Samsung Spins Off Its Display Business

redletterdave writes "Samsung Electronics announced Monday that it will spin off its LCD business division to launch a new entity, provisionally called Samsung Display Co., set to go live on April 1, 2012. The new business will launch with about $668 million in capital, but Samsung plans to invest about $5.8 billion in 2012 to develop better displays. The move, which now awaits shareholder approval, has been rumored for months since Samsung's LCD business announced operating losses of $666 million in 2011, citing sluggish TV sales. The company's spin-off display business may eventually merge with Samsung Mobile Display, which makes the company's organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels that are currently in high demand."

Anything to do with Apple?

[Compaqt]

Does this have anything to do with Apple?

I.e., Apple's suing Samsung, and vice versa. On the other hand, Samsung provides the iPad's displays.

So, by spinning off the display division, is the purpose to get on with the suing?

Re:Resolution

[tlhIngan]

Same here, except for mine being a 19" SB930. Same resolution, so higher DPI, so even better image.
Displays have gone downhill, resolution-wise, after LCDs became the norm. 1920x1080 is the standard for desktops now, and 1366x768 for 16:9 laptops, where old laptops were 1280x1024.

That's because HDTVs are really cheap. 1920x1080 displays re-use the same cheap video ICs used for 1080p TVs, and 1366x768 ones are the same for 720p+ displays. Because HDTVs sell by the millions, the display electronics are really cheap, and when your monitors are pushing "free" and sub-$100, it's what happens.

And yes, CRTs had this problem too - the crappy ass blurry-as-hell ones were what you got.

I love my CRT monitor more than my LCDs, and really wish that companies could go back to producing high end CRTs too. Samsung, alas, is unlikely to do so.

They still do. But you're looking at really expensive ones these days - they're now very niche products.

Displays are a commodity item. Hell, half os /. gets confused everytime Apple releases a 30" display, calling it overpriced at $1000 when you can pick up a 30" HDTV for under $200 (forgetting that the Dells and such with greater than 1080p resolutoin are also that high).

Very little profit is made from monitors - it's why if you want better than 720p or 1080p displays they cost way more - a 24" 1080p can be had for under $200, but a 24" 1920x1200 costs $400+. Of course, these displays are also better ones since there's less pricing pressure on them.

People want the cheap crap, so manufacturers deliver. It's why Apple only produces nicer displays at non-HDTV resolutions because there's money to be made that way, rather than fight with everyone else in the crowded 1080p/720p cutthroat market.