LCD Panel Values: 2H of April 2008

For those who purchase LCD panels, this set of information might be interesting. I took publicly available pricing information for LCD panels from Witsview and DisplaySearch, took the average, and then did some analysis on maximum value.

For the purpose of this blog post, maximum value is defined as dollar per megapixel ($/MP, lower is better). What this value shows is how many pixels you are getting for each dollar. Many might say that overall diagonal size is a much more important indicator and that might be true. But given the same size, I prefer a higher resolution LCD leading me to conclude that I value the number of pixels.

The value of pixels can be seen clearly in the trend toward 1080p in LCD TVs. Given the same size, say 42″, most consumers will desire a 1080p model compared to a 720p. The recent trend toward 1080p 32″ LCD TVs is another case in point.

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S-LCD 8-2

Samsung and Sony announced on April 25, 2008 that they will establish a second G8 TFT LCD manufacturing line, 8-2, for its S-LCD joint venture.

• Startup Date, Glass Input Capacity, Motherglass Dimension
• G7 Line: April 2005, 100K/mo, 1870 x 2200mm
• 8-1: August 2007, 50K/mo, 2200 x 2500mm
• 8-2: Q2′09, 60K/mo, 2200 x 2500mm

Total investment for 8-2 will be around KRW1.8 trillion (about US$1.9 billion) and will be located in the Tangjeong Complex. Initial glass substrate input capacity will be at 60K/mo. Both G8 fabs will most likely increase to 90K/mo or more in the future to meet growing demand for large LCD TVs.

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Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV

Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV

Sizes: 46″, 52″
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1080
Frequency: 100Hz
Input: HDMI
Availability: Europe, Korea, Russia, mid-summer 2008 (46″), late-summer 2008 (52″)

Inspired by Giorgio Armani’s new 2008/09 Armani/Casa home furnishings collection, the Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV was designed for “a discriminating consumer” that seeks a “sophisticated design and leading flat screen technology”.

The Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV does look handsome. The simple and elegant design is something that I like in high-tech products. But there are some problems.

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Samsung Fabrizio Bordeaux Series 750 LCD TVs

Samsung Fabrizio Bordeaux Series 750

Sizes: 40″, 46″, 52″ (LN52A750R1F)
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Brightness: 550 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio: 70,000:1 (dynamic)
Viewing Angle: 178/178
Response Time: 3ms
Frequency: 120Hz
Input: HDMI 1.3 (3), VGA, Component (Y/Pb/Pr), Composite
Other: Direct connect to Naver and YouTube via Ethernet, DLNA, DNIe Pro, Speed Backlight, Crystal Black Panel, Wide Color Control Pro

The 52″ version has the model name LN52A750R1F. Samsung Korea is calling this series simply Bordeaux 750. The company is also stating that this is a new kind of TV and is putting the stamp on these as TV 2.0. Why TV 2.0? Samsung has teamed up with Naver and YouTube so the user can directly access these two portals by connecting the Bordeaux 750 LCD TVs to the Internet via the Ethernet connection. BTW, Naver is the major Internet portal site in South Korea.

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Samsung 81F Series LCD TV: LED Backlight

Samsung 81F Series

Sizes: 40″, 46″, 52″, 57″
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Contrast Ratio: 500,000:1 (dynamic)
Viewing Angle: 178/178
Response Time: 8ms
Backlight: LED
Input: HDMI (3), Composite (2), S-Video (2), VGA (1), Component (Y/Pb/Pr, 2)
Other: LED Motion Plus
Price:

• LN-T4081F: $2499.99
• LN-T4681F: $3499.99
• LN-T5281F: $4499.99
• LN-T5781F: $7999.99

Samsung’s 81F Series LCD TVs come in four sizes: 40″, 46″, 52″, and 57″. All are driven by a LED backlight. The advantages of a LED backlight are many and one of the features Samsung calls LED Motion Plus is important. The LED Motion Plus cycles eight rows of LEDs progressively and sequentially turns each row on and off every eight of a second. This greatly improves motion blur.

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