LG has confirmed it will be stopping its plasma TV production by the end of the year. Speaking with Expert Reviews, the company said it could end production as soon as November.
"We have not decided on the exact timing for this country," said Hugo Shin, LG's Product Communication Director, "but we believe this year will be the last year we produce PDP [TVs]."
The announcement comes after both Samsung and Panasonic confirmed earlier this year that they would also be exiting the plasma TV market by the end of 2014. But while Samsung and Panasonic cited a greater demand for LCD screens as one of their primary reasons for stopping plasma production, LG believes there's still a strong market for large, cheap screens, particularly in South America. The main obstacle standing in the way of this, though, is actually getting hold of the components to meet the demand.
"All component [production] of plasma has stopped," said Mr K I Kwon, President of LG Electronics UK and Ireland . "That's why we're considering this. It's very difficult to procure the materials for plasma."
Instead, LG will be focusing its efforts on expanding its range of OLED TVs and existing LED sets. The company told Expert Reviews that its new M2 plant in Korea was in a prime position to begin ramping up the company's OLED production, but emphasised that it will be concentrating primarily on curved OLED screens rather than flat ones.
As OLED production increases, LG said its ultimate aim is to bring flexible OLED TVs to market so the customer can decide which style of viewing angle they prefer. These will be available next year, according to LG, but the company remained tight-lipped on price.
