LG Display is in discussions with Sony to supply LCD panels according to industry sources. LGD began negotiating with Sony early this year to provide 32″, 37″ and 42″ LCD TV panels. Currently Sony procures 60% of its large-size LCD panels from its joint venture with Samsung called S-LCD. AU Optronics (AUO) and other Taiwan-based LCD suppliers have been fulfilling the rest. Detailed analysis after the jump.
This is interesting news since Sony has invested heavily in S-LCD, its joint venture with Samsung and has negotiated another LCD joint venture with Sharp called Sharp Display Products. Another interesting point is that both Sharp and Samsung manufacture LCDs based on VA (Vertical Alignment) technology that behave similarly. Sharp’s ASV (Advanced Super View) and Samsung’s S-PVA (Super Patterned Vertical Alignment) LCD panels are both based on VA. However LG Display mainly uses IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology for large LCD TV panels. IPS Alpha as well as Hitachi manufacture LCD panels using IPS technology. IPS is known to have great viewing angles, superb color fidelity with little to no color and contrast shift at wide viewing angles. But IPS does not have extremely high contrast ratios when viewing from dead center. Brightness levels are not cornea-burning and can suffer from not shallow blacks compared to VA panels. With the advent of LED backlights and local dimming this has all changed since local dimming technology can make blacks very deep because the light behind the black is turned off.
Source: Trading Markets
