Samsung will stop producing plasma panels at the end of this year

Samsung SDI will stop producing plasma panels for TVs on November 30. The company cites low demand for the TVs as the reason for the shutdown, and Samsung SDI would also like to focus more on its other tasks such as energy.

According to Samsung SDI, the demand for plasma TVs continues to fall. The production lines for the panels are being converted for the production of batteries, one of Samsung SDI’s core tasks. The other parts will be sold, the Korean news service Yonhap reports. The move follows the merger of Samsung SDI with Cheil Industries; after a restructuring, part of the company will focus on battery production and other energy products, while another part will take care of chemical and electronics products.

Samsung’s plasma division started in 2001; according to Yonhap, it has been the largest maker of pdp panels since 2003. Korean market experts also expect LG to stop producing plasma panels in the near future. Last year, Panasonic stopped producing and selling plasma TVs. Manufacturers see little value in the technology, although it provides a better picture than LCD, because plasma could no longer compete with LCD on price. Oled was seen as a successor, but manufacturers, including Samsung, have put that development on the back burner because of the high costs.