from the I-saw-what-you-did-there-on-this-large-clear-display dept.
The Korea Times reports:
LG Display blasted Samsung Display on Sunday for allegedly stealing its display panel technology, following a prosecution decision to indict several Samsung employees involved in a case of alleged industrial spying.
The article says that an LG spokesman called it an "illegal and organized theft of our large organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) display panel technology committed by Samsung Display employees". It also mentions a response by Samsung:
Samsung Display also released a statement on Sunday, expressing regret over the accusation and urging LG Display to stop making slanderous accusations.
Over on OLED-Info.com it's mentioned that these are the latest events in a long running fight between the two companies:
with lawsuits launched by both sides and even accusations of stolen prototype TVs. In 2013 two two Korean arch-rivals agreed to resolve their OLED dispute ... But settlement negotiation failed, and it seems that the OLED wars are far from over.
Whilst OLED screens are used in many mobile devices, the technology is still a long way from widespread adoption in desktop and laptop monitors. Manufacturers seem to be focusing on high end OLED televisions first. For example, LG's 65" 4k curved OLED TV, the 65EC9700 is now shipping in the US and UK.
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Samsung is investing an additional ₩13.1 trillion ($11 billion) in the R&D and production of quantum dot-enhanced organic light-emitting diode (QD-OLED) panels:
The QD-OLED technology promises to simplify (i.e. lower the cost of) production of OLED-based televisions and monitors, as well as enabling wider color gamuts, which is something expected from next-generation content. Contemporary WOLED panels from LG Display use a blue or white (yellow + blue) OLED emitter stack, and a WRGB color filter system on top with a variety of additional layers behind, between, and ahead of them. By contrast, a QD-OLED panel uses an OLED emitter stack (some believe, with two emitting stacks) with a quantum dot RGB color filter (also called quantum dot color converter, or QDCC) system on top.
Today's OLED panels feature 22 layers, whereas a QD-OLED panel may cut the number to 13, which means fewer deposition stages, lower material and production costs, and, perhaps, better yield. The QD-OLED technology is still considered to be rather challenging as Samsung has to solve light management issues. Meanwhile, according to Display Supply Chain, one square meter of an QD-OLED panel will cost around $26, whereas one square meter of a contemporary OLED panel costs approximately $95.
Related:
Claims of Industrial Espionage Plague OLED Development
Bright Blue PHOLEDs Almost Ready for TV
SEL Develops 8K OLED Displays for Tablets and Laptops
VESA Expands DisplayHDR Specification to Include OLED and Emissive Displays
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 17 2015, @09:36AM
The ones in the south are not really any less crazy than the ones in the north. Just different flavor of crazy.
(Score: 1) by rleigh on Tuesday February 17 2015, @09:51AM
Unless the problems with OLED burn-in get addressed, I don't think I'll consider getting one for any purpose. I was thinking about getting a Samsung tablet until I researched it and came across the problems. For a TV I'd expect it to last a significant amount of time given its cost (well over a decade).
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Tuesday February 17 2015, @10:33AM
From what I've read the burn-in phenomenon already isn't such a big deal. It's nothing like the effect that plagued CRT's where an afterimage could literally burn onto the screen phosphor if the same image was displayed for too long. Instead it's due to the LEDs having a somewhat limited life and a change in intensity as they degrade. I don't think this should be too much of an issue until after thousands of hours of use and techniques have already been developed to mitigate it. For example the use of white LEDs through coloured filters can stop different colours degrading at different rates.
Disclaimer: I'm still using a CRT waiting for OLED to mature and cheapen. I dislike LCDs.
"rancid randy has a dialogue with herself[...] Somebody help him!" -- Anonymous Coward.
(Score: 1) by adolf on Wednesday February 18 2015, @09:14PM
Incorrect.
White LEDs also degrade, just like fluorescent lamps and CRTs.
In the case of white LEDs, you start with an LED that emits a relatively short wavelength (blue, most commonly...though UV is also possible) and use phosphorescent coatings to generate the rest of the visible spectrum.
Just like a fluorescent tube, wherein the mercury vapor creates UV, which is converted with a phosphor coating to visible light. Or a CRT, which does the same sort of thing with an invisible electron beam for excitement rather than mercury vapor.
It makes zero sense to filter white LED light only to wind back up with colored light, when you could have just used a colored LED to begin with.
That all said, I adore the OLED screen on my Samsung S5. And the monochromatic OLED screen on my once-high-end Pioneer car stereo is creeping up in age and shows zero signs of dimming or burn-in (it has features like inversion to equal-out the wear, but I've always had those turned off), despite wild temperature extremes and a few thousand hours of use.
I'm wasting my days as I've wasted my nights and I've wasted my youth
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday February 19 2015, @11:59PM
It's a technique LG have used on some of their recent screens. I've not read much about it, but as I understand it the idea is that the white LEDs should all degrade approximately the same rate, compared to using a mix of red, green and blue LEDs where one colour degrades before the others, causing undesirable colour changes to the picture.
It seems to be mentioned here [oled-info.com], but in the comments there's confusion over exactly what technology is being described so it's anyone's guess at the moment!
"rancid randy has a dialogue with herself[...] Somebody help him!" -- Anonymous Coward.
(Score: 1) by adolf on Tuesday February 24 2015, @08:53AM
But if they're filtering white LEDs (which aren't really white, as I said), then the colors will still shift over time in the same way that CRTs do/did as things wear/burn, so it's still not worth the inefficiency tradeoff (IMHO).
(It probably gets yields up and process cost down, though. And low yields and process cost are what is currently keeping big OLED screen prices high.)
I'm wasting my days as I've wasted my nights and I've wasted my youth
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 17 2015, @10:43AM
stealing its display panel technology
If the other guys are using your technology, it's easy to prove. You did patent the technology right? It wasn't just a trade secret? Else it's not stealing.
(Score: 2) by Techwolf on Tuesday February 17 2015, @01:21PM
I though when the old CRT was phased out in favor of LCD, burn was a thing of the past. But I was wrong when my phone suffered from burn in and there is no way to repair it.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Tuesday February 17 2015, @07:39PM
I feel for you about that phone, but I've owned numerous CRTs over the years and never once experienced burn-in. That's what screensavers and even better, screen timeouts to power it off are for. I can see how the screen going off can occasionally get annoying but I think it's doubly useful on a phone to help preserve battery life. If you understand the limitations of the hardware and treat it with respect, I don't see the problem.
"rancid randy has a dialogue with herself[...] Somebody help him!" -- Anonymous Coward.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by kaszz on Tuesday February 17 2015, @02:18PM
Considering Samsung track record it seems in line with company culture.
Samsung Allegedly Inserts Ads into Locally-Stored/Played Movies [soylentnews.org]
Stopping a Smart TV from Eavesdropping on you could be a Felony [soylentnews.org]
George Orwell's "1984" Telescreens are Here... [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 17 2015, @03:28PM
It isn't like LG doesn't have its own share of cultural problems.
Like this washing machine debacle. [wsj.com]
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Wednesday February 18 2015, @12:27AM
There's a difference between abusing your customers and badmouthing your competitors.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 17 2015, @02:38PM
Seems like the pot calling the kettle black to me.