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Samsung Places A Big Bet on Quantum-Dot TV, Acquires QD Vision (zdnet.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the hope-they-don't-catch-on-fire dept.

Quantum-dot televisions promise "better picture quality and are also cheaper to manufacture than organic light-emitting diode sets," ZDNet reports. And now Samsung has confirmed their acquisition of Massachusetts-based QD Vision for $70 million, according to this article shared by Dthief: QD Vision, previously known as Color IQ, is a specialist in quantum dot display technology. Developed for displays including PC monitors and television sets, quantum-dot technology uses semiconductor nanoparticles to change the properties of quantum dots, improving color definition and sharpness... QD Vision will become part of Samsung's research and development unit in the hope of creating quantum-dot LED displays suitable for the consumer market which could, in turn, become a strong competitor against OLED displays... The agreement follows Samsung's pledge earlier this year to launch a total of 14 SUHD television models this year, all of which use quantum dot technology.

2 of 46 comments (clear)

  1. Not exactly a big bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A big bet for a company Samsung's size would be $1 billion or more. $70 million is more like taking a flyer, maybe one of these small acquisitions will turn into something big.

    1. Re:Not exactly a big bet by theskipper · · Score: 3, Insightful

      What you say is true but no matter the price tag, imo it shows real commitment to the technology. They could have done the same thing with OLED back when Universal Display (the supplier of OLED chemicals) was around $100-200m market cap but didn't. So perhaps this shows that Samsung really is making real progress toward true emissive QLED displays, with QD enhanced LCD as the stepping stone.

      Btw, various articles I've seen speculated that emissive QLED TV would be released in the 2019-2020 range but of course every estimate turns out to be way optimistic. However, this purchase does make one think that's it's more than a PR maneuver against the chinese and LG. Unlike OLED where there were so many manufacturing problems along the way, they're hitting the ground running with QD enhanced which will actually be a revenue driver. Then QLED TVs, monitors and general displays being the ultimate displacement of LCD. Jmho.