LG Display to ramp up 77" OLED production next year

Perhaps next year large-size OLED TVs will be affordable. LG Display will ramp up mass production of 77-inch OLED panels at its new factory in China in 2020, according to a report by Business Korea.

Affordable 77" OLED TVs?
LG Display has been producing 77-inch OLED panels at its 8.5G plant in South Korea for a few years now. However, 77-inch OLED TVs remain prohibitively expensive, which is reflected in low sales of just 27,000 units worldwide last year, according to IHS Markit.

Next year, LG Display - who is supplying panels to LG, Sony, Panasonic, Philips, and others - will ramp up mass production of 77-inch OLED panels at its new factory in Guangzhou, China, which will start operating later this month. Initially, the factory will produce mainly 55 and 65-inch panels.



At the Guangzhou factory, LG Display will for the first time utilize a so-called MMG (multi-model glass) production method, allowing it to cut different sized OLED panels from the same 8.5G substrate. Specifically, the company is planning to cut 77-inch and 48-inch panels from the same substrate.

 Also read: 48-inch 4K OLED TVs launching in 2020

Consumers' preference for large-size TVs is growing rapidly, according to data from IHS Markit. In 2018, sales of 70 to 79-inch TVs grew 378%. LCD TVs comprise by far the largest share in this segment.

The news come as Samsung is reportedly preparing to shift its LCD TV production to OLED TVs at its South Korean 8.5G factories. Samsung is expected to initially focus on 55 and 65-inch OLED TVs. To remain ahead of its arch rival, LG Display is setting up a more advanced 10.5G OLED factory that will be capable of producing "super-sized" OLED TVs from the first half of 2022.

- Source: Business Korea