LG to suspend plasma TV production

LG unveiled a 65-inch curved, Ultra HD 4K OLED TV on Monday in South Korea and the company's home entertainment division president, Ha Hyun-hwoi, took the opportunity to say it would be suspending plasma production in the near future. Ha cited the lack of demand for the technology, and an increase in demand for UHD 4K and OLED, stating: "We are studying when we should suspend the PDP business."

He went on to say an official announcement would be issued soon. Industry analyst DisplaySearch estimates global shipments of PDP (Plasma Display Panel) TVs will drop to just five million units in 2015, down from 10.3 million in 2013.

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Speaking of the new 65in OLED, Ha said he expects the TV to be "...a game changer that replaces the liquid crystal display (LCD) TV. If customers decide that OLED TV is the best, the market for OLED TV will be established. I believe our rivals will join the race soon."

Samsung has recently announced it will unveil the "industry's largest UHD" TV at IFA 2014 next month in Berlin. A 105-inch bendable TV is expected to take centre stage at the Samsung stand. This won't however, be an OLED TV. A Samsung official has spoken out on the company's stance on the technology, saying, "Consumer demand is still low".

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[via The Korea Times]

Max is a staff writer for What Hi-Fi?'s sister site, TechRadar, in Australia. But being the wonderful English guy he is, he helps out with content across a number of Future sites, including What Hi-Fi?. It wouldn't be his first exposure to the world of all things hi-fi and home cinema, as his first role in technology journalism was with What Hi-Fi? in the UK. Clearly he pined to return after making the move to Australia and the team have welcomed him back with arms wide open.