In fact, under the wave of promoting self-reliance and self-reliance in high-level science and technology, the domestic laser display industry has always been in the highlight zone in recent years - included in the 12th Five-Year National Strategic Emerging Industry Development Plan and the 10th Five-Year Plan. The first place in the new display project of the new generation of information technology during the 35th Five-Year Plan period. The strategic advanced electronic materials key project of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s National Key R&D Program has established projects for three consecutive years to support the research and development of key laser display technologies. Laser display chips are included in the Ministry of Science and Technology’s 2021 national key R&D projects. Planned project...
After the era of black-and-white TV, color TV, and digital TV, in the critical period of the display industry's transition to the fourth generation display technology, laser TV relies on favorable policies and image quality, large screen, and protection. With core technological advantages such as eye-catching technology, we have embarked on a new path for the rapid development of the new display industry led by domestic enterprises.
In the competition in the TV industry, LCD TVs have dominated the competition for the past 20 years, and Japanese brands such as Hitachi and Panasonic have also become popular in the Chinese market. In the global TV industry at this stage, the position of Chinese home appliance companies has always been awkward. Qiao Yueshan, deputy director of the Electronic Information Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, once said in a public speech: "In the CRT era, our Chinese brands could only produce complete machines and did not master core technologies. Therefore, they only had price wars and suffered losses year after year. Struggling on the edge."
The emergence of laser TV can also be seen as an important turning point in the TV industry. For Chinese companies that have been controlled by Japan and South Korea for many years, it is a rare escape." tethered” opportunities. Xu Zuyan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in a recent interview with the media: my country's laser technology and industry have entered the international leading ranks, and have the conditions for independent and controllable development of the industry in terms of key materials, components, technologies, complete machines and patents.
Relying on industry, the laser TV market is growing rapidly. Aowei Cloud data shows that the compound growth rate of laser TV from 2015 to 2020 is as high as 213.8%, surpassing all TV categories. In 2020, laser TV sales increased by 64.5% year-on-year. In the first quarter of this year, overall sales increased by 55.1% year-on-year. , becoming the fastest growing “new species” in the television field.
If we must draw an "evolutionary picture" for this "new species", then its most obvious feature is that it is dominated by domestic mainstream home appliance companies.
Since Hisense entered the market in 2007, after going through many obstacles and seven years of technical research, it achieved a breakthrough from 0 to 1 in 2014, launching the world's first self-developed 100-inch ultra-short focus laser. television.
In the first half of 2014, the global average size of LCD TVs was about 38 inches, and laser displays were only 100 inches when they were launched, which impacted the entire market at the time. In the following five years, Hisense Laser TV went from 100 inches to 300 inches and then down to 75 inches, from 2K to 4K, from monochrome to two-color to three-color, step by step establishing its position in the high-end large-screen market. It was not until the past two years that large-screen products became popular due to breakthroughs in LCD panel technology and falling prices.
In the research and development of laser TV, Hisense has always adhered to the independent route, driving a number of domestic technology companies to invest in this track, and promoting the transformation of China's display industry from an industry follower to a leader.
According to the "China Laser TV Industry White Paper" released in 2020, the number of laser display patent applications in mainland China has exceeded that of overseas countries, and it has definitely led the development of the global laser display industry. Starting in 2017, Hisense Laser TV has accelerated its entry into key markets such as the United States, Australia, South Africa, Dubai, and France. In the first quarter of this year, Hisense Laser TV’s overseas sales increased 9 times year-on-year. Behind the overtaking of overseas brands by Chinese companies, it is inseparable from the continuous technological breakthroughs and innovations of Chinese companies such as Hisense and Changhong.
In just a few years, laser TV has developed from a product to an industry. Since it is already an industry, it means that its popularity is accelerating. The domestic laser TV industry chain continues to improve, providing many possibilities for price exploration. Looking behind it, you will find that compared with traditional types of TVs, the unique characteristics of laser TVs are the reason why more and more consumers prefer the latter.
First of all, large-screen laser TV screens are more cost-effective; traditional panel TVs of 70 inches and 80 inches are already the limit of the consumer market, and the hardware costs will increase significantly if the screen is larger. The technical principle of laser TV determines that its advantage lies in large screens, and the visual experience brought by large screens will be better. In the early years, Wang Sicong once purchased a 100-inch TV for nearly 500,000 yuan, which caused heated discussion in the society. Traditional LCD TV screens have to bear more costs for every inch larger. In comparison, laser TV screens are more cost-effective and more acceptable to ordinary users
Secondly, laser TVs have the advantage of eye protection and a wider color gamut. Wide; Compared with the LCD panel that directly "emits light", from the perspective of imaging principle, laser display uses reflection imaging. The light received by the human eye is very soft, and it is less likely to cause eye fatigue after long-term viewing. Moreover, the brightness of laser TV is moderate, between 300-400 nits, which is located in the linear area of ??human visual perception. At the beginning of the year, the People's Daily Health Client released the "Proposal for Safe and Healthy Eye Use for Students during Holidays", which recommended that students choose large-screen electronic devices as much as possible when studying. Ultra-short throw laser TVs ranked first among the recommended devices. .
More importantly, in terms of picture presentation, laser TV is not far behind. Academician Xu Zuyan believes that laser display has three major characteristics: high brightness, good directionality, and good monochromaticity. It reaches the limit of human visual resolution and realizes high-fidelity video image reproduction with ultra-high definition, large color gamut, and large number of colors. It is The only display technology that fully meets the international standard BT.2020 for ultra-high definition displays.
Finally, the domestic laser TV industry chain continues to improve; currently, upstream parts manufacturing, midstream complete machine manufacturers, and downstream retail channel providers are all being continuously improved. Compared with traditional TV prices, which are limited by overseas giants controlling the cost of major accessories, with the rapid growth of laser TVs, more and more resources are entering the industry chain, and the global industry chain is accelerating upgrading, which will drive the cost of laser TVs significantly. decline.
As the saying goes, “Wherever the consumers are, companies will direct their efforts.” As the number of laser TVs entering living rooms is showing exponential fission, global technology giants such as Samsung, Sony, LG, Changhong, and Konka are currently joining the laser TV industry.
It is precisely because of the impact of laser TV in the field of large screens that LCD TVs are forced to move towards larger screens. Incomplete statistics show that the average size of color TVs is increasing at a rate of 2 inches every year. So many manufacturers have begun to enter the laser TV field, and they have also seen the comprehensive advantages of laser display technology in the large-screen trend.
Nowadays, laser TV appears in the public eye as a dark horse. There is no doubt that its amazing growth rate has also allowed the outside world to see its unlimited potential.
The unique product characteristics and the improvement of people's consumption level make the prospects of laser TV more and more broad, making laser TV a "star product". Behind the fame, there will be doubts. In addition to the "bombs" thrown by "friends", consumers also have different views on laser TV.
Recently, a question about whether #laserTV is the future trend of home appliances is undergoing multi-dimensional evaluations from netizens, and the pros and cons of the laser TV coin have also begun to be discussed. From smartphones, new energy vehicles to autonomous driving, new technologies will always cause controversy. On the bright side, this also means that a wider base of consumers will have a deeper understanding of laser TV.
Positive reviews believe that laser TV will define the final answer to the TV industry; To review the history of the home appliance industry, it took Chinese companies 28 years to become the world’s number one in PCs; To become the world’s number one in refrigerators, it took Chinese companies It took 23 years; it took Chinese companies 15 years to become the world's number one in air conditioners; it only took 14 years for Chinese companies to become the world's number one in laser TVs. In the history of the development of the global display industry, this is also a beautiful "lane change and overtaking" by Chinese companies.
In the century-long history of the television industry, larger screens have become the core issue in technology disputes between companies. Industry experts pointed out that “it is difficult for glass substrate LCD or OLED TVs to achieve a size breakthrough of 9 inches and achieve economical results.
Laser TVs naturally focus on 10 inches, and cover down to 75 inches - it can be said that in terms of display size, laser TVs are here to 'take over the class of LCD and other flat-panel technologies', and will be the mainstream of color TVs in the next 10 years. The consumption area will increase by more than 55%. Mainstream consumption will start at 75 inches, and it is the general trend for mid-to-high-end products to align with 100 inches. "
Peng Xiandong, general manager of GFK China's major appliances, believes that "this year's color TV market manufacturers' layout is obviously tilted towards 75-inch and above products, among which laser TVs have become the focus of manufacturers' new product development in 2021. Its offline market grew by 45%, exceeding the growth rate of OLED TVs. ”
As mentioned above, the advancement of new laser TV technologies such as large screens, three primary color pure lasers, bionic imaging for healthy eye protection, low carbon and low energy consumption, curling TV, 8K technology, etc., are becoming the driving force behind laser TV stations. The core strength of the C-position in the color TV market has also made laser TV a well-deserved growth leader.
Negative comments believe that universal popularization of laser TV is a hurdle; opposing voices believe that although the laser market has grown at an alarming rate, However, it will take time to achieve universal popularization. Compared with the full price echelon of LCD TVs ranging from a few hundred yuan, a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan, the starting price of most laser TVs is more than 10,000 yuan, and the current increase mainly comes from large-scale consumers. The high-end screen market, but in order to enter the mid-range era of mass production, the cost reduction brought by technological innovation is not new. In the early years, Tesla also entered from luxury models. , with the accumulation of reputation in the high-end market, it has gradually moved into the mid-range market. It is rumored that the company is about to launch a model within 200,000 yuan, which has almost caused an earthquake in the industry. Will Laser TV follow this route in the future? The performance is extremely high.
Looking back at the development of Hisense Laser TV, we will find that after dominating the high-end large-screen market, the price/performance ratio will change year by year.
p>Pains are inevitable in any industry during the transition from old to new. In the wave of the fourth-generation display technology revolution, whether it is TCL’s case of commercial defamation of Hisense or questions about laser TV, they can all be seen as It is a series of episodes in the transition between old and new.
As Bill Gates said: "People always overestimate the first five years of the emergence of new technologies, but underestimate the second five years." "Laser TV is also using practical actions to prove that the next five years may be even more exciting.