BOE leads TV display shipments with ADS wide-viewing angle LCD technology

In this analyst commentary, David Hsieh, Senior Research Director for Displays at Omdia, discusses the competition among TV display manufacturers, focusing on capacity, shipment volume and the wide-viewing angle technologies for LCD TV displays.

The competition among TV display makers is not only about capacity but also about shipment, particularly in shipment area and technology. One critical aspect of LCD TV displays is wide-viewing angle technology, which is not required for OLED TVs because OLED TVs lack liquid crystal and molecule alignment in their OLED panel structure.

There are two popular types of wide-viewing angle technology for LCDs, which are vertical alignment (VA) and in-plane switching (IPS). Some of the different types of VA include patterned VA (PVA) by Samsung Display, wide horizontal viewing angle (WHVA) by China Star, advanced super view (ASV) by Sharp, and horizontal viewing angle (HVA) by HKC Display. On the other hand, IPS variations include fringe field switching (FFS) by LG Display and advanced display system (ADS) developed and owned by BOE. 

Both VA and IPS technologies used in LCD TV displays have their pros and cons. However, IPS technology is considered superior to VA technology in terms of providing a wide-viewing angle with low color shift. Conversely, VA technology offers better liquid crystal response time and contrast ratio.

Figure 1 shows the pros and cons of twist nematic (TN), IPS, and VA.

Figure 1: Pros and cons of TN, IPS, and VA

Source: Omdia

In 2023, BOE led the TV display market with a 25.3% share by shipment area, up from 24.9% in 2022. China Star ranked second with a 22.5% share, followed by HKC Display with 14.2%. Other display makers, such as Innolux, Sharp, CHOT, and AUO, each had shares under 10%. The combined market share of BOE, China Star, HKC Display, and CHOT was 68.5%, showcasing the dominance of the Chinese panel makers in the TV display market.

When analyzing wide-viewing angle technology, BOE’s ADS LCDs ranked first with a 23% share of the total TV display shipment area, followed by China Star’s and HKC Display’s VA LCDs at 21.5% and 13%, respectively. BOE, China Star, and HKC Display offer both IPS and VA TV panel products, however BOE prioritized IPS, while China Star and HKC Display focused on VA instead. It is worth noting that BOE’s VA share was only 2.3%, and China Star’s and HKC Display’s IPS shares were only 1% and 1.2%, respectively, in 2023.

Samsung Display’s and LG Display’s OLED TV shipment area shares declined by 0.7% and 2.5% in 2023, respectively. Samsung Display’s QD OLED TV display shipment area share was only 0.6% in 2022, while LG Display’s WOLED TV display shipment area share was 3.6%. Both Samsung Display and LG Display are facing difficulties in deciding whether to further invest in OLED TV panel production. This is due to the current challenges that OLED is facing, particularly in terms of capacity and the production of larger-sized products. The competition from LCD is also a factor to consider. 

Table 1: Wide-viewing angle TV display shipment area shares 

In terms of technology, BOE’s ADS LCD TV panel has been leading the industry for many years. Recently, BOE enhanced its ADS technology to ADS Pro, adding more features such as lower power consumption, touch panel integration without image distortion, high resolution, high refresh rate, and wider color gamut. 

Figure 2: Panel makers’ wide-viewing angle TV display shipment area shares

Source: Omdia

To read more insights and analysis covering market trends and industry forecasts prepared by Omdia’s Display practice, click here.

Further reading

Large Area Display Market Tracker – 4Q23 Database (March 2024)