Samsung Proposes to Change Standards for Measuring Resolution

LG Electronics and LG Display formed a team that is exclusively made to respond to a battle with Samsung that was created due to 4K UHD TV technology with RGBW sub-pixel structure.

This is LG’s response to Samsung Electronics’ proposal to international committee that it should change standards for measurement because displays with RGBW technology cannot be seen as 4K but rather 3K.

According to industries on the 24th, LG Electronics and LG Display recently formed a joint-task responsive group for RGBW 4K TV and are out to block off Samsung Electronics’ plan to change standards for measurement. This group is composed of employees from LG Electronics’ Home Entertainment (HE) Business Headquarters’ TV Product Planning and employees from LG Display’s Development, Product Planning, Marketing, and Promotion Departments. LG Display put in more members than LG Display.

As LG Display has been supplying RGBW Panels, it was able to become number 1 in 4K UHD TV panel markets by defeating its competitors in South Korea and Taiwan. Although it supplies panels to its subsidiary company LG Electronics, it supplies more to Chinese TV companies.

Samsung Electronics’ Video Display (VD) Business Department recently proposed to ICDM (International Committee for Display Metrology) under Society for Information Display (SID) about changing measuring method for resolution. ICDM is a committee that establishes IDMS1 (Information Display Measurement Standard Version 1), where measurement and evaluation method of displays are regulated. According to IDMS1, current standard recognizes one as resolution if there is more than 50% difference in brightness of adjacent black and white lanes.

However Samsung Electronics’ VD Business Department is requesting that degree of color needs to be also included in standards. This means that all of RGB sub-pixels need to be includes in one pixel, and LG’s RGBW Panels cannot be considered as 4K anymore if standards are changed according to Samsung Electronics’ proposal.

Because Samsung’s proposal is not introduced as a major item yet, some people are seeing that even if it goes to voting system, it will be difficult to change standards realistically.

ICDM’s members are going to discuss about whether or not they will consider Samsung Electronics’ proposal on changing standards for measuring resolution as a major item at their periodic meeting that will be taken place in Colorado on the 20th of February of 2016. If this issue is considered as a major item after receiving agreements from members, members will then vote on it and can change standards if this proposal receives more than 75% of votes.

ICDM’s members are composed of 17 major display measurement, evaluation, and consulting businesses from the U.S., England, Germany, France, Netherland, Sweden, Belgium, and China. LG is currently contacting person in charge of each member and letting him or her know about legitimacy of RGBW technology. Its first goal is to prevent this proposal to be introduced as a major item. On the other hand, Samsung Electronics is working totally opposite of LG.

“If it is introduced as a major item, Samsung Electronics and LG need to secure more than 75% or 25% allied groups respectively in order for them to reach their goals.” said a person from this industry.

Although this issue can be seen as a battle between Samsung and LG, Samsung itself is divided in opinions internally on this plan to change standards for measuring resolution. IT Mobile (IM) Department is already selling laptops and tablets that have RG-BW LCD Panels.

IM Department’s point of view is different from that of Consumer Electronics (CE) Department’s VD Business Department’s opinion. If standards are changed, small-sized OLED 176 Panels with PenTile method, which includes 2 sub-pixels in 1 pixel, cannot be recognized of its current resolution value. 

Staff Reporter Han, Jooyeop | [email protected]