SEOUL, South Korea—Samsung recently unveiled its 110-inch Samsung MicroLED TV, which is now available for pre-sale in Korea. Using self-emissive LED display technology, Samsung touts this new TV model’s color vibrancy and brightness.

The traditional TV model is based on the same MicroLED technology that Samsung introduced with “The Wall” in 2018. While “The Wall” was made up of multiple monitors, the 110-inch model provides streamlined installation and calibration, with its video, audio and smart capabilities available out of the box.

The 110-inch MicroLED screen uses micrometer-sized LED lights to eliminate the backlight and color filters utilized in conventional displays, says Samsung. The model is self-illuminating, producing light and color from its own pixel structures. It expresses 100% of the DCI and Adobe RGB color gamut, as well as delivers accurate wide color gamut. Samsung says the model has 4K resolution and 8 million pixels.

Also part of the new MicroLED screen is a Micro AI Processor that can deliver 4K HDR content. Samsung also claims MicroLEDs enable the TV to be long-lasting, with the inorganic materials helping to provide for a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours.

Other features for the 110-inch MicroLED TV is a 99.99% screen to body ratio, with the black matrix and bezel being completely removed from the display. There is also a Multi View feature that allows for watching up to four sources of content simultaneously in as large as 55-inch split screens, with the ability to connect multiple external devices. 

The TV’s audio, meanwhile, includes an embedded Majestic Sound System delivering 5.1 channel sound with no external speaker and has Object Tracking Sound Pro technology to identify objects moving on screen and project the sound to follow the action.

Samsung plans to roll out the 110-inch MicroLED TV globally in the first quarter of 2021. 

For more information, visit www.samsung.com.  

LONDON—The market for micro light-emitting diode (microLED) displays may be negligible at the moment, but one researcher thinks it will quickly ramp up over the next seven years. 

U.K. research firm Omdia predicts that global shipments for the displays will jump to more than 16 million units by 2027, led by smartwatch and television markets. MicroLED displays for smartwatches will exceed 10 million units by then, while shipments for the TVmarket will grow to more than 3.3 million. 

MicroLEDs represent an emerging flat-panel display technology that employs arrays of microscopic LEDs to comprise the individual pixel elements. Compared to conventional LCD displays, microLED displays can deliver superior contrast, faster response times and reduced energy consumption. As mentioned, microLEDs also offer superior luminance efficiency compared to OLEDs. As a result, microLED technology is expected to emerge as a competitor to LCDs and OLED displays in applications ranging from wearable devices to televisions.

“Because of their superior luminance efficiency compared to rival organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, microLED displays are expected to become the next self-emissive display technology,” said Jerry Kang, associate director at Omdia. “Numerous startups, display manufacturers and consumer brands now are developing their own microLED displays, devices and process in various sizes, ranging from medium-to-large sizes to ultra-small dimensions.”

MicroLEDs are showing up in a variety of emerging display formats. Taiwanese firm AU Optronics recently introduced a prototype 9.4-inch flexible display using blue microLED pixels under red and green color-conversion filters on low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) plastic substrate. Plessey Semiconductors announced it will help Facebook prototype and develop new technologies for potential usage in the augmented reality/virtual reality space. 

Samsung Electronics in 2018 introduced a prototype TV with a chip-on-board (COB) processed RGB microLED display. The company plans to launch the product this year. Samsung Display has also started development of quantum dot nanorod LED (QNED) technology, which applies nano-tube LEDs onto an oxide TFT glass substrate. Furthermore, many consumer brands are expected to release their own microLED displays or devices in the near future. 

“The microLED market is poised for much more rapid growth once the technologies for manufacturing microLED chips—including mass transfer—gain more maturity,” Kang said. “The growing use of microLED display technology will push display makers to evolve away from current LCD and OLED display technologies.”

Omdia’s report is available at MicroLED Display Technology and Market – 2020.

From mobile phones, TVs, to cars and public screens, displays have become an important component in our daily life to convey information. An emerging display type, microLED display, has the potential to become the next-generation mainstream standard, according to a report by market research firm IDTechEx.

DRIVING DEVELOPMENT

While LCD dominates most display applications and OLED and QD-LCD sit as premium, why are players still pursuing microLED? First of all, microLED displays deliver value propositions such as wide color gamut, high luminance, low power consumption, excellent stability, and long lifetime, as well as wide view angles, high dynamic range, high contrast, fast refresh rate, transparency, seamless connection, and sensor integration capability. Some of the value propositions can be provided by alternatives such as LCD, OLED, and QD, while microLED has its unique value propositions that are pursued by many. The demand from consumers is one of the major motivations. In addition, they can become unique selling points for the suppliers, as marketed by OLED when OLED first emerged.

Another driver comes from the supply side. Current display markets are dominated by LCD, whose manufacturing is shifting to China due to cost competence, as well as OLED in premium, whose technologies are held by South Korea. Getting involved in a new display technology could bring new opportunities to the players.

An increasing number of prototypes have been displayed to the public, which indicates the science is there. However, more challenging are the engineering and manufacturing issues. For instance, conventional LEDs can reach external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) to ~70 percent, while tiny microLEDs less than 10µm may struggle to reach 20 percent. Red LEDs are especially challenging with low EQEs and brittle features. Tiny microLEDs have large surface areas, which may lead to more defects during the fabrication process. Therefore, solving engineering/manufacturing challenges is important, including die size miniaturization while maintaining the high efficiency, chip design, and chip manufacturing technique improvement.

SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES

There are many steps and processes to fabricate a microLED display, with varied difficulties. In earlier years, the major focuses of research and development were on die miniaturization, chip design, efficiency enhancement, mass transfer, and full color realization. Recently, more and more players realize a complete understanding of all of the processes is the key. Therefore, an increasing number of people put more effort also on technologies such as inspection, repair, driving, image improvement, light management, and high-volume production equipment.

Involving multiple existing industries and new industries, micoLED displays may shape the existing LED and display supply chain, resulting in a lengthy and complex new one. New technology approach and new products can also provide new opportunities for the players, such as the CMOS industry, which can take a position in the microLED-based micro-display supply chain. Each player will optimize their gain in the value chain, and therefore, a deep understanding of the technology and market status is important.

he report from IDTechEx explains technology limitations and capabilities, offers market status analysis, supply chain understanding, player activity tracking, as well as global trends. Read the full report here: MicroLED Displays 2020-2030: Technology, Commercialization, Opportunity, Market, and Players. 

This story originally appeared on TVT's sister publication AV Network.

LAS VEGAS—CES 2020 officially kicks off on Jan. 7, but Samsung offered a peek of what attendees will see on the show floor in terms of their new TV offerings. The lineup includes new models featuring MicroLED and QLED technology, as well as Samsung’s Lifestyle TV, the Sero.

Saying that it is home-ready, Samsung’s new TV model with MicroLED technology comes in 75-, 88-, 93-, 110- and 150-inch displays and feature next-generation screen technology with customization capabilities, the company says. With the 88- and 150-inch models, Samsung used a ultra-slim infinity design that virtually removes all four sides of the bezel so it looks like it blends into the wall. Customers can also connect multiple MicroLED panels together to create new combinations and adapt the TV to a specific space. Samsung also touts the models’ high resolution and peak brightness of 5,000 nits.

The company’s QLED offering will come in the form of the Q950TS QLED 8K TV. One of the new features with the Q950 model is the “infinity screen,” which produces a screen-to-body ratio of 99%. The TV is also equipped with the AI Quantum Processor 8K for 8K AI upscaling and deep-learning capabilities that can automatically upscale non-8K content to 8K. The AI Quantum Processor also powers Samsung’s open smart home platform, Tizen.

Additional image features for the Q950TS include Adaptive Picture to optimize the screen for both ambient conditions and individual images, and the adoption of AV1 codec to enable better compression rates and support HDR10+ technology, image dimensionality, brightness optimization and contrast ratio. The model also has new sound features like the Q-Symphony, Object Tracking Sound and Active Voice Amplifier for a more immersive and dynamic sound experience, per Samsung.

It was also announced that Samsung's 2020 QLED 8K TV lineup will offer ATSC 3.0 tuners.

Samsung also has its Lifestyle TV line, which at CES will be headlined by the Sero. Sero means “vertical” in Korean, and this model lives up to its name by having the ability to pivot between horizontal and vertical orientations. The model’s display orientation connects with users’ mobile devices to display content in the appropriate way. Having launched in South Korea in 2019, Samsung will roll out the Sero to global markets in 2020.

“As our lifestyles continue to evolve, the TV screen is evolving with them to provide consumers access to their favorite content and real-time information whenever and wherever they want it,” said Jong-hee Han, president of Visual Displays at Samsung Electronics. “As part of our vision of ‘Screens Everywhere,’ we’re thrilled to deliver a more vivid and connected at-home viewing experience by incorporating AI-enabled features and 8K technology into our displays.”

Samsung Electronics will showcase all of these TVs at their booth, GL-14.

LONDON—In 2019 and 2020, microLED shipments are projected to total less than 1,000, but a rapid ascension is on the horizon, per IHS Markit’s new report, “Micro LED Display Technology & Market.” By 2026, IHS says that the global market for microLED displays will jump to 15.5 million units, with the key contributing factor being the declines in manufacturing costs that will make the technology suitable for the mass market.

As manufacturing prices drop, so will the pricing for microLED products, which will eventually include smart watches, televisions, AR systems and smartphones. As an example of the dramatic decline in manufacturing price, IHS says that the cost to make a 75-inch TV display with the technology will drop to one-fifth of its current price by 2026; for a 1.5-inch smart watch display, the drop could be as much as one-tenth.

MicroLEDs, which are comprised of microscopic LEDs that each represent an individual pixel, are an emissive display technology that generate their own light, eliminating the need for backlight. They are also said to appear much brighter than OLEDs.

The manufacturing of microLEDs is expected to reach maturity by 2024.

“Despite the growth in acceptance, microLED shipments in 2026 will still amount to just 0.4% of the global flat-panel display market,” said Jerry Kang, associate director at IHS. “However, with shipments of nearly 16 million units that year, microLED will have entered mass-market territory, setting the stage for much wider acceptance during the following years.”

The full report from IHS is available here.