At CES 2018, Samsung has today unveiled ’The Wall’, which is the first consumer TV based on self-emitting microLED technology that is seen as one of the display technology of tomorrow.

Module-based microLED TV
The TV measures 146 inches in diagonal and built from smaller modules. The MicroLED display technology is highly scalable, as Samsung has already shown with its ’Cinema LED’ screens used in movie teathers.

However, what is more important is that microLED is an entirely new display technology. Unlike Samsung’s ”QLED”, which is conventional LCD technology, microLED is new a self-emitting display technology that shares several similarities with OLED technology.

- “As the world’s first consumer modular MicroLED television, ‘The Wall’ represents another breakthrough. It can transform into any size, and delivers incredible brightness, color gamut, color volume and black levels. We’re excited about this next step along our roadmap to the future of screen technology, and the remarkable viewing experience it offers to consumers,” said Jonghee Han, President of Visual Display Business at Samsung.




”Without restrictions to size”
Samsung says that microLED is ”without restrictions to size, resolution or form”. The pixels are based on micrometer-size LEDs that generate light and color. No backlight or color filters are required, Samsung added. 

- ”The MicroLED technology featured in The Wall eliminates the need for color filters or backlight, yet allows the screen to offer consumers the ultimate viewing experience. Also, the MicroLED screen excels in durability and effectiveness, including luminous efficiency, the light source lifetime and power consumption, setting the standard for future screen technology.”

MicroLED is seen as a direct competitor to OLED technology. One of the main advantages is that it can accomodate very large screen sizes.

- "Made possible by Samsung’s advancements in semiconductor processing techniques and LED technology, the pixel LED modules of The Wall’s self-emitting technology are smaller than ever before, and each chip incorporates RGB color. As a result, The Wall’s self-emitting technology removes the need for color filters altogether and is able to deliver up to 2000 nits of peak brightness, brighter white hues, darker black shades and the truest natural colors."

Of course, there are still tons of unanswered questions. Samsung says that it will produce up to 2000 nits peak brightness but failed to specify the resolution of the display panel.

The good news is that microLED is closer to the market than you think. Samsung’s The Wall will ship later this year but we are left to wonder how much it will cost. Our guess? Expensive, very expensive.