Sales of TVs with 8K resolution will take off in 2019. At least if you ask Foxconn who is investing close to $9 billion in a new plant dedicated to production of LCD TVs with 8K resolution.
China to surpass South Korean
When LCDs replaced CRTs in the market, the two South Korean companies Samsung and LG rode the wave to overtake the Japanese makers. In the process, it made South Korea the number one country for display panel production.
China could overtake South Korea as early as this quarter.
- "In fact, China will surpass long-dominant South Korea in capacity share by the second quarter of 2017," said Charles Annis, senior director at IHS Markit to China Post.
Several companies are investing in China, including Hon Hai – also known as Foxconn. The company has started construction on a new plant that will operate 10.5G display substrates. Such large substrates can be cut into smaller LCD panels, making it possible to mass-produce 70, 80, 90 and even 100+ LCD TV panels
$9 billion earmarked for 8K TVs
Foxconn will invest 61 billion yuan, or close to $9 billion US dollars, in the new plant. It will be operated by Sakai Display, which is part of Sharp that Foxconn acquired in 2016.
The plant is dedicated to production of large-size TVs with 8K resolution, which has four times as many pixels as 4K resolution. In mainland China the TV industry is booming but other regions are planning to transition to 8K in the near future, too. Japan aims to broadcast the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 8K resolution.
Sharp’s LCD technology will be used to produce the 8K TVs, meaning VA LCD panels, likely with IGZO backplanes. It will be one of the world’s most advanced LCD plant, only bested by TCL’s 11G plant that is expected to be completed sometime in 2019.
Focxonn is also investing in OLED technology but will focus on making small OLED panels for handheld devices.
The plant will be located in Guangzhou, China, and is expected to be ready for mass production in 2019. Terry Gou, the chairman of Foxconn, expects the global 8K market to be worth $5.15 trillion by 2020.
- Source: Foxconn, China Post
