Time to switch off the plasma TV

THE plasma TV is virtually dead with one of the last manufacturers to stop production on November 30.

OCTOBER 11, 2005 : South Korean models demonstrate the world's largest 102-inch plasma display panel TV set at LG Electronics booth during the Korea Electronics Show 2005 at the KINTEX in Ilsan, 11/10/05. Housing / Appliance / Television

THE plasma TV is virtually dead, with one of the last manufacturers to stop production on November 30.

LG Electronics said its sales of plasma TVs had been constantly falling and last year represented just 2.35 per cent of revenue.

Samsung is also pulling out of plasma production, and Panasonic announced its withdrawal a year ago.

The plasma display concept was devised in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until the 1980s when monochrome plasma displays were commonly used for computer screens.

Plasma TVs in their heyday were cheaper than their LCD display rivals and offered good image quality, but plasma gained a reputation for a shorter lifespan and burn-ins, where an image appeared burnt into the screen when displayed for too long.

While LED is the common standard, manufacturers have been investing in developing more modern “OLED” displays.

OLED, or organic light-emitting diode displays, was a concept devised at Kodak in the mid 1970s.

It involved wedging an organic material between two semi conductors. The material emits bright light when a current passed across it.

OLED has lots of advantages. Displays are lighter and thinner and do not require backlighting. They are naturally brighter with more vivid colours, and they are flexible, heralding an era of screens that can bend and wrap around walls.

Kodak went on to use OLED screens in digital cameras in the early 2000s. Some manufacturers such as Samsung use a variant of OLED for smartphone displays.

LG is well placed to make use of OLED, having bought Kodak’s white OLED technology in 2009 for a reported $US100 million.

LG said about 400 staff would be reassigned to other areas within the company by year’s end.

The Korean manufacturer is expected to convert its plasma display assembly and modular lines located in Gumi, South Korea, to make OLED TVs, LCD TVs and PC monitors.

Samsung is reportedly shutting down its plasma production also by November 30 and Panasonic pulled out of plasma production last year.

LG this year is promoting a range of 4K Ultra high definition displays, and this month it released a 65-inch OLED TV with an ultra-high definition screen costing $9999.

While expensive now, OLED is expected to drop drastically in price as its production increases.