great scott tft lcd made in china

LCD manufacturers are mainly located in China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan. Almost all the lcd or TFT manufacturers have built or moved their lcd plants to China on the past decades. Top TFT lcd and oled display manufactuers including BOE, COST, Tianma, IVO from China mainland, and Innolux, AUO from Tianwan, but they have established factories in China mainland as well, and other small-middium sizes lcd manufacturers in China.

China flat display revenue has reached to Sixty billion US Dollars from 2020. there are 35 tft lcd lines (higher than 6 generation lines) in China,China is the best place for seeking the lcd manufacturers.

The first half of 2021, BOE revenue has been reached to twenty billion US dollars, increased more than 90% than thesame time of 2020, the main revenue is from TFT LCD, AMoled. BOE flexible amoled screens" output have been reach to 25KK pcs at the first half of 2021.the new display group Micro LED revenue has been increased to 0.25% of the total revenue as well.

Established in 1993 BOE Technology Group Co. Ltd. is the top1 tft lcd manufacturers in China, headquarter in Beijing, China, BOE has 4 lines of G6 AMOLED production lines that can make flexible OLED, BOE is the authorized screen supplier of Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc,the first G10.5 TFT line is made in BOE.BOE main products is in large sizes of tft lcd panel,the maximum lcd sizes what BOE made is up to 110 inch tft panel, 8k resolution. BOE is the bigger supplier for flexible AM OLED in China.

Technology Co., Ltd), established in 2009. CSOT is the company from TCL, CSOT has eight tft LCD panel plants, four tft lcd modules plants in Shenzhen, Wuhan, Huizhou, Suzhou, Guangzhou and in India. CSOTproviding panels and modules for TV and mobile

three decades.Tianma is the leader of small to medium size displays in technologyin China. Tianma have the tft panel factories in Shenzhen, Shanhai, Chendu, Xiamen city, Tianma"s Shenzhen factory could make the monochrome lcd panel and LCD module, TFT LCD module, TFT touch screen module. Tianma is top 1 manufactures in Automotive display screen and LTPS TFT panel.

Tianma and BOE are the top grade lcd manufacturers in China, because they are big lcd manufacturers, their minimum order quantity would be reached 30k pcs MOQ for small sizes lcd panel. price is also top grade, it might be more expensive 50%~80% than the market price.

Panda electronics is established in 1936, located in Nanjing, Jiangshu, China. Panda has a G6 and G8.6 TFT panel lines (bought from Sharp). The TFT panel technologies are mainly from Sharp, but its technology is not compliance to the other tft panels from other tft manufactures, it lead to the capacity efficiency is lower than other tft panel manufacturers. the latest news in 2022, Panda might be bougt to BOE in this year.

Established in 2005, IVO is located in Kunsan,Jiangshu province, China, IVO have more than 3000 employee, 400 R&D employee, IVO have a G-5 tft panel production line, IVO products are including tft panel for notebook, automotive display, smart phone screen. 60% of IVO tft panel is for notebook application (TOP 6 in the worldwide), 23% for smart phone, 11% for automotive.

Besides the lcd manufacturers from China mainland,inGreater China region,there are other lcd manufacturers in Taiwan,even they started from Taiwan, they all have built the lcd plants in China mainland as well,let"s see the lcd manufacturers in Taiwan:

Innolux"s 14 plants in Taiwan possess a complete range of 3.5G, 4G, 4.5G, 5G, 6G, 7.5G, and 8.5G-8.6G production line in Taiwan and China mainland, offering a full range of large/medium/small LCD panels and touch-control screens.including 4K2K ultra-high resolution, 3D naked eye, IGZO, LTPS, AMOLED, OLED, and touch-control solutions,full range of TFT LCD panel modules and touch panels, including TV panels, desktop monitors, notebook computer panels, small and medium-sized panels, and medical and automotive panels.

AUO is the tft lcd panel manufacturers in Taiwan,AUO has the lcd factories in Tianma and China mainland,AUOOffer the full range of display products with industry-leading display technology,such as 8K4K resolution TFT lcd panel, wide color gamut, high dynamic range, mini LED backlight, ultra high refresh rate, ultra high brightness and low power consumption. AUO is also actively developing curved, super slim, bezel-less, extreme narrow bezel and free-form technologies that boast aesthetic beauty in terms of design.Micro LED, flexible and foldable AMOLED, and fingerprint sensing technologies were also developed for people to enjoy a new smart living experience.

Hannstar was found in 1998 in Taiwan, Hannstar display hasG5.3 TFT-LCD factory in Tainan and the Nanjing LCM/Touch factories, providing various products and focus on the vertical integration of industrial resources, creating new products for future applications and business models.

driver, backlight etc ,then make it to tft lcd module. so its price is also more expensive than many other lcd module manufacturers in China mainland.

Maclight is a China based display company, located in Shenzhen, China. ISO9001 certified, as a company that more than 10 years working experiences in display, Maclight has the good relationship with top tft panel manufacturers, it guarantee that we could provide a long term stable supply in our products, we commit our products with reliable quality and competitive prices.

Maclight products included monochrome lcd, TFT lcd module and OLED display, touch screen module, Maclight is special in custom lcd display, Sunlight readable tft lcd module, tft lcd with capacitive touch screen. Maclight is the leader of round lcd display. Maclight is also the long term supplier for many lcd companies in USA and Europe.

If you want tobuy lcd moduleorbuy tft screenfrom China with good quality and competitive price, Maclight would be a best choice for your glowing business.

STONE Technologies is a proud manufacturer of superior quality TFT LCD modules and LCD screens. The company also provides intelligent HMI solutions that perfectly fit in with its excellent hardware offerings.

STONE TFT LCD modules come with a microcontroller unit that has a 1GHz Cortex-A8 CPU. Such a module can easily be transformed into an HMI screen. Simple hexadecimal instructions can be used to control the module through the UART port. Furthermore, you can seamlessly develop STONE TFT LCD color user interface modules and add touch control, features to them.

The famous china LCD display manufacturers. It is the world’s leading semiconductor display technology, products, and services provider. Products are widely used in mobile phones, tablets, laptops, monitors, televisions, cars, digital information displays, and other display fields.

Focus on the development and production of china HMI (Intelligent TFT LCD Module) LCD display manufacturers, production, and sales of LCD display modules for 16 years. The company master TFT LCD technology and software system. The main products are industrial electronic series, advanced series, and civil and commercial series. Application scenarios include automation systems, medical beauty equipment, vending machines, smart lockers, energy, and power equipment (refueling machines, charging piles), elevators, smart homes, and offices, measuring instruments, public transportation, etc.

Mainly committed to the r&d, production, and sales of TFT-LCD/stn-LCD /OLED display modules, it is a modern high-tech enterprise that provides a full range of product LCD module technology and manufacturing support services for TCL group member enterprises and international electronic enterprises.

Set an LCD display module (LCM), capacitive touch screen (CTP), fully integrated touch display module (TDM), LCD thin technology development, production, and service in one national high-tech company.

Domestic size of the top four small and medium-sized flat panel display manufacturers. The products cover medium and small-size TFT-LCD display modules and high-precision miniature cameras, which have been widely used in the fields of smartphones, medical treatment, and industrial display.

The LCD business division is specialized in the r&d, production, and sales of the LCD display (LCD) and LCD module (LCM) series of products. It has ten semi-automatic COG production lines, 1.5KK of monthly COG products, covering COG, TAB, COB, and other LCD module products, TFT, CSTN, and other color LCD display products, and OLED display products. touch screen manufacturers.

Byd IT products and business mainly include the establishment of rechargeable batteries, plastic parts, metal parts, hardware, and electronic products, mobile phone keys, microelectronics, LCD display module, optoelectronic products, flexible circuit board, chargers, connectors, uninterruptible power supply, dc power supply, solar energy products, mobile phone decoration, mobile phones ODM, mobile phone test, assembly operations, laptop, ODM, manufacturing, testing and assembly operations, etc.

Star source products cover backlight, LCD, optical diaphragm, etc., widely used in LCD modules, photo frames, tablets, portable, instruments, and meters.

The company has long invested in the research and development of the TFT-lcm LCD module, focusing on consumer products and industrial control products. Currently, 3.5-11.6 inch modules are available, among which 4.0, 4.3, 5, 6, and 10.1-inch products have reached the leading level in the industry. Products are mainly used in vehicles, mobile TV, PMP, DVD, EPC, security, and industrial control products.

Professional development, design, production, and sales of LCD display module (LCM), products cover COB, TAB, COG, and other LCD module products, TFT, CSTN, and other color LCD display products, as well as OLED display products. Products are widely used in mobile phones, communications, digital products, household appliances, industrial control, instrumentation, vehicle display, color screen display, and other fields.

Mainly engaged in research and development, manufacturing, and sales of the LCD display and LCD display module. Products are widely used in all kinds of electronic products and equipment HMI interface, such as medical equipment, instruments and meters, audio, household appliances, telephone and clocks, game machines, and other different types and use.

Focusing on the LCD module industry, is a collection of research and development, manufacturing, sales as one of the high-tech enterprises. TFT module size from 1.44 to 7 inches, product specifications cover QVGA, WVGA, qHD, HD, etc., the market prospects are broad.

The display manufacturers company mainly researches and develops the LCD display, charger, battery, and other products of mobile communication mobile phone, telephone, MP3, and other high-tech products.

The company integrates research and development, design, production, sales, and service into one, and provides comprehensive touch and display integrated solutions for the complete machine touch screen manufacturer of smartphones, specializing in the development and manufacture of Sensor sensors, capacitive touch screens (GFF/OGS/GG), small and medium-sized LCD (TN/HTN/STN/CSTN/TFT) and corresponding modules and glass cover plate products. The company’s products are widely used in communication terminals (smartphone, tablet computer, etc.), household appliances, car electronics, digital products, and other industries, exported to Europe and America, Japan and South Korea, Singapore, and other countries.

Mainly produces medium and small-size LCD display module (LCM), multi-point capacitive touch screen (CTP), and other high-tech products. At present, more than 1000 models of 1.2-12.1 inch products have been developed. Products are widely used in mobile phones, GPS, mobile TV, tablet computers, digital photo frames, e-books, and other consumer electronics.

It is a professional development and production of small and medium-sized flat panel display upstream materials manufacturers. The company’s main products include LCD display panels, color filter, ITO conductive glass (CF), TFT LCD panel, and capacitive touch screen with multi-touch control functions (sensor and the final module), can provide complete medium and small size flat-panel display device using the solution of raw materials, product specifications varieties complete, widely used in 10.4 inches below the smartphone, tablet, PMP, digital camera, digital camera, GPS and other products of the display panel.

Now it is divided into mobile phone business division: the main products are (2.8-6) inch and the LCD screen and capacitive screen all fit together.MID tablet computer and ultrabook computer division: the main production product size is (7-15) inch capacitive touch screen.

Committed to 3.5~4.3 inches, 5 inches, 5.88 inches, 6.2 inches, 7.0 inches, 8.0 inches, 9.7 inches, 10.1 inches, 12.1 inches medium size FOG, backlight process production, products should be widely used in high-end communication phones, tablets, notebook computers, car TV, navigator, and other display products. automotive LCD display touch screen manufacturers.

The company has an injection molding business division, SMT business division, FPC business division, backlight business division, irrigation crystal business division, TFT module business division, SIN module business division, products involving touch screen, LCD display module, backlight, black and white screen, flexible circuit board.

Engaged in the laptop, tablet, smartphone, computer high-performance board card, LCD module, and other electronic products research and development, production, and sales of high-tech private enterprises.

Is a professional engaged in LCD display module, electronic components, production, design, research and development, sales as one of the high-tech enterprises. Products are widely used in mobile phones, game consoles, PDA, portable DVDs, video phones, intercom doorbells, car video, industrial control medical, and other fields.

STONE provides a full range of 3.5 inches to 15.1 inches of small and medium-size standard quasi TFT LCD module, LCD display, TFT display module, display industry, industrial LCD screen, under the sunlight visually highlight TFT LCD display, industrial custom TFT screen, TFT LCD screen-wide temperature, industrial TFT LCD screen, touch screen industry. The TFT LCD module is very suitable for industrial control equipment, medical instruments, POS system, electronic consumer products, vehicles, and other products.

If you don’t quite remember, the Foxconn project in Wisconsin was announced in 2017 as a massive deal to build the first “Generation 10.5” LCD factory in North America. It was also one of the first big moments in the Trump presidency, complete with President Trump holding a golden shovel at a lavish groundbreaking ceremony where he said the factory would be “the eighth wonder of the world.”

The deal was supposedly quite simple: Foxconn (the company best known for manufacturing the iPhone), President Trump, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker all announced that Foxconn would build a 20-million-square-foot display factory in Wisconsin that would bring 13,000 manufacturing jobs back to the United States. Wisconsin promised more than $4 billion in tax credits to Foxconn, cleared land by pushing people out of their homes, and diverted water from Lake Michigan to support the factory. A lot of people got excited about this promised American manufacturing renaissance and left good jobs to join it.

But it turned out that while Foxconn was putting on a great show, no LCD factory was actually getting built, even though Foxconn kept saying it was happening.

I wrote the book in the past year and a half, partly because I think there are a lot of untold stories that need to be told. I wanted to share some of the interesting backstories and narratives of the tireless people and patriots who put in a great deal of work to bring this investment into the United States, and to Wisconsin.

NP: Josh and I covered this project extensively at The Verge the whole time, and we have both read the book. If you just read this book cover to cover, you would end fully believing that there is a Generation 10.5 LCD factory in southeastern Wisconsin. There is not a factory. What happened?

Well, if you read the book — which you did, and I thank you for that — it stopped right around the end of 2017. I think everybody, including myself, fully believed that the Gen 10.5 project would happen. A great deal of work went in there, as was the plan and the intent. By the way, I want to thank the two of you and The Verge for covering the story so extensively. Not everybody had actually put in the time and effort to do that. I also want to clarify that, up until this point, I have not talked to the media or The Verge.

Yes, we have very strict policy, especially given my role at the company and my responsibility for the project. I do appreciate you taking the interest and doing very extensive reporting on that. I commend you for that. A lot of the facts and data you share are more complete and extensive than any other outlet or report organization. That is a really great contribution and great discourse.

NP: I believe that. Every politician wants to see a giant factory with 13,000 jobs in their backyard. Josh wrote the story where he visited all of Foxconn’s innovation centers that were empty before the election — before Walker was voted out and Evers was voted in — and there was no factory. I would tell you that maybe the people of Wisconsin said, “The guy who made us these promises, Scott Walker, did not deliver, so we voted in a new person.”The election of Tony Eversis not why Foxconn did not build a factory, because they were already not building a factory.

NP: That attack was rooted in the exact thing you said, which is that the market for LCDs was being overwhelmed by Chinese suppliers. No one could see the business case for an LCD factory in Wisconsin at higher labor rates and without the supply of workers to staff such a factory. The criticism was that this does not make economic sense.

When you go back to what we said before, I still believe today — and five years from now — there is a tremendous need for a TFT LCD fab in the United States. When we built in Wisconsin and signed the contract, people became a lot less supportive, not because they did not want the investment, but because it became political. Articles came out attacking us so that they may score a point or two, and that was not very helpful.

NP: We don’t even have any questions about tax credit. I am just trying to get to the heart of why you signed up to build a Gen 10.5 factory in Wisconsin, which is a famous cocktail-napkin contract with Scott Walker. All of this other stuff seems like a distraction from that project. Now you are saying you do not think there is a talent base in Wisconsin alone, and you have to bring engineers into short-term housing from all these cities around Wisconsin to help grow a talent base. This entire book is about wining and dining with politicians, getting the deal together, and whether Scott Walker arrives in China and goes straight on the factory tour or stops at the hotel first. Nowhere in this book is there an economic defense of this investment that says, “This is a good idea that we think will return a profit to us.”

The idea that it is the Evers administration, that business climate changed, or that Wisconsin was the wrong choice — which is what you are suggesting right now — that is all on Foxconn. If you chose wrong and should have chosen Ohio because of politics, it is still on Foxconn. If you decided 10.5 was not going to work out and Gen 6 was better, and you could not convince the Evers administration that you were actually going to build an LCD factory. What we have heard from that administration is that you never engaged or told them anything. So where is the accountability here for there not being a factory?

NP: There was an enormous amount of client publicity, though. We were told that Briggo was going tobuild coffee robots there. We were told that Google was going to build servers there. We were told there was going to be a Gen 6 LCD factory there. We were told thatyou were going to build ventilators. None of that stuff happened.

I talked to a lot of people who really believed those promises and they left good jobs to be part of a revival of US manufacturing. You mentioned patriots when you started; I talked to a lot of people who felt very patriotic about this idea. Then they got there and saw it was not happening. There was no attempt to invest in an LCD factory, and no willingness to invest in really much of any manufacturing there. They felt that it was all optics, that there was no plan. cxd was all just announcements of big things that were going to happen that never did and they felt betrayed. How do you answer these people?

I no longer speak for or work for the company, I want to make sure you understand that. I am not defending the company per se, but I am sharing a fact; just look at what great things are happening in India and Vietnam. I think it will happen in Wisconsin.

One of the people I have the great pleasure of working with is Major General Timothy Zadalis. When I brought him in and he actually supported the project, one thing he said to me was, “You have some challenges here including human resources, with visioning and making things happen. The outcome with that would invariably be that Foxconn will become a training ground for other companies within the region. You are going to lose a lot of talent and many of them with good intentions.” Some of them left on good terms, but others might not have. Josh, maybe you had talked to someone that might have been a little bit unhappy when they departed the company, maybe even involuntarily.

Invariably, I think they got something out of it; they got training, and the stepping stones and experiences to move on to other positions in other companies. I can point to at least 30 to 50 people that have actually moved on to great organizations to take on great responsibility and are doing quite well. I take pride in doing that. Do I wish they had stayed on at Foxconn doing the Flying Eagle project? Of course I do. I wish I had stayed myself, and been in the project building that Gen 10.5 or Gen 6 fab, but that did not happen. Why did I leave? I believed I could do a lot more outside Foxconn than inside, and do it a lot faster, that includes the innovation center and speaking to the two of you.

It was a veritable lovefest in Milwaukee in July 2017 when Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Foxconn chairman Terry Gou announced their plan to create a heavily subsidized manufacturing plant in southeastern Wisconsin. Walker gushed that Gou, who founded his Taiwan-based company in 1974, was “one of the most remarkable business leaders in the world.” Gou returned the favor by saying, “I’ve never seen this type of governor or leader yet in this world.” Effusive, yet ambiguous.

The details of the deal were famously written on the back of a napkin when Gou and the Republican governor first met: a $3 billion state subsidy in return for Foxconn’s $10 billion investment in a Generation 10.5 LCD manufacturing plant that would create 13,000 jobs.

In retrospect, it’s clear that Walker had a strong hand to play in negotiations with Foxconn. The company had to locate in a Great Lakes state because of the huge amount of water needed to clean the glass used in manufacturing LCD screens. And no other Great Lakes state came close to offering the $4.1 billion Foxconn is getting. Michigan came the closest, offering $2.3 billion, but it was partly a tax subsidy rather than cash. As for Ohio, fellow Republican Gov. John Kasich condemned the Wisconsin deal. “I’ll tell you one thing,” he said, “it’s not going to take us 40 years to make back the investment we make. We don’t buy deals.”

Over the summer, Walker’s response to such criticism was pointed. ”There’s a whole lot of people out there scrambling to try and come up with a reason not to like this,” he said in July of last year. “They can go suck lemons. The rest of us are going to cheer and figure out how we are going to get this thing going forward.” Several weeks later, he called the deal a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” that will be “transformational” for the state. “These LCD displays will be made in America for the very first time, right here in the state of Wisconsin.”

In May, the Nikkei Asian Review reported that Foxconn was greatly scaling back its plans for the plant. Foxconn released a statement “categorically” denying this, but by late June, company officials conceded they would not be building the kind of plant Gou had originally promised Walker.

And even the Gen 6 panels might not be manufactured in Racine for long. “We are not really interested in television,” Woo told the newspaper, though he said the company wants to build America’s first thin-film transistor (TFT) fabrication, which can be used in LCD products. Rather, Woo said, workers at the Wisconsin plant will be focused on figuring out new ways to use Foxconn’s display, cellular, and AI technology, building out an “ecosystem” Woo calls “AI 8K+5G.”

The LCD screens being made by Foxconn require benzene, chromium, cadmium, mercury, zinc, and copper, according to Peter Adriaens, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Michigan. These materials are hazardous if improperly discharged. A report by the City of Milwaukee’s Legislative Reference Bureau on Foxconn’s history noted that “as of 2013, 25 to 60 million acres of China’s arable land were polluted with heavy metals due to electronics factories,” and Foxconn was a significant contributor. Foxconn told The Verge that it will build a Zero Liquid Discharge system, “which will go beyond any local, state and federal requirements relating to industrial water discharge.”

The Walker administration also agreed to allow Foxconn to draw massive amounts of water from Lake Michigan. Foxconn would use as much as 7 million gallons per day from the lake, of which 39 percent will be lost through evaporation. Environmentalists charged that the plan violates the provisions of the Great Lake Compact signed by the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to protect the lakes, and they filed a legal action to stop this.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency might have stood in the way, but its former director, Scott Pruitt, made a ruling to override pollution standards established under the Obama administration, giving Foxconn more leeway. As a result, the Racine plant could eventually emit 229 tons of nitrogen oxides, 240 tons of carbon monoxide, 52 tons of particulate matter, four tons of sulfur dioxide, and 276 tons of volatile organic compounds per year, Milwaukee’s BizTimesreported. In a statement to The Verge, Foxconn said it will make great efforts to reduce pollution, adding it will “invest in world-class control technology to minimize air emissions from the plant.”

Panel suppliers are being forced to reshape their large area TFT LCD business plans this year as market demand for various applications continues to change rapidly. According to the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Large Area TFT Panel Shipment Report, TFT LCD panel suppliers expect to ship 710 million large area (9”+) panels worldwide in 2013, down 6 percent Y/Y from 754 million in 2012.

The biggest drops are in PC applications, with monitor and notebook panel shipments each falling 13 percent Y/Y and mini-note PC panels falling 66 percent Y/Y. Tablet PC panel shipments continue to grow, but at the much-reduced rate of 4 percent Y/Y, compared to 61 percent in 2012. LCD TV panel shipments also continue to moderate, growing 6 percent Y/Y compared to 10 percent in 2012.

This is the first Y/Y shipment decline for the industry. Large-area TFT LCD revenue is expected to fall 2 percent Y/Y—from $83.6 billion in 2012 to $81.7 billion in 2013—as increases in the average screen sizes for TV, monitor, and public display panels moderate price declines.

“Changes in demand mean that the conventional PC market is facing a decline, while the tablet PC market remains strong and the LCD TV market grows. The Chinese marketplace continues to set global trends and holds a great deal of influence over panel makers’ size strategy, product roadmaps and shipment plans,” noted David Hsieh, NPD DisplaySearch vice president of greater China. “As a result of these factors, panel makers are planning for reduced capacity allocation and shipments for notebook PC and desktop monitor panels, shifting more toward LCD TV panels.”

TFT LCD panel manufacturers are now focused on leveraging new technologies and product specifications, such as 4K×2K, super slim bezel, high transmittance open cell, high resolution, IPS/FFS, ultra-slim, light weight, high color gamut and the integration of up-scaling circuitry, touch and mechanical parts. However, the challenge for panel makers remains that while they are aiming to increase shipments this year they are still faced with the reality of having to absorb excess inventory from 2012.

Panel makers still have aggressive shipment forecasts for LCD TV panels, aiming for 244 million shipments worldwide in 2013. China continues to be the largest influencer on the global LCD TV panel market, not only in terms of volume, but also in configuration, such as LED backlighting, 3D, open cell, the BMS model, new TV sizes, and 4Kx2K. The industry experienced 13 percent Y/Y sales growth for LCD TVs during China’s three-week May Labor Day sales season, despite concerns about inventory adjustments.

“Due to the strong momentum in China, we forecast that global demand will continue to increase throughout 2013 for LCD TV panels that incorporate more sophisticated technologies,” added Hsieh.

After upgrading display capacity for six straight issues on improved market conditions in LCDs, DSCC has now lowered its display capacity forecast for four consecutive quarters on delays and cancellations as conditions worsen and remain weak. Prices were recently at marginal costs for LCD TV panels and it is projected that it will take until 2H’23 for prices to rise above cash costs.

Panel suppliers are mostly delaying new capacity decisions given the weak market conditions in the display market. The situation is particularly dire in LCDs where LCD TV panel prices approached marginal cost levels and BOE’s Chairman indicated they won’t build any more LCD TV fabs, resulting in the cancellation of B17+ and its removal from our forecast. The weakness in LCDs also spread to OLED spending since there is an oversupply there also and most OLED manufacturers also produce LCDs and are currently losing money. Samsung Display is the exception as it earned record OLED operating profits and operating margins in Q4’22 helped by strong iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max demand and LG Display’s challenges getting qualified for the 14 Pro Max.

The central promotional event of the holiday season happens this week, and retailers will be offering all-time low prices for TVs during Black Friday. The unprecedented decline in LCD TV panel prices continues to flow through to retail prices in the US, and the competition from LCD is also pulling down OLED TV prices, which are also hitting all-time lows.

Now that all of the industry’s flat panel display makers have reported their Q3’22 financial results, we update our industry profile. The third quarter showed a gaping chasm between OLED-focused display makers, especially Samsung Display, and the companies focused on LCD technology. For LCD makers, it was the worst quarter in years and perhaps the worst ever. Meanwhile, Samsung Display recorded its highest profits ever in the first quarter after it discontinued LCD production.

In October 2022, headline inflation numbers in the US continued their slow but steady decrease from their highest point in more than 40 years. Meanwhile, the steep declines in LCD TV panel prices that started in the second half of 2021 are continuing to flow through to retail and resumed their downward trend after a one-month pause in September.

The market for MicroLED displays is still tiny but could reach $1.3B by 2027, according to DSCC’s latest MicroLED Display Technology and Market Outlook Report. Lowering manufacturing costs will be necessary before MicroLED can become competitive against other technologies, such as OLED. “MicroLED was initially presented as an ideal display technology for all applications but the hype has faded,” according to Guillaume Chansin, Director of Display Research at DSCC. “OLED has conquered the smartphone market and keeps getting better, while LCD still offers unbeatable value for money. MicroLED is currently only available as an oversized TV or a miniature projector for smart glasses.”

After fifteen months of decreases, LCD TV panel prices finally hit bottom in September 2022 and prices for several sizes increased in October. We now expect to see a modest increase in prices through the end of the year with prices plateauing in the first quarter above their all-time lows. The last phase of the downward spiral in panel prices was characterized by a massive inventory drawdown in the display supply chain and a corresponding massive reduction in fab utilization by panel makers. With some panel makers delaying to resume production until prices increase, the industry has seen prices edge up toward cash cost levels.

Although the pandemic boom in semiconductors is over, and consumer electronics demand has weakened, Samsung Electronics continued to generate strong revenues and profits from multiple businesses, and its display business set a new profit record in the first quarter after ending LCD production. While competing display makers reliant on LCD suffered severe losses in the quarter (see separate story), Samsung generated profits selling OLED panels.

The slowdown in display fab utilization that we predicted earlier this year reached new depths in the third quarter and was even more severe than we expected, according to the latest release of DSCC’s Quarterly All Display Fab Utilization Report issued this week. After more than a full year of panel prices falling to reach all-time lows, and after the entire display supply chain built excessive inventory, panel makers started to reduce utilization in Q2 and the slowdown accelerated in Q3. After a 6% sequential decline in Q2’22, total TFT input for all display makers in the third quarter was down 20% Q/Q and 24% Y/Y at 66.1M square meters, and in the current Q4’22 we expect total TFT input to be flat Q/Q and down 23% Y/Y at 66.1M square meters.

For the first time in seven months, total revenues for the three Taiwan-based panel makers increased on a M/M basis, as reported by the companies last week, giving a hopeful sign that LCD panel makers may have reached the bottom. Combined revenues increased by 5% M/M and the Y/Y comparison while still severe is slightly improved from August, the first such improvement in the Y/Y trend for nearly two years. September revenues for the three companies of TWD 34.3B (US$1.09B) were down by 47% compared to September 2021.

In September 2022, headline inflation numbers in the US continued their slow but steady decrease from their highest point in more than 40 years, but the concern in financial markets centered on the rise of “core” inflation, which excludes more volatile food and energy costs. Meanwhile, the steep declines in LCD TV panel prices that started in the second half of 2021 are continuing to flow through to retail, although the downward trend took a one-month pause in September.

Advanced TV shipments are expected to grow by a 17% CAGR through 2026 to 34.6M units generating $36.1B in revenue, according to the latest update to DSCC’s Quarterly Advanced TV Shipment and Forecast Report, now available to subscribers. In our latest update, our forecast for OLED TV has been reduced as the competition between OLED and MiniLED has heated up. With the steep declines in LCD TV panel prices since mid-2021, MiniLED TVs have been priced more aggressively and are expected to continue to gain share.

Advanced Tablet (OLED and MiniLED) panel shipments fell 23% Q/Q while rising 10% Y/Y in Q2’22 to 1.9M units. It was the lowest quarter since Q2’21 as the iPad Pro is getting long in the tooth, ready for a refresh in Q4’22. Q3’22 is expected to rebound to 2.1M units, up 14% Q/Q and 12% Y/Y helped by the launch of the ~$500 OLED Huawei Mate Pad Pro 11” and the ramp of a new 12.9” Apple iPad Pro expected to launch in October. On an annual basis, we show a healthy 31% growth to 8.8M panels, 8% higher than our forecast, which is mostly due to the 11” Huawei Mate Pad Pro 2022 expected to perform better than previously expected. This contrasts with the total tablet market which is expected to fall 13% in 2022 to 195M panels with LED LCD tablet panels down 14%. OLED tablet panels are expected to rise 32% to 3.7M with MiniLED LCD panels rising 31% to 5.1M. MiniLEDs should maintain a 58% to 42% unit share advantage in 2022, same share as in 2021. Advanced Tablet panels are expected to account for a 4.5% share of the total tablet market on a unit basis in 2022, up from 3.0% in 2021. On a revenue basis, the Advanced Tablet share is expected to rise from 14% in 2021 to 24% in 2022 on 23% growth to $1.9B. MiniLEDs to maintain a large advantage over OLEDs, 79% to 21% on the high price of Apple’s MiniLED panels.

With the headline inflation numbers in the US showing a slow but steady decrease in the summer months from their highest point in more than 40 years, the steep declines in LCD TV panel prices that started in the second half of 2021 are continuing to flow through to retail, according to the most recent data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI).

LCD TV panel prices reached all-time lows in August but they continue to decline in September, and we continue to forecast that the industry will have an “L-shaped” recovery in the fourth quarter. In other words, no recovery at all until 2023; the only question is how low prices will go before they flatten out. The ‘perfect storm’ of a continued oversupply, near-universally weak demand and excessive inventory throughout the supply chain has combined, and every screen size of TV panel has reached an all-time low price. Although fab utilization slowed sharply starting in July, we do not see any signal to suggest that prices can increase any time soon.

In the latest issue of DSCC’s Quarterly Display Capex and Equipment Market Report, total LCD and OLED equipment spending remained relatively flat on a move-in basis despite a number of delays and cancellations. These fab schedule changes were mostly offset by higher spending for G8.5-G8.7 FMM VTE systems. 2020 -2025 spending fell just 0.2% vs. last quarter to $71.2B, while fine metal mask vacuum thermal evaporation (FMM VTE) spending rose from 10% to 12% of 2021-2025 spending, rising 18% from our last issue and overtaking exposure as the leading equipment segment over this period. The higher spend on FMM VTE tools is a result of a shift to larger substrates, full G8.5 and ½ G8.6-G8.7, as well as tandem stack adoption which boosts efficiency, brightness and lifetime and improves the OLED outlook in IT markets. Market leader Canon Tokki is a significant beneficiary of the higher tandem FMM VTE prices. By technology vs. last quarter from 2020-2025, our LCD outlook was reduced by 1% while our OLED outlook was increased by 1%.

DSCC has released its latest update of our Advanced TV Display Cost Report, with updates to OLED and LCD cost profiles. This quarter’s edition includes updates to all sizes of WOLED panels and 55”+ LCD sizes including LCD with MiniLED backlights, and cost profiles for 55” and 65” QD-OLED panels from SDC.

LCD TV panel prices have reached all-time lows but they continue to decline, and although the pace of decline is slowing in the third quarter, we now forecast that the industry will have an “L-shaped” recovery in the fourth quarter. In other words, no recovery at all until 2023. The ‘perfect storm’ of a continued oversupply, near-universally weak demand and excessive inventory throughout the supply chain has combined, and every screen size of TV panel has reached an all-time low price. Although fab utilization has slowed sharply in July, we do not see any signal to suggest that prices can increase any time soon.

The slowdown in display fab utilization that we predicted earlier this year is now in full swing and even more severe than we expected, according to the latest release of DSCC’s Quarterly All Display Fab Utilization Report issued last week. After a full year of panel prices falling with no end in sight, and after the entire display supply chain built excessive inventory, panel makers started to reduce utilization in Q2 and the slowdown has accelerated in Q3. In Q2’22, total TFT input for all display makers was down 6% Q/Q and down 2% Y/Y at 82.8M square meters, and in the current Q3’22 we expect total TFT input to be down another 11% Q/Q and 15% Y/Y to 74.0M square meters.

As we continue to work on our latest LCD and OLED fab schedules, which should be published the week of July 25th, we already see a clear theme and that is delays in timing. This is a natural outcome of the Crystal Cycle when prices are low and companies are losing money, they push out new investments, which increase capacity. There is no doubt this makes sense at this time with fab utilization falling to 73% in Q3’22 to slow down price reductions. Panel suppliers added too much capacity in 2021 and 2022 expecting the demand pulled in during the pandemic to continue to increase.

Inventories of TV panels have risen to a level rarely seen in recent years. Along with this, the fab utilization rates of FPD manufacturers have fallen to near record lows, and the average LCD fab utilization rate, which reached 90% last year, fell below 75% in June 2022. It is difficult to foresee a recovery in demand while there are ongoing headwinds such as the Russia / Ukraine war and inflation. Therefore, display companies are likely to continue adjusting to lower demand for a while.

Although the display industry is having a difficult year, the Advanced TV market continued to grow Y/Y in Q1 2022, and this segment of the industry continues to look promising. In this round of the battle between LCD and OLED technologies the two sides played to a draw, with both sides gaining volume and share largely unchanged. The latest update of the DSCC Quarterly Advanced TV Shipment and Forecast Report is now available to subscribers. On a brand level, Samsung has lost share in the Advanced TV market since early 2020, but managed to regain 2 share points of revenue share despite losing a share point of unit share.

DSCC reported on its latest results and forecasts for OLED, MiniLED LCD and LED LCD tablet panels in its latest Quarterly Advanced IT Display Shipment and Technology Report. We refer to OLED and MiniLED tablets as Advanced Tablets. This category fell 5% Q/Q while rising 362% Y/Y to 2.43M. It was the second best quarter to date for this category on continued strong demand for the 12.9” MiniLED iPad Pro and the launch of Samsung’s OLED Galaxy Tab S8+ and S8 Ultra. MiniLEDs had a 56% share of the Advanced Tablet market on a unit basis in Q1’22, down from 74%, and a 71% share on a revenue basis, down from 87%, with the disparity related to the higher MiniLED panel prices.

With concerns about excess inventory in a deteriorating economy, Samsung has notified all business groups to suspend purchases and control their inventory status. Samsung has informed flat panel display makers in smartphone and TV markets that panel purchases will be halted. Samsung is the world’s largest supplier of both smartphones and TVs. The news may be a coincidence, but at the end of this month Samsung will end LCD TV production at its last remaining production site, the L8-2 Gen 8.5 fab in Korea. The closure will mark the end of more than 25 years of LCD production by Samsung Display.

The development of phosphorescent blue OLED emitters (PhOLED) promises to greatly enhance the prospects for OLED displays by allowing for improved brightness efficiency and/or lower cost. Early this year, Universal Display Corporation (UDC) announced that they expect to achieve target performance for commercialization of blue PhOLED by the end of the year and expect commercial sales of the material by 2024.

I started by covering the latest smartphone set shipment results and a 2022 forecast by region. Smartphone unit shipments were up 4% in 2021 to 1.4B units, with China the largest region and Middle East and Africa growing the fastest. For 2022, we forecast the market to fall 1% with Asia Pacific expected to overtake China. Eastern Europe and China are expected to decline the most. But there are growing concerns that the market could be down a lot more, 10% - 15%, if China shutdowns are extended, war persists, inflation, etc. LCD volumes appear to be most affected due to weakness in China and Eastern Europe where LCDs are stronger. Some brands are rumored to be cutting up to 30% of their LCD volumes.

LCD TV panel prices continue to decline, and the pace of price decreases is accelerating in the second quarter despite prices approaching cash costs. The combination of a continued surge in supply and near-universally weak demand continues to drive prices down. A month ago, we reported that the LCD TV panel market appears to be in a sort of a lull. That lull seems to have broken, and not in favor of the panel makers. Prices declined dramatically from their peaks in mid-2021 but supply has continued to be robust while we face the slowest season for demand. Our sources indicate that some brands considered that prices might stabilize in Q1 and used the period to stock up on low prices but have faced continued weak demand and now hold excess inventory.

Given the worsening pricing and supply/demand picture, we have seen a number of fab expansion projects delayed and a few canceled. As a result, we now show 2023 equipment spending on a move-in basis down 57% to just $5.3B. By technology, we show LCDs down 70% to just $1.9B and OLEDs down 42% to $3.4B. Note, we do show a number of fab projects with deliveries in Q1’24 and show 2024 up 117% vs. 2023 to $11.6B. In 2024, we show OLEDs up 115% to $7.3B and LCDs up 121% to $4.3B. We also show another 15% growth in 2025 to a total of $13.3B. We lowered 2020-2025 spending by 6% to $71B.

Annual revenues for AR/VR displays will reach $7.2B in 2027, according to DSCC. The updated forecast has been published in the new Biannual Augmented and Virtual Reality Display Technologies and Market Report. The report includes a breakdown by display technologies and predicts that LCD will have the largest share of shipments until 2025. After that, OLED on Silicon (SiOLED) will become the dominant technology.

DSCC has released its latest update of our Advanced TV Display Cost Report, with updates to OLED and LCD cost profiles. This edition includes updates to all sizes of WOLED panels and 55”+ LCD sizes including LCD with MiniLED backlights, and cost profiles for 55” and 65” QD-OLED panels from SDC.

Shipments of display panels for virtual reality (VR) will reach double-digits for the first time in 2022, according DSCC’s latest Augmented and Virtual Reality Display Technologies and Market Report . A total of 15.8M panels will find their way into VR headsets this year, with over 80% of the demand expected to come from Meta. While most of today’s VR headsets currently use LCD panels, other display technologies will soon appear. AMOLED will be back, thanks to the launch of Sony’s PlayStation VR2. We expect these AMOLED panels to have a pixel density well above 800 PPI, which is a record high for mass-produced AMOLED. With high contrast displays and no visible screen door effect, the PSVR2 is likely to be a hit among gamers.

Advanced TV shipments are expected to grow by a 19% CAGR through 2026 to 38.6M units generating $35.4B in revenue, according to the latest update to DSCC’s Quarterly Advanced TV Shipment and Forecast Report, now available to subscribers. This report covers the worldwide premium TV market, including the most advanced TV technologies: WOLED, QD-OLED, QDEF, Dual Cell LCD and MiniLED with 4K and 8K resolution. The report looks at current and future TV shipments and revenues by technology, region, brand, resolution and size, and forecasts the growth of all these technologies. Several weeks ago, we covered the most recent historical results and this week, we will cover our updated forecast.

LCD TV panel prices continue to decline and more is on the way as we progress to the second quarter. Although the pace of price decreases is slowing as prices approach cash costs, there is no sign that prices will hit bottom and rebound. The potential for a negative impact on global TV demand from the Russian war in Ukraine combined with high inventory levels suggests continued price pressure in Q2.

DSCC’s Quarterly Advanced IT Display Shipment and Technology Report reveals OLED vs. MiniLED LCD monitors, notebook PCs and tablets shipments by quarter, brand, size, resolution, refresh rate and many other features. In the recently released report, some highlights for Advanced Monitors include:

The battle between LCD and OLED technologies reached a new stage in Q4’21 with each camp making gains by playing to their strengths. Aggressive OLED pricing allowed the emerging technology to gain unit share, but a combination of higher LCD TV prices, a bigger screen size mix and the growth of MiniLED TV sets allowed LCD TV to gain revenue share. The latest update of the DSCC Quarterly Advanced TV Shipment and Forecast Report is now available to subscribers. On a brand level, Samsung has lost share in the Advanced TV market, but with a richer product mix, Samsung has appeared to stabilize its revenue share on a worldwide basis.

DSCC’s Quarterly Advanced IT Display Shipment and Technology Report reveals OLED vs. MiniLED LCD tablet, notebook and monitor shipments by quarter, brand, size, resolution, refresh rate and many other display related and non-display features as well. Last week, we released the Advanced Notebook display results and our latest forecast, and not surprisingly, we see massive growth as both OLEDs and MiniLEDs are growing rapidly and have a bright outlook.

After upgrading display capacity for six straight issues on improved market conditions in LCDs, we lowered display capacity this quarter on delays and cancellations as conditions worsen. From 2021 to 2026, display capacity is expected to grow at a 4.8% CAGR vs. 5.1% last quarter, and 2026 capacity is down 1% vs. our last issue. LCD capacity was downgraded by 1% in 2026 and now grows at a 3.7% CAGR through 2026 vs. 3.9% last quarter. 2026 OLED capacity was downgraded by 2% vs. last quarter and now grows at a 15.3% CAGR through 2026 vs. 15.7% last quarter. OLED capacity will reach a 13% share in 2026, up from 8% in 2021.

DSCC’s Quarterly Advanced IT Display Shipment and Technology Report reveals OLED vs. MiniLED LCD tablet, notebook, monitor and all in one (AIO) shipments by quarter, brand, size, resolution, refresh rate and many other display related and non-display features as well.

Pulled by strong demand for large-screen LCD panels, display glass shipments increased by 13% in 2021 to an all-time high of 687M square meters, according to the latest update to DSCC’s Display Glass Report, released last week. Glass makers shipped 174.5M square meters of display glass in Q4’21, a 2% decrease Q/Q. Shipments are expected to increase by 1% Q/Q in Q1’22 to 176M square meters as higher capacity offsets slower panel maker utilizations.

In our just released Q1’22 Quarterly Display Capex and Equipment Market Share Report, we reveal that there are now 11 different 15K G8.5/G8.6 IT OLED lines under development and provide the timing and equipment spending for each. IT fab spending is expected to increase every year from 2021 to 2025 and lead OLED spending in 2024 and 2025 and LCD + OLED spending in 2025.

SmartKem, a UK-based developer of OTFT backplanes, has entered into a joint development agreement with Nanosys to work on a “new generation of low-cost solution printed MicroLED and quantum dot materials for advanced displays.” Last year, Nanosys acquired glō, a company specialized in MicroLED technologies, including epitaxy as well as device and transfer technology. Nanosys has also been actively developing electroluminescent quantum dot (EL-QD) technology, which the company now calls “NanoLED.”

LCD TV panel prices, which peaked in summer 2021, fell through the second half of the year and are continuing to fall in the new year. The pace of price decreases is slowing, and we expect that pattern to continue through the first half of the year as prices approach cash cost for some panel makers.

With LCD panel prices continuing to fall toward cash costs or even below cash costs, we forecast that display fab utilization will slow in the first half of 2022, according to the latest release of DSCC’s Quarterly All Display Fab Utilization Report issued last week. However, because of capacity increases, even with lower utilization, the industry will have increased input for the first half, suggesting continued pressure on panel prices. In Q4’21, total TFT input for all display makers was down 2% Q/Q and up 9% Y/Y at 86.3M square meters, and in the current Q1’22, we expect total TFT input to be up 1% Q/Q and up 8% Y/Y to 87.1M square meters.

With the seasonal sales peak for smartphones behind us, utilization at mobile display fabs is expected to decrease in Q1 but remain at a higher level than a year ago, according to the latest release of DSCC’s Quarterly OLED and Mobile LCD Fab Utilization Report, issued this week. In Q4’21, total TFT input for all display makers was up 3% Q/Q and 16% Y/Y at 6.5M square meters, and in the current Q1’22, we expect total TFT input to be down 3% Q/Q but still up 15% Y/Y at 6.3M square meters.

Now that CES 2022 is in the rear-view mirror, it is a good time to review what the new TV product introductions mean for the premium TV market this year. The arrival of Samsung Display’s QD-OLED heightens the technology battle in the premium TV space, and after a year of unprecedented volatility in LCD TV panel prices, we expect LCD products to become more aggressive as panel prices have come down.

DSCC has just released its latest Quantum Dot Display Technology and Market Outlook Report. According to the report, the mature QDEF technology will continue to grow in 2022 while new configurations appear, marking a diversification in technologies and materials. Quantum dots (QDs) have been used for nearly a decade to enhance colors in LCD panels. In the early days, OEMs had the choice between two types of configurations: a glass tube designed for edge-lit backlights or an optical film that could fit inside most LCD panels. The latter became known in the industry as QDEF, which stands for Quantum Dot Enhancement Film. Sony and TCL initially went for the glass tube for their premium TVs while Amazon adopted QDEF in its most expensive tablet, the Kindle HDX.

Quantum dots have been used for nearly a decade to enhance colors in LCD panels. An emerging application is quantum dots on a MiniLED backlight. DSCC forecasts shipments of MiniLED LCD TVs with QDEF to grow from 6.2M units in 2022 to over 14M units in 2026.

LCD TV panel prices, which peaked in summer 2021, fell through the second half of the year and are continuing to fall in the new year. The pace of price decreases is slowing, and we expect that pattern to continue through the first quarter, but prices have already given up most of the gains that they made in the long upcycle of 2020-2021.

Although it was greatly diminished in terms of the number of exhibitors and attendees, CES 2022 went forward as an in-person event. I am very glad I attended because I had quite a few productive meetings and saw new technologies with my own eyes.

Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), the world’s leading firm focused solely on flat panel display industry insight, has released a complimentary whitepaper, “10 Predictions for the Display Industry in 2022”. “We are pleased to offer this whitepaper to all those interested in the flat panel display industry,” said Bob O’Brien, Co-Founder & Principal Consultant of DSCC. “We started this tradition in January 2019, and each year we have brought increased expertise to our outlook. We cover the issues of the greatest relevance to the display industry with a view to making aggressive predictions – no safe bets.”

We have upgraded our 2025 display capacity forecast by 4% vs. the previous issue of our Quarterly Display Capex and Equipment Market Share Report, due to new investments revealed and analyzed in our fab schedules as LCD manufacturers continue to add capacity and OLED manufacturers look to better address the IT market. Manufacturers are also looking to stretch capacity through process simplification and de-bottlenecking to meet demand. We now see 11% growth in 2021, 7% growth in 2022 as SDC and LGD are forecasted to accelerate shutdowns with 4% - 7% growth from 2023 – 2026 on new LCD fabs from BOE, CSOT and Tianma. The more modest growth in 2022 and from 2023 to 2026 should ease pricing pressure some. Relative to last quarter, capacity is 1% - 3% higher per year from 2023-2026.

After the two months with the fastest price declines in the history of the industry in September and October, LCD TV panel prices continued to fall in November, but the pace of price decreases is slowing, and we expect that pattern to continue into 2022. After two months where the average decline in LCD TV panel prices exceeded 15%, the average decline in November among the seven TV sizes we track was “only” 6.4%. LCD TV panel prices have now lost most of the gains that they achieved in the long up-cycle from May 2020 to June 2021.

Watch as Japan Display Inc. (JDI) Sales Director, Cameron Zand, announces JDI"s new 2.88" 1201ppi LTPS TFT-LCD at DSCC"s AR/VR Display Forum. Register to watch the AR/VR Display Forum session recordings and download PDFs here: https://www.accelevents.com/e/arvr-di... . The recordings will be available until December 4, 2021.

Flat panel display maker revenue reached a new record in Q3’21, but declining LCD panel prices dented profits, according to the summary of their financial performance in DSCC’s Quarterly Display Supply Chain Financial Health Report. With all panel makers reporting their Q3’21 results, we can compile a full industry review for Q3’21; while not reaching the high profits of Q2, it was still an excellent quarter for flat panel makers.

The combination of relatively stable OLED TV prices competing against rising LCD TV prices led to another quarter of gains for OLED TV sales, according to the latest update of the DSCC Quarterly Advanced TV Shipment and Forecast Report, now available to subscribers. As OLED has gained share, Samsung has lost share in the Advanced TV market, and while Samsung maintained the #1 position in both units and revenues in Q3’21, its share has eroded especially in Western Europe.

DSCC’s David Naranjo opened the conference with an overview of the display industry, including trends in refresh rates, 5G and how OLED, MiniLED and LCD are competing in various markets. There are only two weeks left to watch the session recordings from the AR/VR Display Forum. The event took place on November 3-4 and featured three DSCC analysts and 18 invited speakers from various companies involved in augmented reality and virtual reality.

The steep declines in LCD TV panel prices are reversing the unprecedented surge of inflation in TVs, and prices have peaked but remain higher on a Y/Y basis, according to the most recent data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI). The BLS publishes CPI statistics for hundreds of categories, and its current data set goes back to 1996, but the CPI is indexed to 1982-1984.

DSCC hosted the AR/VR Display Forum last week. The virtual event featured three DSCC analysts and 18 invited speakers from various companies involved in augmented reality and virtual reality. The topics covered included display technologies (LCD, OLED, MicroLED) as well as lasers and waveguides.

The best thing that can be said about LCD TV panel prices in October is that the pattern is not worse than September, which remains the month with the largest single-month decline in panel prices in the history of the industry. The average decline in October among the seven TV sizes we track was “only” 15.5%, almost but not quite matching the 15.8% decline in September. LCD TV panel prices have now lost more than half the gains that they achieved in the long up-cycle from May 2020 to June 2021.

DSCC issued its latest LCD and OLED fab schedules last week as part of its Quarterly Display Capex and Equipment Market Share Report and its OLED Supply/Demand and Capital Spending Report. In addition to the fab schedules in Gantt chart form sorted chronologically and by manufacturer, we also provide an analysis of all the latest FPD fab schedule changes.

With LCD panel prices falling at the fastest rates ever, display industry fab utilization is expected to slow down in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the latest release of DSCC’s Quarterly All Display Fab Utilization Report, issued this week. In Q3 2021, total TFT input for all display makers was up 3% Q/Q and 12% Y/Y at 87.3M square meters, and in the current Q4 2021, we expect total TFT input to be down 3% Q/Q but still up 7% Y/Y at 85.1M square meters.

Organic TFT material supplier SmartKem signed a joint development agreement last week with RiTdisplay to produce a full color demo of an AMOLED display using SmartKem’s TRUFLEX backplane technology and ink materials and RiTdisplay’s OLED process, fab and drive electronics. RiTdisplay CEO D.C. Wang indicated that this partnership signifies RiTdisplay’s opportunity in AMOLEDs. RiTdisplay has built a nice business in PMOLEDs. Their PMOLEDs range in size from 0.42” to 3.8” in monochrome and from 0.95” to 1.8” in full color. They are targeting the industrial, IoT, wearable and other small display markets. They claim 15K substrates per month at 370 x 470mm. RiTdisplay likely sees AMOLEDs as a way to boost growth. But rather than compete with existing players with a similar process, they see a partnership with SmartKem to compete with a lower backplane cost and possibly higher performance as well. The OTFT process does not require expensive LTPS, implant or CVD steps. The release says that RiTdisplay believes the partnership with SmartKem will create displays with higher brightness, higher r