DisplaySearch: Quantum Dot TVs Are Coming

SANTA CLARA, CALIF.— Quantum dot TVs are coming on strong, according to DisplaySearch. LCD TVs, using quantum dot technology will become available this year, DisplaySearch said, with 1.3 million shipping worldwide. Shipments of quantum dot TVs are expected to grow to 18.7 million in 2018.

“The launch of new 4K UHD services promises to foment another round of innovation, as content creators bring richer, deeper colors to their art,” said Paul Gray, director of European research at DisplaySearch. “Curved screens are also a popular feature this year, but there will be limited opportunity for growth, as the market for this feature is expected to peak next year.”

“While broadcasters and cinematographers have begun to capture such images, the television industry has just started to respond to the challenge,” Gray said.

“Broadcasters are finalizing their plans for UHD, but they very clearly want there to be more to their UHD services than simply extra pixels,” he said. “Richer colors work on any screen size, regardless of one’s visual acuity, and subtle shading increases the perception of reality. Quantum dot is part of the LCD industry’s response to the challenge posed by OLED technology and its use demonstrates that there is still room for innovation.”

A similar response to the challenge posed by OLED can be seen in the emergence of curved LCD TVs. In fact 1.8 million curved TVs are expected to ship in 2014, peaking at 8.2 million in 2016 and 2017. DisplaySearch analysts anticipate that Western Europe will be the dominant region for curved TVs, with 2.6 million shipping in both 2016 and 2017, resulting from consumer taste for unique design and Samsung’s dominant market share.

“Curved TVs are an industry styling fashion, in the same way that sets became very thin when the first LED backlights were introduced,” Gray said. “In due course, such fashions can burn through, leaving enduring value. For example, the legacy of thin TVs is their lower power consumption. It is easy to dismiss fashion, but it remains a critical element in maintaining value and consumer interest in the TV category.”