Samsung confirms plans to spin off its loss-making LCD TV division-- with "Samsung Display Company Ltd" to start operations on April 1st 2012 (following shareholder approval).

"The spin-off will allow us to make quicker business decisions and respond to our clients' needs more swiftly," Executive LCD business VP Donggun Park says. The new TV making business will start with $6.6 billion in cash reserves. It might also merge with Samsung Mobile Display, the company working on OLED technology for both mobile and TV use.

On December 2011 the company bought the Sony stake (worth around $938.97M) in the S-LCD LCD panel joint venture.

As we all know, times are hard for the TV business-- some of the biggest TV endors (including Panasonic, Sony, Sharp and Philips) are recording record losses as consumer TV demand slows down to a crawl even as TV makers slash prices even further.

Go Samsung to Spin Off Unprofitable LCD Business (Bloomberg)

Go TV Business: Not Such a Good Picture

According to GfK the global LCD TV market is set to grow by 7% Y-o-Y to reach 225M units-- up from 211M units (and 11% Y-o-Y growth) in 2011, due to demand from emerging markets.

The analyst says LCD growth is being held back by mature markets such as W. Europe-- which are down by -5% Y-o-Y for 2011, a year ending with a particularly slow holiday season. GfK expects the 3 main developed markets (W. Europe, N. America and Japan) will show combined growth of 4% Y-o-Y.

The Central European market is also maturing, with future growth slowing down as a result.

Plasma TV demand is also expected to shrink further as LCDs become more competitive in the large-size segment.

There are still some hopes for future LCD growth in 2012-- if not due to the Olympics (GfK data shows the Olympics "rarely has much impact on end-demand"), the UEFA Euro Cup might fuel CRT-replacement sales in Poland, Ukraine and hopefully beyond.

Go GfK: Global LCD to Grow in 2012

Despite the excitement for OLED TV technology generated by CES 2012, IHS iSuppli predicts such TVs will be seeing "limited" global shipments during the next few years due to high prices.

Why the high prices? Manufacturing challenges and expensive materials, according to the analyst.

iSuppli estimates global 2012 OLED TV shipments will reach just 34000, before growing to 2.1M units in 2015-- or only 1% of the global flat-panel market. Even if AMOLED sets do provide a superior viewing experience to LCDs, prices will remain too high to result in large quantities of consumer sales.

Both LG and Samsung announced a 55" OLED HDTV at CES, both featuring similar specifications. The majority of AMOLED technology applications tend to go into smaller smartphone displays, with sizes smaller than 10". While similar in specifications (and looks), the LG and Samsung OLED TVs use different technologies using various materials and manufacturing processes.

Go AMOLED TV Market Slowed by High Prices, Manufacturing Challenges (IHS iSuppli)

Omnimount will launch 3 additions to the ActionMount full motion TV mount range at ISE 2012-- the PLAY20, PLAY20X and PLAY40.

Using Ergotron Constant Force technology for light-touch omnidirectional TV movement, Omnimount says ActionMount products allow users to raise or lower their TVs by up to 53.3cm.

One can also position each mount for the ideal 3D angle (with a 180-degree pan range) without need for precise installation. Construction is in polished aluminium, with black trim for additional style.

Each mount includes a complete hardware kit, while the mount arm carries cable management clips for the routing and hiding of wires.

Go OmniMount

Futuresource Consulting expects connected TVs to "lead the way" in global TV shipments, predicting connected TV shipments will grow from 27% of total 2011 TV units to over 80% by 2015.

However Europe is still behind the connected TV curve, having the lowest current WW penetration rate with only 24% of TV sales being connected.

3DTV will also show growth, with global 2011 shipments reaching 16M units-- but only thanks to connectivity. Futuresource says customers will upgrade their TVs for connected features while being unaware of their purchases' 3D functionality. 3DTV should grow to take over 50% of the 2015 market according to the analyst.

IP connectivity is quickly becoming a standard TV feature, appearing in 60-80% of manufacturer product portfolios. Embedded wifi is also driving usage, appearing in many premium TV models.

Furesource expects LED TVs will continue making the majority of shipments-- accounting for 90% of 2015 shipments. The analyst predicts other technologies (LCD, PDP, CRT) will decline further throughout the 2011-2015 period, wile OLED will "gain traction" as more manufacturers start launching models carrying the technology. Samsung and LG alrleady announced OLED TVs at CES 2012.

Go Connected TV to Dominate Global TV Shipments by 2015

Peerless-AV integrates mounts with wireless streaming with PeerAir-- a mounting solution range capable of streaming A/V content to flat panel displays and projectors.

Debuting at CES 2012, PeerAir mounts stream 1080p 60Hz content for distances of up to 100m, eliminating the need for running cables while opening new possibilities for display and projector placements.

The range includes indoor and outdoor wireless articulating arms, tilt wall mounts, a mobile cart and a wireless projector mount, all with a built-in wireless A/V transmitter.

Powering the mounts is the included Peerless HD Flow Wireless Multimedia Kit, with features including reverse IR remote control, multi-casting from a single transmitter (for up to x4 devices) and WPA2 security protocols.

Go Peerless-AV