Sony and LG chose to give up curved TVs, but why Samsung still insists on it?

Curved TVs should have ushered in a brighter future, but unexpectedly the reality is the exact opposite.

At CES 2017, both Sony and LG announced that they would not release any curved TVs this year. Thus, the curved TVs that were once considered by consumers to be a perfect combination of high-end and aesthetics had to end in failure.

Recently, according to a report from ET News, after Sony and LG gave up on curved TVs this year, Samsung still plans to launch 22 curved TVs to the global market and reiterated that it will not give up the curved TV market.

Although curved TVs are not favored by the market at present, considering that Samsung's curved TV sales increased by more than 50% year-on-year last year, and Samsung has been unable to transform due to internal and external troubles recently, it seems understandable that it sticks to the curved TV position.

What went wrong with the beloved curved TV?

The main reason why curved TVs stand out from traditional flat-screen TVs is their ultimate picture experience and novel shape.

However, precisely because the shock that curved TVs bring to us is too strong, just like the two sides of everything, its shortcomings have become a "scar" that consumers cannot ignore.

On the one hand, the camera's photosensitive device in the shooting picture we see is flat, so it relies on flat playback equipment to reproduce the sense of space and the shape of objects when shooting. If it is played on a curved TV on the market, it is difficult to avoid the problem of picture distortion. In addition, if the viewing position of the curved TV is not at the "emperor's seat" at the center of the curve, the distortion will be more serious.

On the other hand, curved TVs have high requirements for the living room environment. Not only the wall mounting but also the lighting have become details that users must carefully consider before purchasing. If you are not careful, not only will you not be able to enjoy the unique picture performance of the curved TV, but even worse, the presentation is not as good as that of ordinary flat-screen TVs.

However, these existing defects of curved TVs have caused it to receive too many negative comments, even fierce remarks such as "ridiculous" and "terrible", which not only undermined the confidence of industry workers, but also destroyed the few reputations accumulated by curved TVs.

At the same time, the desperate situation faced by curved TVs today is somewhat similar to that of 3D TVs a few years ago. 3D TVs were once highly anticipated, but ended up in a dismal failure. Almost all mainstream TV manufacturers have made it clear that they will no longer support 3D functions.

But now it seems that Samsung does not care about the difficulties faced by curved TVs.

Is it hard to get off the tiger or is there a ray of hope? The reason why Samsung persists

Nowadays, as the market's enthusiasm for curved TVs has cooled down, both Sony and LG seem to have defined curved TVs as just a "temporary craze." However, in this environment, Samsung's persistence is somewhat unexpected.

Samsung may think that the cooling of the fever at this time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not only will it further expand the profit margins of its own curved TVs, but it will also gain the right to speak in the curved TV industry without any pressure. Considering that the annual growth rate of the large curved TV market is between 20% and 30%, mastering the market voice at this time will definitely bring the company greater development space. This deal can be regarded as a great value for Samsung.

On the other hand, Samsung Display, a panel manufacturer under Samsung Electronics, reported a dismal first-quarter financial performance in March last year due to poor yield rates of ultra-thin glass substrates introduced for curved TVs.

This incident is undoubtedly the beginning of a disaster for Samsung, which has been plagued by product accidents, jailing of senior executives, and factory closures in 2016. At the same time, it is precisely because Samsung has been undergoing major changes that choosing to maintain stability rather than transformation may be more suitable for the company's current situation.

Therefore, it chose to launch more than 22 curved TV products at the same time in 2017, making itself stand out in a market full of flat-panel TV designs and becoming the main provider of curved TVs in the entire high-end market. Samsung's decision to stick to the curved TV market may be more of a tactical move, but is it really worth it to stick to this "useless" market that other manufacturers look down upon?

Samsung's bet on curved TVs may fail as market prospects remain bleak

For curved TVs, the negative reviews themselves show that curved screens are not qualified to replace flat screens. After seeing the inherently unavoidable defects of curved TVs, the market prospects of curved TVs are somewhat worrying.

Moreover, it is not a good thing to have a large share of the curved TV market, which means that most of the risks in the industry will be borne by Samsung, which is not affordable for Samsung, which has been unlucky this year. So from another perspective, Samsung's bet on curved TVs also feels like a desperate gamble.

With the continuous development of the TV industry, perhaps Samsung will continue to dominate the curved TV market in the future. On the other hand, Samsung's loyal users are also willing to pay for curved TVs. However, for consumers, coming up with new core technologies as soon as possible is the basis for Samsung to gain a firm foothold in the future.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.