LG is poised to cease production of plasma TVs as early as next month, joining the likes of Samsung and Panasonic in exiting the category as new TV tech takes over.
The South
Korean multinational will shift its focus to LED and OLED displays,
stating “this is the last year” for plasma, according to Trusted
Reviews.
“We
have not decided on the exact timing of discontinuing the PDP (plasma
display panel), but we believe that this year is the last year to
produce the PDP,” Hugo Shin, LG
Home Entertainment product communications director, told Trusted Reviews.
With the
market evolving and embracing new technologies, Samsung this year
joined Panasonic in exiting the plasma category, leaving Chinese
company Changhong as one of the few remaining manufacturers
still launching plasma TV displays.
Earlier
in the year, market research firm NPD DisplaySearch forecast global
LCD TV shipments would rise almost 5 per cent in 2014 at the expense of
plasma and CRT TV shipments, which it forecast to fall 48 per cent and 50 per cent,
respectively.
NPD
forecast both technologies will all but disappear by the end of 2015,
with manufacturers focusing on LCD, which it stated has become more
cost competitive.
Meanwhile,
NPD found OLED is expected to grow as an alternative flat panel
display technology, however is expected to account for less
than 1 per cent of shipments through to 2017.
