Vestel was at IFA showing its TV line and used the event to announce it plans to now offer TVs with HDR support. 4K TVs with HDR10 and HLG support will be launched in Turkey in October. In fact, all of its 4K TVs will have this support, but no FHD TV will have HDR support. The company licenses the Toshiba brand in Europe, and we have reported those separately. (Toshiba Shows TV Line at IFA)
On display were TVs showing HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision content. Vestel is currently “negotiating” with Dolby to add Dolby Vision support and will now take a closer look at HDR10+ as well. No details on the luminance of these various models was provided, but they all looked like they were in the 300-400 nit range
In Q2’17, Vestel launched a “Wide Color Gamut” V-UHD TV in Turkey in 49″, 55″ and 65″ screen sizes. It achieved 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and was reached “using optically improved materials.” This means they used a YAG LED with a red phosphor boost.
Also on display was a prototype of a quantum dot TV that achieved 103% of P3. Vestel is not planning on commercializing this set as the cost is thought to be too high and performance not differentiated enough.
Vestel showed a number of next generation TV design concepts on a rotating stage. These were labeled as Glass OLED, Borderless TV, Nina TV and Speculo TV. No details were provided on specifications or features. These are the first OLED TVs they are developing (in 55″ and 65″) and they expect to launch something in the second half of 2018
Finally, Vestel showed a 98″ 8K TV (no plans to commercialize) and a new 75″ 4K TV, which is just starting to ship in Turkey now and should come to Europe in Q4. Pricing is still TBD. – CC
B2B Display Range Exhibited
We looked all around the public display area which was impressive. “How many video wall displays were used?”, we asked. “Too many!” was the reply.
Vestel used ‘too many’ narrow bezel displays in its video walls at the show. Image:Meko
There are general LFDs for digital signage from 32″ to 98″ that are rated for 24/7 operation and with infrared remote controls. The sets all have OPS slots to allow features such as HDBaseT (which is not fitted as standard). Sets are available in 400 cd/m² or 700 cd/m² of output. Sets up to 55″ are available with FullHD, but larger sizes will only be available in UltraHD resolution in the future. All LFDs are based on IPS.
Vestel has a full LFD Range – Image:Meko
Vestel has spent time on making a clean back on its LFDs and they have have a ‘flat back’ that has hidden power connectors and USB covers.
Touch is available on the full range of sets using infrared overlays and features include removable badges that can be fixed on the sides or the bottom. The company can offer OLED, but the volumes are ‘tiny’.
One of the unusual designs is a 46″ signage display with OPS that includes an LTE radio system and can be used in regions where internet infrastructure is supplied by mobile technologies, for example in Africa. Vestel has its own cloud-based CMS that can be used to build digital signage applications.
New at the show were 37″ and 86″ stretch displays that are rated for 24/7 operation and like the 16:9 sets, with OPS slots. The company told us that it has already won projects in DACH for these displays.
Vestel’s Stretch Displays were new at the show. Image:Meko
Turning to interactive displays, there was a 65″ UltraHD interactive display that has Android built-in to the set and can have Windows via an OPS slot, with quick switching between the two operating systems. The system will go into mass production in Q4. Vestel is also supplying these boards via OEMs and has a range of different bezel colours available. There is also a 75″ version that has already won a big project in Croatia. Vestel is working closely with Microsoft and Intel on these displays. The company already has support for Intel’s Unite Video Conferencing platform and was showing the Microsoft whiteboard software that we reported on from BETT.
Of course, Vestel is well known for winning the huge Fatih project in Turkey that rolled out many large interactive displays into schools in Turkey. The project is now moving to a Phase III, but staff were reluctant to talk about this in detail. We checked out the project website which says that Phase 1 (84,921 displays) and Phase II (347,367) have been completed, while Phase III will be for 150,000 displays and is in the process of design and tender.
Although most of the interacrtive displays are using infrared (49″,55″, 65″, 75″ and 86″), Vestel is developing PCap touch and had a 10 touch 65″ panel on display. The unit supports an active pen and the company told us that the prototype shown would be available in mass production at the end of 2017. The company is working on other technologies such as fingerprint recognition for logging-in and security purposes, using improved processors in its interactive displays.
Vestel is working with Microsoft and Intel on Interactive Displays. Image:Meko
Finally, we looked at the latest hospitality displays which are now being offered with RF Coaxial connectivity which was new at the show. Vestel started its business in hospitality TV with IP-based products, but the changes in the business models for Hotel TV have meant that hotels are extremely resistant to investing in their systems and main have old legacy systems based on cable TV technology. Vestel has hospitality TVs from 20″ to 55″.
Analyst Comment
Vestel’s main business is making sets on an OEM/ODM basis for other brands, so many of the sets are really there to show the company’s ability to make sets for others meeting the features that vendors might need, rather than showing what Vestel might do under its own brand. (BR)
