According to a new report from Taiwan, Samsung Electronics is planning to release a 75" consumer Micro-LED TV in 2019, using LED chips and technologies from Taiwan's PlayNitride. Samsung will also invest further in PlayNitride to help it increase its production capacity (Samsung's stake in PlayNitride will reach 30% following this investment).
In July 2018 Samsung Electronics video and display chief, Han Jong-hee, said that Samsung aims to release a Micro-LED consumer TV next year - The Wall Luxury that will be based on its Wall modular TV. It could be that this will be the 75" TV that will use PlayNitride's chips.
A few days ago we posted that PlayNitride indeed aims to release its first Micro-LED display products in 2019, as the company already started to ample micro-LED panels in 2017 and shipped samples to 10-20 potential customers. The company's chairman and CEO, Charles Li, said in June 2018 that 5-6 of these customers are continuing the developing of micro-LED modules based on these panels (is Samsung Electronics one of these customers?).
In April 2018 Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology approved PlayNitride's application to setup a NT$500 million (US$17 million) production facility at Hsinchu Science Park. PlayNitride aims to produce micro LEDs, display modules and panels at its new facility at Hsinchu. Production is expected to begin in early 2019. PlayNitride says that it achieved mass transfer and placement yield rates of over 99% in its lab. Apparently it is already looking to increase its production capacity following the Samsung agreement.
In April 2017 it was rumored that Samsung Display is set to acquire PlayNitride for around $150 million. The deal is not final, but in January 2018 it was reported that the two companies are at the final stage of their talk. Meanwhile Samsung signed a long-term agreement to co-develop Micro-LED technologies with San'an Optoelectronics, China's largest LED producer (although reportedly San'an is currently supplying Mini-LEDs for Samsung's The Wall display).
Comments
Samsung might have already
Samsung might have already quietly released their first Micro-LED TV under the name Active LED in India.