Samsung Sony or will connect OLED TV

The head of South Korea's technology giant Samsung Electronics revealed to the Korea Times on Sunday that Sony will market Bravia TVs as soon as next year, and Sony hopes to be able to connect with Samsung's OLED screens.

Samsung executives pointed out: "Bravia TV with OLED screen is expected to be listed early next year." He revealed that the two sides are currently negotiating prices and supply.

Sony wants to join hands with Samsung to launch Bravia OLED TV. Before Sony announced its annual loss of 1.2 billion US dollars, the two sides ended their seven-year LED (light-emitting diode) joint venture in December last year, and this cooperation and Match each other's needs.

Samsung spokesperson Lee Seung joon declined to formally respond to the rumor, but revealed that the company is open to cooperation with other players in promoting the OLED screen business. Sony Korea representative Hong Ji-eun also declined to comment.

Samsung and Sony executives met last week to discuss the details of the cooperation.

Compared to LCDs (liquid crystal displays), OLED TVs do not require a bulky backlight, so the picture is sharper and thinner.

For ultra-thin OLED screen manufacturers, the biggest obstacle to the promotion of OLED technology is price.

Samsung and LG Electronics will launch 55-inch OLED TVs later this year, with a market price of up to $10,000 each, which will be about 10 times the price of LCD TVs.

According to industry sources, Samsung offers "better offers" and real-time delivery guarantees.

The source pointed out: "Samsung hopes that Sony can respond early, and Sony is still one of Samsung's major customers."

Last year, Sony added $5.3 billion worth of components to Samsung, including screens and memory chips such as cutting-edge DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and NAND flash.

Samsung knows that Sony's poor management means that the demand for components is not good. Samsung is the world's largest supplier of chips and LCDs.

Sony's new CEO, Kazuo Hiro, revealed last week that he is interested in acquiring the latest TV technology. Samsung CEO ChoiGee-sung and group leader Lee Kun-hee and Samsung’s chief operating officer Lee Jay-yong also flew to Tokyo to meet with Hirai.

Cui Zhicheng said when he flew to South Korea's Gimpo International Airport on Saturday: "Sony has always been interested in OLED technology."

Sony is the pioneer of OLED technology. It launched the world's first OLED TV in 2007, but after the global economic downturn, Sony abandoned the production of this $2,000 TV in 2010. Sony's most popular game console, the PlayStation Vita, is powered by Samsung's 5-inch OLED screen.

Sony and Toshiba and Hitachi, Ltd. jointly established Japan Display to increase production of OLED screens. However, Japan Display is still focused on producing small-size OLED screens, mainly for small devices, not TV.

Samsung executives pointed out: "Samsung and Sony are not surprising in the sequel to the large-size OLED, because Sony wants to rely on its own efforts to make a comeback in the field of OLED TV."

Samsung recently split its display business and established Samsung Dispaly. The new company will work with Samsung Mobile Display (SMD) to develop OLED displays.

According to estimates by Lux Research, a US market analysis company, the market for OLED technology is expected to expand from $1.9 billion in the previous year to nearly $11 billion in 2017, as smart phones and TVs compete to adopt OLED technology.