[IFA2022] 'Bending' Gaming Monitor Temperature Difference... Samsung "Effectiveness ↓" LG "Blockbuster Success" (Summary)

Subtle Temperature Differences at 'IFA 2022' TV Technology Briefing on the 4th

LG Electronics' 'Bendable' Gaming TV Shows Signs of Success
LG Confident of a "Blockbuster"... Samsung Says "No Development Plans"

Jangil Jeong, Executive Director, Next Generation Planning Group, Visual Display Business Division, Samsung Electronics. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)

[Berlin (Germany) = Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok]

"The most comfortable viewing distance from the TV is about 80cm. I don't think a curvature (R) below 1000R is bad for other content just because it's good for gaming. We are not considering introducing a 'bendable' function that folds and unfolds." - Jeong Gang-il, Executive Director, Next Generation Planning Group, Visual Display Business Division, Samsung Electronics

"The feature that received the most positive response at 'IFA 2022' is naturally the 'flexible (bendable - a function that can be bent and unfolded)' gaming monitor function." - Baek Seon-pil, Executive Director, TV CX (Customer Experience) Division, LG Electronics

South Korea's leading home appliance companies attracted attention by showing a slight difference in stance regarding 'bendable' gaming monitors at Europe's largest home appliance show. Samsung Electronics, while developing its flagship gaming monitors such as the 'Odyssey Ark,' stated that it has no plans to develop bendable monitor technology. LG Electronics expressed strong confidence in the success of its gaming OLED TV 'Flex,' which features bendable functionality, saying "bendable is undoubtedly the top contributor."

Recently, home appliance companies have been fiercely competing in technology to reduce curvature to below 1000R, which is considered a higher technical level as the curvature increases. While Samsung questioned whether it is really necessary to not only bend but also fold and unfold, LG left an exclamation mark on the matter.

Samsung's Executive Director Jeong showed a non-committal attitude even toward the 'folding and unfolding' function itself. When asked by reporters whether they would develop this function, he said, "We have been considering this since the time we made curved TVs with the 'bendable' TV concept. There are pros and cons when unfolded and when curved." When reporters asked again if they were not considering developing the folding and unfolding function, he replied, "Yes."

Earlier, Samsung Electronics launched the world's first 55-inch curved gaming monitor, the 'Odyssey Ark,' on the 16th of last month. It features screen sizes adjustable from 27 inches to 55 inches and aspect ratios from 16:9 to 32:9 depending on the game type.

Baek Seonpil, Executive Director in charge of TV CX (Customer Experience) at LG Electronics. (Photo by LG Electronics)

LG Electronics' Executive Director Baek had a slightly different perspective. He expressed near certainty that a gaming monitor that actively reflects gamers' opinions, calling Flex a "TV made by gamers," could not fail. He repeatedly emphasized that the bendable monitor is a non-negotiable key point. He said, "We invited gamers directly and listened to requests such as '48 inches is too big, please make it 42 inches' and 'Make the horizontal field of view fully visible so we can immerse ourselves in gameplay,' and then made (Flex)."

He even questioned the effectiveness of the vertical 'cockpit mode' introduced by Samsung's Odyssey Ark. He argued that making a gaming monitor vertical does not fit entirely in the field of view and actually hinders game concentration. According to him, the content popular with 'vertical' monitors is "webtoons and TikTok," not games.

Executive Director Baek said, "You can't see the entire 55-inch (Odyssey Ark) at a glance, and you practically use only about one-third of the 55 inches, so I don't know if providing a vertical monitor gaming experience is a MANDATORY service."

Meanwhile, Executive Director Baek predicted that the trend in TV size will be in the '70-inch range.' He said that 65 to 75 inches are already the best-selling sizes in major markets such as Korea and the United States. He also acknowledged to some extent the criticism that '97 inches is too big.' He mentioned that moving such a TV is a concern because it doesn't fit in elevators. Baek forecasted, "We do not plan to increase the size beyond 100 inches, and whether in Korea or Europe, the 70-inch range is likely to become the major size."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.