What Display Daily thinks: How about, wouldn’t it be great if we had choices and options for our future that were not limited to OLED or MicroLED? I can’t speak to the potential of QDEL but it could be the replacement technology for some LCD lines, eventually, long enough in the future that I can say whatever I want now and no one will remember I was wrong, but I will sound really smart today.
As it says in the good book, blessed are the prognosticators for they are never wrong.
There’s your problem, right there. Today, I can promise the world in two or three years time, and blame it on the three companies that can make or break me, Samsung, TCL, and Hisense.
Full disclosure, I have an LG big screen, and it is giving me problems so, I am predicting that I never buy one again which will probably tank their market. That is why I didn’t include the company. Come back in three years and prove me wrong.
To put it another way, let’s take it as given, QDEL performs at a level that is competitive to OLED, but without the same premium. Therefore, it would be great to see it succeed in the premium TV market. Who is going to give them that chance? Not the existing dating pool – if there was a Tinder for the display industry there would also be an incel pool of gigantic proportions.
The existing dating pool, the one that has been there since the beginning of time, are too busy trying to recoup their investments in whatever tech they invested in five years ago, and they don’t plan to budge an inch right now considering, you know, under utilization being a thing. In fact, they haven’t aged, being a healthy middle age, and who knows when they will have to find their youth again. Times are hard and there’s only so much cosmetic surgery you can have before your face melts.
I have no faith in the Japanese display industry to deliver competitive displays for the mass market, under any circumstance right now, and though that country’s display makers should be leading the charge for Nanosys Shoei on QDLED, they don’t have the market reach, pull, or stretch.
So, it all boils down to one thing, if you are a Nanosys, or a similar company in the supply chain, you have to make your own demand for your supply. Getting into Ars Technica helps because it gets you some mainstream visibility, but it won’t get you a TV. How you get your TV, bypassing the traditional blockers, is a mystery. If you can’t bypass the blockers then you exist on their timelines and investment cycles, which is a little like watching paint dry.
Ideally, some LCD maker in the bowels of the industry, will see the opportunity here because, there has to be a way to bypass the traditional glass-based mentality of the industry. That can happen with technologies like MicroLED and QDEL. The latter looks more realistic as an option because of its price and scalability. I can say that now, but let’s talk about it again in 3 years.
I’m safe. Trust me, you won’t remember.
Nanosys, QDEL, and the Arst Technica Effect
In the world of tech publications, Ars Technica is probably the last of a breed of publications that were structured for journalism. Most of what makes up the rest of the technology media reads like long-form influencer content, entertaining in and by itself, but more about the influencer and their relationship with brands than traditional journalism. That commentary has been replaced by analyst blog posts and op-eds.
So, kudos to Jeff Yurek and Nanosys for getting themselves the Ars Technica treatment in a piece devoted to the future of display technologies, QDEL. QDEL, or quantum dot electroluminescent display technology, is being touted here as a significant step forward in display technology, potentially outperforming current OLED and QD-OLED displays. Unlike OLEDs, which utilize organic compounds, and QLEDs, which rely on a backlight, QDEL uses quantum dots directly as light sources. This allows for a more efficient emission of light and potentially more vivid colors. The technology’s structure, involving a layer of quantum dots between an anode and a cathode, simplifies the design and could reduce manufacturing costs while enhancing display longevity.
The technology is poised to offer substantial advantages in terms of color range and brightness, with quantum dots known for emitting very pure colors. QDEL could deliver wider color gamuts and higher brightness than existing technologies, leading to more dynamic images. Furthermore, the direct emission of light from quantum dots is expected to reduce power consumption, with the simplified layering of the display components potentially leading to cost reductions. However, durability remains a challenge, particularly the lifespan of blue quantum dots, which historically have been less durable than their counterparts.
QDEL’s transition from prototype to commercial product is fraught with challenges, including overcoming the technical limitations of quantum dot lifespan and adapting manufacturing processes like photolithography to suit the quantum dots’ sensitivities. Nanosys tells Ars Technica that it aims for commercial readiness by 2026, but the successful deployment in consumer products will depend on industry adoption and production scalability. The potential for QDEL to dominate the premium display market hinges on resolving these production hurdles and proving its economic viability in a competitive landscape.
