What They Say
The Korea Bizwire said that arguments about pricing are continuing to delay the introduction by Samsung Electronics of TVs based on Samsung Display’s QD-OLED technology. The site said that the VD division of Samsung that makes TVs wants pricing the same as WOLEDs from LG Display. SDC is said to be rejecting this on the grounds that the panels are better.
What We Think
Hmmm, I wonder about this report. It looks like older information from The Elec on discussions between the two companies. On the one side, as we saw yesterday, there are model numbers for finished sets appearing (and as a Samsung QD OLED won an award at CES, something must have existed, surely?) (Samsung QD-OLED Soon?)
On the other hand, there is a very clear annual timing cycle for the TV market with new models, typically announced in Q1 at CES and then at channel events, then inventory arriving in Q2, when older models are unloaded and then with inventory build-up and sales promotions up to the January sales when the cycle starts again. Samsung is already a long way behind that cycle and it might make it harder to get channels to come on board for late products. If a deal was done now between SDC and the VD division of Samsung, it would be the autumn before inventory was in the channel, I think.
As I’ve said before, the real winner in this scenario has to be Sony which, for the first time since the Trinitron, has a set that should be clearly visibly better than anything else in the market and which should be here before too long, I hope! (BR)
