LG to invest $650mln in OLED manufacturing

PanARMENIAN.Net - LG has said it will invest $650 million in organic light emitting diode (OLED) screen manufacturing, The Inquirer reports.

LG has invested heavily in OLED technology and has shown off prototype OLED televisions in the past few years. Now the firm is set to invest in bringing the cost of that technology down by spending $650m to build the next generation of OLED television screens.

LG showed off 15in OLED screens as far back as January 2009 and while the displays were quite impressive, cost made it nothing more than an engineering exercise. However it seems the firm is ready to invest in bringing the technology to market by ploughing significant capital into manufacturing next generation television screens, The Inquirer says.

Last week Samsung dropped its request for an injunction against LG over OLED screens. The two firms have been fighting an 18 month legal battle over OLED trade secrets, and although Samsung dropped its injunction request, the two firms and several ex-Samsung employees are still facing legal action.

Both LG and Samsung manufacture small OLED displays for smartphones and tablets, however both firms see the technology as vital for the next generation of low power televisions.