14 DAY TRIAL // It looks like these are times when chain reactions get started on the IT market because of the actions of one single company, in this case Samsung, whose plan is to start building an LCD plant in China.
It really looks like things in the display industry are moving forward on several paths at once, although liquid crystal displays still remain at the forefront.
10-inch and smaller panels are getting better resolutions, driven by the tablet industry, while larger formats are getting better backlighting and overall image quality.
There are even those companies that are experimenting with new 3D technologies, although no truly glasses-free device has been created yet.
Either way, with all the new inventions and improvements, companies are looking to build new factories to manufacture more advanced technologies.
Samsung is one of those companies and may just be the first foreign firm to start building a manufacturing plant in China, a 7.5G one to be exact.
Building efforts will start in May 2011, meaning that panels should start being produced by 2013.
In fact, this is seen as something that will give it quite the advantage, to the point where it is reported that rival firms want to start similar projects as soon as possible.
LG, for instance, may be the first to follow suite, with an 8.5G plant, though no exact details exist on this either.
Meanwhile, others are making partnerships or looking to secure licenses of their own, with varying degrees of success.
Sharp was denied the application for an 8G plant but tied up with CEC Panda for a 10G one, with construction to begin June at the earliest.
There was also mention of AUO, which joined with China-based InfoVision Optoelectronics (IVO), although it is still trying to decide between a 7.5G and an 8.5G plant.