality by featuring unmatched vivid and true-to-life picture quality in both 2D and 3D. We intend to launch the OLED TV in the region by year-end,” Vinod Nair, General Manager, TV Business –Samsung Gulf Electronics, said.

Most of the Japaneses vendors have ventured into 4K TVs.

The new 4K televisions touted by the likes of Sony, LG and Toshiba boast a pixel format of 3840 x 2160 pixels, four times that of current 1080p HDTVs, and have great clarity and depth. But despite the awesome viewing experience, few consumers are likely to want to own one of these ultra-high definition 4K TVs due to its exorbitant cost.

“Over the next few years, demand for 4K TVs will be negligiblewith shipments unlikely to account for greater than one per cent of the total TV market,” said Tom Morrod, IHS iSuppli’s TV systems and technology research director.

IHS predicted that while demand will increase from just 4,000 units this year to as many as 2.1 million units by 2017, this will still represent a mere less than one per cent of the total LCD TV market share.

4K TVs have generated much excitement in the industry, with the likes of Sony and LG unveiling their own 84-inch models priced at £25,000 and £15,000 respectively. In addition, Chinese brands Hisense and Konka have also shown their intention, promising to release their own 4KTV models by the end of the year.

“The amount of content available at 4K resolution is very limited,” said Morrod. “The market for 60-inch TVs and super-size TV sets is very small, accounting for just 1.5 per cent of all units shipped this year. Most consumers don’t want or need that large a TV, and for many, the full HD 1080p resolution is more than enough.”

“Due to these factors, plus the prohibitive costs of these sets, it’s likely that 4K televisions will remain luxury items limited to just commercial uses and the wealthiest of consumers.”

Another problem for 4K TVs is that many leading TV brands see the products as merely a ‘stopgap’, filling in while they await the arrival of OLED televisions