LCD TVs to sunset on the horizon as R&D is halted - emissive display tech rises (Updated)

[midian182]

In brief: Are we witnessing the beginning of the end for liquid crystal display TVs? According to an industry insider who recently spoke with a supplier of LCDs to companies like Samsung, it's believed that no further advancements will be made in the core display technology.

Update: Merck reached out to Raikes to dispute his claim that LCDs for TVs will not see major development in the future. He wrote a follow-up piece titled LCD TVs "WILL" Continue to Improve, which notes that the likes of miniLED backlights, optical components including quantum dots, phosphors, and films will continue to be developed for LCD TVs.

The original story follows below:

Bob Raikes, the managing editor of Daily Display, writes that liquid crystal (LC) material supplier Merck confirmed it has no major R&D for LC materials in larger displays.

Raikes said Merck was doing some work with reactive mesogens in the VR/AR field and developing LCs for privacy windows and antennas, but there is "no pull from clients" for significant development in LC materials.

"That shouldn't have been a surprise to me – I have been talking about the switch to OLED and other emissive displays for the premium end (and later the mainstream) of the display market for a lot of years," Raikes said. "Still, after decades of reporting on LC developments, it took a moment to sink in!"

OLED: awesome and often expensive

LCD TVs certainly aren't going to suddenly go the way of 3D televisions in the next couple of years. Raikes believes there will continue to be innovation in this area, especially when it comes to backlighting, where the cost of miniLED sets is expected to decrease.

Flatpanelshd writes that the most recent development in LCD panel technology came in March when Merck developed a refinement of IPS called IPS Black for LG Display and BOE. It increases the contrast ratio of a display to allow deeper blacks.

There are plenty of excellent TVs with LCD panels available right now, and they tend to be cheaper than the high-end alternatives. The good news is that we can expect these types of sets to drop in price as their popularity starts to wane. It's telling that Samsung closed down its liquid crystal display business last year as consumer interest faltered in the face of more advanced display tech.

It seems the future of television is self-emissive displays like OLED, QD-OLED, and MicroLED, which are making huge advancements with every generation. They're coming down in price compared to a few years ago when they were prohibitively expensive for many people.

One area where LCD panels will likely stick around for longer is monitors. OLED and QD-OLED monitors are comparatively new and usually cost a fortune. The Alienware AW3423DW 34" QD-OLED for example, our pick for the best ultrawide monitor, is around $1,300.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/99144-lcd-tv-sunset-horizon-rd-ends-emissive-display.html

 

[loki1944]

IPS looks extremely inferiorr to my VA displays.

 

[redgarl]

The day I will not be forced to babysit my TV because of the Use I have for it, is the day LCD will not be required.

Until Burnin is a major factor for any display used as a monitor, I will be forced to still use LCD or any parent technology.

 

[ZackL04]

The day I will not be forced to babysit my TV because of the Use I have for it, is the day LCD will not be required.

Until Burnin is a major factor for any display used as a monitor, I will be forced to still use LCD or any parent technology.

Only an OLED problem, not and traditional LED or mini LED problem

 

[Marco Mint]

IPS looks extremely inferiorr to my VA displays.

Depends on how you judge inferior I suppose. My LG nano ips monitor is far superior to any VA panel I've ever seen.
Personally, I could not live with a smeary VA panel. Some may not notice it but by god, it looks truly awful to me.

Toms Hardware recently did a comparison and their conclusion was:
Response time, IPS wins
Refresh rate, IPS wins
Contrast ratio VA wins
Viewing angle IPS wins
Colour reproduction is a Tie

 

[wiyosaya]

Only an OLED problem, not and traditional LED or mini LED problem

And it also will not be a microLED problem, either. That said, OLED is also making strides.

 

[bviktor]

Yeah, cool and all, except

- OLED burn-in is still horrible
- miniLED blooming is still horrible
- microLED pricing is still horrible

Am I missing something?

 

[VoidTheWarranty]

IPS looks extremely inferiorr to my VA displays.

I have both and I would definitely disagree. TN sucks though and should have been left behind 15 years ago.

 

[AndreV]

Only an OLED problem, not and traditional LED or mini LED problem

Dude, LED is the illumination tech used in LCD panels; LED IS NOT THE PANEL. LCD used neons on the past for its light and the it switched to LED.

Do you know what the acronym LED means? *Light Emitting Diode.

 

[ZackL04]

Yeah, cool and all, except

- OLED burn-in is still horrible
- miniLED blooming is still horrible
- microLED pricing is still horrible

Am I missing something?

I would say your are overreacting big time

None of what you mentioned is horrible. And is multitudes better than when each technology first launched

 

[ZackL04]

Dude, LED is the illumination tech used in LCD panels; LED IS NOT THE PANEL. LCD used neons on the past for its light and the it switched to LED.

Do you know what the acronym LED means? *Light Emitting Diode.

Enlighten me

I only sell TV’s for a living….

 

[AndreV]

Enlighten me

I only sell TV’s for a living….

Well...good luck. You might need it.

 

[Kam7r]

I don't even understand the OLED hype... with burning still a thing, this is DOA for me...

 

[Gezzer]

Enlighten me

I only sell TV’s for a living….

I'm not sure if you being sarcastic or not, so I'll answer your question.

LCD panels are the substrate that filters back light (by opening each subpixel kind of like a shutter) and creates an image. So your basic LCD requires a light source to filter or you don't see anything. Early LCD monitors used incandescent or more commoningly fluorescent lighting as the back light source. This had drawbacks as the light wasn't uniform and the bulbs created a lot of heat.

So the bulbs were eventually replaced with LEDs which depending on how many there are and the matrix they're set up in provide a much more uniform light source. They also don't produce nearly as much heat, can be dimmed in certain areas to help with contrast. And lastly increase overall brightness depending on how many and their arrangement. Without LED backlighting HDR displays would be all but impossible, even if it's often an inferior HDR.

With an OLED panel OTOH both the filtering and the light source are part and parcel of the OLED subpixels. Normally a OLED display will have no back light of any kind, since the brightness of each subpixel is controlled by the level of voltage (current?) running through it. As well since the sub pixels can be turned totally off (unlike LCD sub pixels which always bleed a bit of backlight) it allows for really deep blacks and with much higher levels of brightness/contrast some really great HDR visuals.

 

[ZackL04]

I'm not sure if you being sarcastic or not, so I'll answer your question.

LCD panels are the substrate that filters back light (by opening each subpixel kind of like a shutter) and creates an image. So your basic LCD requires a light source to filter or you don't see anything. Early LCD monitors used incandescent or more commoningly fluorescent lighting as the back light source. This had drawbacks as the light wasn't uniform and the bulbs created a lot of heat.

So the bulbs were eventually replaced with LEDs which depending on how many there are and the matrix they're set up in provide a much more uniform light source. They also don't produce nearly as much heat, can be dimmed in certain areas to help with contrast. And lastly increase overall brightness depending on how many and their arrangement. Without LED backlighting HDR displays would be all but impossible, even if it's often an inferior HDR.

With an OLED panel OTOH both the filtering and the light source are part and parcel of the OLED subpixels. Normally a OLED display will have no back light of any kind, since the brightness of each subpixel is controlled by the level of voltage (current?) running through it. As well since the sub pixels can be turned totally off (unlike LCD sub pixels which always bleed a bit of backlight) it allows for really deep blacks and with much higher levels of brightness/contrast some really great HDR visuals.

Im joking

LCD panels are going nowhere

One of Samsungs most popular TV’s is The Frame. Its a entry level at beat PQ TV, but on purpose, to create a soft painted art like look.

ALL manufacturers sell WAY more LED driven LCD panels than OLED. And the cheapest tv’s at walmart/target are still edge lit. The mini led tech is still so new and micro led still not mainstream. I dont believe this article for a second.

I personally have a few Sony OLEDs in my house. All of you commenting “OLED Is burn in crap, and DOA obviously dont have one. They are the best looking TV’s you can get your hands on right now for the money. Maybe try not playing videogames all day, and dont use them as a pc monitor. Plasmas had burn in “problems” too, I had many plasmas, my mom still has my old 65” Panasonic, and my grandma had my old Samsung plasma, both are 10+ urs old. And guess what? They still look amazing and have ZERO burn in.

Just because Linus or Rtings shows us IR and burn-in can occur in EXTREME circumstances doesn’t mean its not the best thing going right now.

I suggest all to dive in head first if not using as a pc monitor or 10hr a day gaming screen. You will never look back