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LG's super-thin OLED screen sticks to your wall using magnets
Forget buying a clunky wall mount for your TV... what if you could stick it up like a fridge magnet? LG Display is hoping you'll do just that. The company has unveiled a 55-inch OLED screen that's so thin and light (0.04 inches and 4.2 pounds) that you can put it on your wall using a magnetic mat. The design doesn't exactly leave room for much else -- you'd probably need a breakout box for TV functions -- but it raises the possibility of big-screen sets that easily blend into your living room's decor. Unfortunately, LG isn't saying if or when this panel will translate into a real product. You'll most likely have to settle for the company's more conventional OLED TVs in the short term, including a giant 99-incher due this year.
LG hopes OLED TVs are ready for a 'breakout year' with Ultra HD
As much as we like LG's impressive OLED displays, the price has always been a problem. Dropping from $15,000 retail to $3,500 was impressive, but the company knows it will have to do better than that for any kind of mass appeal. The LG Display arm that supplies its screens is promising a slew of new OLED panels at this year's show, and we're expecting they'll end up in LG Electronics TVs on the show floor -- and store shelves. One thing we know is coming is the "Art Slim" concept (pictured after the break), which promises a 65-inch UHD TV that weighs just 35 lbs, coming home this year as LG's UF9500 LCD. CES 2015 will have the first curved 55-inch Ultra HD OLED, plus a few other sizes (like the 65-incher above) and variants between flat and curved. Of course, LG doesn't just make TV screens -- it's also promising a 15-inch touchscreen laptop display that takes the Advanced In-Cell Touch tech from phones and tablets to laptops. Of course, since LG Display is the supplier, we'll have to wait a little longer to find out how much all of these will actually cost once they go on sale.
iFixit takes a peek inside Apple's new '5K' iMac
Sure, we were only just introduced to Apple's 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display, but the folks at iFixit are already tearing one apart. Inside they found a screen made by LG Display, and a setup similar to previous iMacs, including easily-accessed RAM slots for memory upgrades. Overall, the layout is almost exactly like last year's 27-inch iMac, plus that new display controller Apple bragged about and a slightly wider display data cable, enhanced to feed all those pixels. Repairing things might be tricky given its design, but you should check out the teardown for more details and a look at the carnage.
LG has a very flexible 18-inch display, promises 60-inch rollable TVs
It's been a while since we've seen any new curved or flexible displays following LG's G Flex and Samsung's Galaxy Round smartphones. LG Display is thinking bigger now. It's announced that it's been able to create an 18-inch OLED panel that has enough give and flexibility to roll into a tube that's a mere 3cm across. The prototype currently has a resolution of 1,200 x 810, while it's a new polyamide film on the back of the panel (instead of the typical plastic) which offers the panel substantially more flexibility -- and it's also even thinner. Alongside the flexible demo, LG's also crafted a transparent OLED panel which has triple the transmittance of existing see-through LCD displays -- that means the picture looks much better and less hazy. According to LG Display's SVP and Head of R&D, In-Byung Kang, he's confident that "by 2017, we will successfully develop an Ultra HD flexible and transparent OLED panel of more than 60 inches." Crank up that resolution and bring on the roll-up TVs.
LG's 105-inch, 21:9 curved UHD TV is wide enough to be a tanning bed
LG already has a big 77-inch curved Ultra HD OLED TV, but why stop there? The Korean company has just announced that it will be unveiling a 105-inch version at CES next month, but with a twist: this one uses LCD instead of the more expensive OLED, courtesy of improved TFT technology for an even backlighting across the curved surface. Furthermore, this 105UB9 model has a wider-than-usual 21:9 "CinemaScope" aspect ratio, thus providing a 5,120 x 2,160 UHD resolution (but technically not 5K). While we likely won't find out about the pricing of this monstrosity until CES, this milestone for LG Display's LCD technology could signify a wave of more affordable curved TVs next year -- much like what Sony's attempting with its S990A. Stay tuned for our eyes-on report once we hit the show floor.
Samsung and LG settle LCD, OLED patent dispute, choose to focus on cooperation
Samsung Display and LG Display have let the lawsuits fly in a patent battle over LCD- and OLED-related technology, but today that is apparently all over. In separate statements to the press, Samsung said "we two should focus more on cementing our leadership in the global market by cooperation, instead of engaging in all-consuming patent disputes." For its part, LG claimed that "what's most important for both of us is upgrading our competitiveness globally." All's well that ends well we guess, and a faster rollout of new display technology is nothing we'll argue against. The only possible issue? If they work together too well to achieve global market domination.
LG develops 'world's first' WiDi-enabled LCD panel for easy media streaming
If you like to stream content but you already have too many set-top boxes in your house, LG wants to help. Having already committed to implementing 5G WiFi chips in its upcoming HDTVs earlier in the year, LG Display has developed a PC monitor that, it claims, is the first to integrate Intel's Wireless Display (WiDi) tech directly into the LCD component. It's not the biggest panel out there, at 23.8 inches, but it does mean you'll be able to stream anything you like from your WiDi-enabled laptop without additional gear. And while the market for WiDi-enabled displays is pretty thin right now, LG has said it will offer up its integrated panel tech to OEMs and other monitor makers, suggesting that you'll soon have a multiplicity of options for your streaming needs.
LG's OLED display production plant is taking shape, will fire up second half 2014
To us, installing some factory equipment doesn't seem like much cause for celebration. To LG, however, it's the first piece of tangible progress made towards getting its new OLED manufacturing line up and running. At a shindig held to welcome the equipment to LG's plant, the company said it expects to begin mass production of panels for 50-inch plus HDTVs in the second half of next year -- a little later than the original plan of first half 2014. Hopefully there won't be any more delays, as we'd quite like to see the production line flowing and the mammoth prices of those gorgeous curved sets come down a little.
LG Display shows off 2.2mm thick 'world's slimmest' 1080p LCD for smartphones
As smartphones continue to get thinner and thinner, LG Display is continually doing its part to shave off a few millimeters. Its latest introduction is this "world's slimmest full HD panel for smartphones", measuring at 5.2-inches diagonally, it's just 2.2mm thick and has a 2.3mm bezel. To get there, LG's display arm has pioneered new technology including "Advanced One-Glass-Solution" that puts dual flexible circuits between the panel and touch film, with 30 percent fewer lines on the panel. It also points out that every one of its pixels consists of RGB subpixels -- more shots fired at pentile screens -- and that it's capable of 535 nits of brightness, more than all current 1080p mobile LCDs. That should be an improvement over the Zerogap Touch technology it was so proud of in the original Optimus G and hey, look at that -- it's arriving just in time for the Optimus G2.%Gallery-193547%
Samsung Display HQ searched by police in probe over stolen LG OLED tech
We had hoped that the dispute between Samsung and LG over their OLED tech would be resolved soon but recent developments suggest that may not be the case. Bloomberg reports Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency investigators entered the Samsung Display HQ in Asan as they look into the possibility that LG partners may have leaked secrets of its technology. A Samsung spokesperson denied any involvement, and an LG spokesperson is quoted saying the police made the allegation themselves. This comes after Yonhap News reported last month that LG accused Samsung of illegally using its patented technology and demanded Samsung Display and Samsung Electronics pay for the rights. While these two continue to duke it out legally, we have yet to see an OLED HDTV from either arrive in the US and it seems like it may be quite some time until that happens.
LG Display drops injunction request on Galaxy Note 10.1, seeks 'alternative solution' with Samsung
A patent struggle between LG Display and Samsung Display kicked off late last year when the latter filed a lawsuit claiming its counterpart had stolen technology secrets tied to the production of OLED screens. In turn, LG threatened its own injunctions and the fight was on but now it may be moving towards a resolution. After rumors indicated the two were trying to talk it out a few days ago Samsung Display dropped its injunction request, and now LG has responded in kind. After dropping its request for an injunction preventing the sale of Samsung's Galaxy Note 10.1 in South Korea, LG Display says it is seeking a resolution "through an amicable negotiation" -- you can read the official statement in full after the break. With any luck, these two will have hugged it out by the time their latest round of devices are ready to ship, and we can enjoy our HDTVs, phones and tablets in peace.
Apple supplier LG Display makes huge investment in OLED screens
Don't read anything into this, but Apple supplier LG Display is investing more than US$600 million to build a new production line to make organic LED (OLED) panels in South Korea. Apple CEO Tim Cook panned the use of OLED displays at a Goldman Sachs investor meeting last week, noting that the color saturation of such displays is "awful." Cook was quoted as saying, "If you ever buy anything online and really want to know what he color is, as many people do, you should really think twice before you depend on the color from an OLED display." Due to low production yields, the displays are also prohibitively expensive at this time. LG Electronics -- the parent company of LG Display -- came to market with an unbelievably thin 55-inch OLED TV (seen above) in January at a price of more than $10,000, or about two to three times the price of a similarly priced LCD TV. So please don't jump to conclusions and think that Apple's going to be using OLED screens in some future product, especially an Apple HDTV. We'll leave those leaps of logic to the Wall Street analysts.
LG Display invests $655 million to expand OLED HDTV mass production next year
Sure, LG's current 55-inch OLED HDTV is pretty pricey with a US MSRP of $12K, but that may start to change next year when panel supplier LG Display kicks its new 8G production line into full gear. LG Electronics holds a 38 percent stake in the company and although it supplies screens to many others as well, the next generation of 55EM9700s will likely be a large segment of the displays produced. Although LCD manufacturers ramped up 8G facilities capable of producing six 55-inch displays from one piece of glass in the late 2000s, oversupply caused prices to drop and manufacturing to slow down, including at LG Display. Now, new display technology is ramping up investment again, which will see this new line installed at its P9 plant in Paju, South Korea at a cost of 706 billion won ($655 million). Based on LG's WRGB OLED evaporation process, it should be capable of working with as many as 26,000 input sheets per month once it's up to full speed in the first half of 2014. Chief competitor Samsung showed off "production" OLED HDTVs last year and plenty of demo units at CES with a mid-year release planned, we'll see if it manages to keep up before / if the tech goes mainstream.
Apple hires senior OLED researcher away from LG Display
It's not confirmation that we'll ever see Apple devices with OLED displays, but a new hire by the company definitely tips the scale in favor of the technology one day finding a home in iPhones, iMacs and other products. Dr. Jueng–jil "James" Lee, previously behind LG Display's efforts to create printable OLED televisions, has been poached from the South Korean company by 1 Infinite Loop and will go to work within Apple's display group. There'll no doubt be those who see Dr. Lee's hiring as in some way connected with Apple's rumored efforts to produce its own television ("now with an OLED display!," we can almost hear the rumor mill shouting) but in truth the company has been quietly working on several potential implementations for the technology over the years. Of course, the doctor's talents might even be put to use on products we can't even imagine yet -- or there's always the chance that whatever he's been hired to do will never been seen outside of a secure room. This is Apple we're talking about, after all. [Via AppleInsider]
China fines LG Display, Samsung and others over alleged price fixing
Companies embroiled in display price fixing scandals aren't out of the woods just yet. China's National Development and Reform Commission has just fined six manufacturers ¥353 million ($56.7 million) for allegedly colluding on LCD prices, including Korean heavyweights LG Display and Samsung as well as Taiwan-based AU Optronics, Chungwa Picture Tubes, HannStar and Innolux. The accusations behind the latest penalty aren't quite the same as in other countries, but they share a familiar story: China believes the firms agreed to keep costs artificially high between 2001 and 2006, making ¥208 million yuan ($33.4 million) in undeserved profit. While the immediate fiscal damage will be light when it's spread across several companies, it adds to punishment that has already ranged into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
LG Display is bringing Ultra HD TVs in multiple sizes, high res mobile screens and more to CES
The manufacturing white label behind products from LG Electronics and many, many other companies, LG Display will have something new for us in Las Vegas as well. In a press release, the company announced it will show off Ultra HD (4K) panels in 55-, 65- and 84-inch sizes (shown above), complete with its FPR passive 3D tech built in. Since LG Display makes panels for quite a few of the HDTVs on shelves, it follows that we'll be seeing actual products shipping in those sizes in the coming year from several brands. It also will show off its work in other areas, with a 30-inch 4K monitor, a 5.5-inch 1080p screen for smartphones, a 1,920 x 1,200 7-inch tablet display, and a new QSXGA (2,560 x 1,700) screen destined for laptops that packs all of those pixels into just 12.9-inches. PPI isn't everything however, and LG Display is bringing several displays notable for their tiny bezels as well, including a 23.8-inch monitor in its Neo-Blade Series, a 13.3-inch laptop screen with a 2mm bezel, and a 4.7-inch mobile screen with a 1mm thick bezel. Finally, the new year also brings tweaks to its OLED displays, which will show off an ultra light and thin design at just 3.5kg and 4mm thick --- and hopefully actually being released in the US this year. Check out the release after the break for the full list of goodies, we'll be getting our own look at them in just a few days.
LG Display countersues Samsung over OLED patent infringement
The strained relationship between the two tentpoles of Korea's tech industry is starting to wear, now that LG Display has counter-sued its local rival over OLED patents. Earlier this month, Samsung filed for an injunction accusing its frenemy of stealing secrets, but LG is claiming instead that it's the victim. If successful, Lucky Goldstar would seek a ban on devices including the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note on the pair's home turf -- so, yeah, this one looks like it's going to run and run.
LG gets patent for mobile UI that reacts to flexible displays, encourages origami
As often as companies love to toy with flexible displays, we're seldom told how we'd control that newfound freedom. Are we supposed to make e-paper cranes? Credit LG for some forward thinking -- it's just receiving a US patent for a 2008-era user interface invention that would use a bending screen to its advantage. The implementation includes two displays, one of which flexes while the other accepts touch; bend or fold the first display, and the touchscreen changes to suit the context. Having two closely linked displays would also let the panels run either in unity or independently. Suffice it to say that the technology is unlikely to roll out as-is on a smartphone, if ever: LG's attention has swung towards having one big touchscreen as of late. However, the interface does give the Korean firm a place to start if it develops devices to match its new flexible batteries.
Amazon Kindle Fire HD torn down, proves an easy fix
Interested in what makes your new Kindle Fire HD 7-inch tick? The crew at iFixit certainly is. As is the repair shop's custom, it just tore down Amazon's new reader tablet to gauge its repairability as well as look for any surprises. In the case of the revamped Kindle Fire, the fixable design is the main surprise -- despite being skinnier than its ancestor, the tablet is easy to open and its components (usually) easy to replace. We're not as shocked by the choice of hardware makers, which include an LG Display LCD, the expected 1.2GHz TI OMAP 4460 processor and Samsung flash memory. Head on over to the source if you'd like to see the nitty gritty of Amazon's Android slab and possibly save the trouble of a replacement unit down the road.
iPhone 5: the rumor roundup
We're on the cusp of Apple's sixth iPhone launch, and there's very different expectations than there were last year. The 2011 rumor cycle left more than a few people burned: the later-than-usual October launch and repeated claims of a heavily-remade design led some to a disappointment when the iPhone 4S arrived, even though the final product had a slew of camera, speed and voice command upgrades. This year, the rumors have been grounded well before there was an event date in our hands. There have been fewer instances of wild rumors. Instead, it's been based more around pragmatism, using either tangible leaks or sources that have a solid track record. Think of the perennial leaks from the Wall Street Journal or the increasingly well-established sourcing from iMore and The Loop. Whether you're conspiracy-minded or not, it's been hard to ignore the sheer number of claims that have tamped down expectations rather than inflated them. It's as though there's a collective fear we'll see a repeat of the 2011 hysteria and deal with fans (or detractors) complaining about missing features that were never promised in the first place. Where last summer was full of uncertainty, this year there's a mounting consensus as to what we'll see, how we'll get it, and when. Tracking everything that's been mentioned may be a handful, however. With that in mind, we'll dive in and gauge what's likely to emerge from behind Apple's curtain on September 12th -- as well as what we can rule out from the get-go.
