LG Display
said on Thursday it was in talks to provide 3D FPR TV panels to Sony, a move that would add pressure to its flat panel rival Samsung.
"We've explained FPR technology to our major customers. Sony is one of them and they are reviewing it," LG Display CEO Kwon Young-soo told reporters on Thursday.
LG Display's Film Patterned Retarder (FPR, polarized glasses type) 3D panel could make 3D practical for mainstream use, effectively allowing manufacturers to create affordable 3D TVs, according to LG Display.
FPR is based on Patterned Retarder (PR) technology, which although lauded for its picture quality was associated with high costs due to the need for extra polarizing glass substrate attached to the LCD TV panel. FPR replaces glass with film, which costs only 1/4th as much. Also, FPR glasses retail at a price around 5x less expensive than SG ones.
FPR sends 540 pixels to both eyes simultaneously with different images for the right and left eye which are recognised as 1,080 pixel 3D images by human brains, requiring much lighter eyewear.
Samsung Electronics dominates in the 3D segment with around 60 percent market share. The company has adopted the shutter glass (SG) 3D technology, which has long been criticized by LG for picture quality problems like flicker and cross talk, as well as bulky, battery-operated glasses. Until now, Sony and Sharp have been also using the SG 3D technology in their models.
SG technology shows 1,080 pixels to the right eye, while blocking signals to the left eye and repeats this process to each eye to create three-dimensional images, requiring special battery-charged glasses that block and receive TV signals to process them.
LG Display believes that the FPR technology, which eliminates all the problems associated with SG 3D, will change consumer perception of 3D TVs from an 'expensive novelty' to a 'practical choice' for everyday viewing enjoyment.
Just two days ago, Samsung held a news conference where its executive described LG engineers as "stupid" and LG's technology as outdated.
Sony is also considering to use LG Display's large-sized liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in future models, according to a
recent report published online by the Korea Times.
LG Display Co also said Friday that it will start to produce organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV panels in 2013.
Samsung Mobile Display Co., a joint venture between Samsung Electronics Co. and Samsung SDI Co., is currently the sole player in the industry with a significant production capacity.