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TCL Expects IJP OLED TV Panels by 2023
TCL’s work on inkjet-printed OLED TVs, included an investment by TCL in the Japanese company JOLED. Tech Radar says that "[Ink-jet printing] has the potential to dramatically reduce manufacturing expenses, making OLEDs more cost-competitive with LCDs in products including televisions and displays for computers and tablets.” TCL’s Aaron Dew told Tom’s Guide a bit about the plans in a recent interview. “As you saw in the news, the comments from Europe this week,” Dew told Tom’s Guide, “we definitely are investing in self-emissive technologies [like OLED] and we do see a future opportunity for that technology… we are evaluating future display technologies. We are investing in those future display technologies, and so we think there will be a time for that.” Dew, in that interview, did not commit to a production or arrival date for the TVs with the new technology. But he did say that TCL is committed to continue producing everything in house, and that it would not purchase OLED panels from LG or another manufacturer.
While IJP has the potential to reduce the costs of the organic layers, which are ~$200 in 2021. The promise of IJP is to increase the material utilization from 50% to 90%, which would take ~$90 out of the cost. But this savings would be offset by higher depreciation, 1) because IJP’s cost more than VTE equipment and 2) LG’s Guangzhou fab will have been amortized for at least 4 years and 3) TCL’s yields for its initial fab are likely to be much lower than LGs mature operation.
Figure 1: WOLED Panel Cost in 2021
TCL’s work on inkjet-printed OLED TVs, included an investment by TCL in the Japanese company JOLED. Tech Radar says that "[Ink-jet printing] has the potential to dramatically reduce manufacturing expenses, making OLEDs more cost-competitive with LCDs in products including televisions and displays for computers and tablets.” TCL’s Aaron Dew told Tom’s Guide a bit about the plans in a recent interview. “As you saw in the news, the comments from Europe this week,” Dew told Tom’s Guide, “we definitely are investing in self-emissive technologies [like OLED] and we do see a future opportunity for that technology… we are evaluating future display technologies. We are investing in those future display technologies, and so we think there will be a time for that.” Dew, in that interview, did not commit to a production or arrival date for the TVs with the new technology. But he did say that TCL is committed to continue producing everything in house, and that it would not purchase OLED panels from LG or another manufacturer.
While IJP has the potential to reduce the costs of the organic layers, which are ~$200 in 2021. The promise of IJP is to increase the material utilization from 50% to 90%, which would take ~$90 out of the cost. But this savings would be offset by higher depreciation, 1) because IJP’s cost more than VTE equipment and 2) LG’s Guangzhou fab will have been amortized for at least 4 years and 3) TCL’s yields for its initial fab are likely to be much lower than LGs mature operation.
Figure 1: WOLED Panel Cost in 2021
TCL’s C825 QLED TV will be starting at £1,099 (or 1,799 euros) for a 55-inch size, and £1,499 (2,399 euros) for a 65-inch model, which puts it squarely in the current price range of the BX OLED, LG's cheapest OLED screen from last year – and notably lower than the launch price for LG's 2021 entry-level OLED, the LG A1, which will cost £1,399 at an equivalent 55-inch size. Add a Mini LED backlight and the LCD TVs are more expensive than OLEDs.