2017 will be the first year of borderless TVs, and shipments will increase dramatically

4K, which is detailed and visible, has become the standard for TVs. Curved screens continue to grow rapidly. HDR, which lacks standards, has fallen from high-quality images built by the screen and the chip to being represented by a single chip. In this chaotic battle of differentiated products, I predict that borderless TVs, which have not been well-known this year, will enter their first year of development next year, and their shipments will increase by leaps and bounds.

What is a bezel-less TV?

The so-called borderless TV, as the name suggests, is a TV without a front frame blocking the display screen.

In order to position the display screen from the front and back directions, traditional TVs need to add a fixed front frame in front of the TV display screen. The front frame will inevitably overlap with the TV screen, so a portion of the TV display screen area (non-display area) will be sacrificed.

The latest borderless TVs use a fitting method to fix the screen, preventing it from moving forward and backward. This eliminates the need for a fixed front frame, allowing the entire TV screen to be fully displayed. As can be seen from the diagram above, the direct result for the audience is that the screen becomes larger. As TVs become more fashionable and urban space becomes more compact, borderless TVs that maximize display with the smallest area are becoming more and more popular among consumers, just like mobile phones with a large "screen-to-body ratio".

What does a borderless TV panel look like?

The advantages of borderless TVs are obvious, but this advantage requires the cooperation of the panel. Compared with general panels, borderless special panels have two differences as shown in the figure below. One is that the two corners on the opposite side of the PCBA are rounded (for example, three-sided borderless), which is easy to assemble in a compact borderless system. The other is that the side is coated with special frame sealing glue to prevent light leakage from the side of the screen and affect the picture quality when there is no front frame to cover it.

With these two differences, the panel process also needs to be adjusted accordingly. One is to add a processing process for the corners to grind out two rounded corners, and the other is to add a coating process on the side to apply a sealing glue to prevent light leakage. The increase in process and working hours affects the cost and yield, so the price of borderless products is much higher than that of general products. However, as the panel factory's process is sophisticated and the yield rate is improved, this price difference has been controlled at around US$10 (for a 55-inch panel).

What is the attraction for OEMs?

Although the price difference of panels and the relatively difficult manufacturing process have increased the overall cost, combined with the high selling price of borderless TVs, this differentiated product is still very attractive to brand manufacturers.

Offline monitoring data from AVC shows that curved products, which are also differentiated products, are 1.5 times more expensive than general products, while the price difference for borderless products is more than 1.7 times. In the color TV market where overall sales volume has increased but sales revenue has decreased year by year, such differentiated products with high unit price, low investment and good design are undoubtedly the first choice for whole machine brands.

Why is it called the first year?

Because of the demand from the whole machine factory, the panel factory also followed up in time. The panel factory producing borderless products will increase from the current LGD/SDC/INX/AUO to 6 next year. Mainstream panel factories including BOE and Huaxing Optoelectronics will join this trend. The product size will also drop from the original 55-inch/65-inch to 43-inch/32-inch and other small sizes. The author predicts that in 2017, the borderless TV will increase by more than 100% year-on-year, reaching 7.1 million units worldwide. The pioneer market of trendy TVs - the Chinese market will account for 30% of the market share, reaching 2.1 million units, entering a large-scale development year.

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.