On the B-side of LG’s announcement that it will start selling two 4K OLED TVs, is the bad news for plasma. Korean papers Yonhap News and The Korea Times report home entertainment division lead Ha Hyun-hwoi’s comments that the company will end production of plasma TVs soon. According to Ha, LG is conducting an internal study to decide when it will end plasma production, not a bad run after rumors said it would shut down in 2008 and 2009, and will make an official announcement on the issue soon.
LG is waiting for the right time to exit the plasma TV business, a move that would leave almost no major companies making the flat-screens. The company is in a “wait and see mode” about possibly ending production of plasma TVs, according to a spokesman. “Weve known for a long time that demand for plasma units was declining,” the LG spokesman wrote in an email. “When demand falls to a point where its no longer a viable business is where were trying to determine.” LG announced earlier this week the world’s first 4K OLED TV. South Korean news reports about the announcement of the 65-inch OLED TV with 3840 x 2160-pixel display said an LG official indicated the company would make an official statement on suspending plasma display panel TVs in the near future. LG would be the latest manufacturer to quit plasma. To the disappointment of videophiles, Panasonic announced in 2013 it would end plasma panel research, ending production this year. The company was the largest maker in the field at one time.