Samsung VP: Displays Will Embrace HD

The LCD industry’s large-screen TV segment is expanding to the point that full high-definition (HD) is becoming an essential element of performance, Souk Jun Hyung, executive vice president of Samsung's electronics LCD business, told a large audience Tuesday at Flat Panel Display International 2006, being held this week in Tokyo.

Souk said the greatest effects of future TV development will be felt in the area of full-HD content, as well as with the media and players capable of delivering such content. He delivered a presentation, “Samsung’s Business and Technology Strategy for Continuous Growth,” at Flat Panel Display International 2006, being held this week in Tokyo.

As the industry continues to experience intense competition, Souk said, industry leaders will need to produce

“Large-screen TV functions keep improving, and the highly competitive marketplace will be focused on making larger panels with higher resolution," he said. "The winning device in today’s fierce competition will be the one that can best display full HD content. The main TVs in many homes in two to three years will be 50-inch-class, and full HD is a must for them.”

Souk underscored Samsung’s strong commitment to the LCD business and pointed to the delicate but essential ‘balance between profit and continual growth’ as the foundation of its LCD business strategy. “We are focused on maintaining or exceeding the current level of profitability,” he said.

Production of Samsung's new eighth-generation LCD line is on schedule, he added. “Our new 8th-Gen line will produce visually stunning 50-inch-class LCD TVs to fortify our market leadership position, while our seventh-generation lines already are enabling Samsung to competitively position LCD TVs in the 40-inch range,” he said.

The eight-generation line will be capable of creating eight 46-inch panels or six 52-inch panels from a single glass substrate measuring 2,200mm by 2,500mm and will be able to process 50,000 glass substrates a month, or the equivalent of 3.6 million 52-inch panels annually. Production startup is slated for October 2007.

Souk said future display designs will cover an extremely broad spectrum of applications. “They will come in virtually any size for use at anytime, and anywhere," he said. "The entire industry should strive to pull together in setting more standards and in identifying possible areas of common technological interest that can meet new demands and accelerate new markets.”
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