Samsung vs LG: the battle of fake and true UHD TVs

With the festive season in full swing and a host of Christmas specials launched for the last-minute buying rush, Samsung issued a new warning regarding fake ultra-high definition (UHD) televisions.

Samsung warned that a true UHD or 4K TV will have a screen resolution 3,840 × 2,160 pixels.

Pedlars of pseudo-UHD technology were purposefully misinterpreting the original measurement specifications as outlined by the International Committee for Display Metrology (ICDM), it said.

Who are these unnamed sellers of pseudo-UHD TVs?

While Samsung has shied away from naming the manufacturers that it suggests are wilfully misleading consumers, it is no secret that LG TVs are a major target for its warnings.

This is not the first time Samsung has issued a warning like this, nor is it the first time LG has hit back.

According to Samsung, the ICDM is expected to revise its measurement specifications in 2016, preventing lower resolution TVs from being sold as 4K UHD TVs “to unsuspecting consumers”.

The nice thing about standards is that you have so many to choose from — Andrew S. Tanenbaum

LG has hit back, saying that its RGBW technology meets the requirements of the Display Measurement Standard’s (IDMS) definition of 4K resolution.

These requirements are based on the 4K resolution standard set by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) which is also adopted by the ICDM and THX Limited (THX), it said.

LG went a step further, claiming in a recent press release that its RGBW panels are the real 4K, backed by global certification standards.

“LG 4K RGBW TV applies a panel certified by several certification authorities such as Intertek (UK), TÜV (Germany) and CESI(China) to meet the resolution criteria of the international standard. Therefore LG’s panel is more advantageous in realising high resolution,” the company said.

It also downplayed the fact that its panels aren’t certified as 4K by Digital Europe (DE) and the CEA.

“The major role of Digital Europe and CEA is not to set the resolution standard. Rather, they are the electronics industry associations in their regions,” LG said.

“LG 4K TV is qualified for the standard set by the international certification institutions. Achievement of CEA or DE Logo is an optional requirement of TV makers.”

RGBW vs RGB: of resolution and sub-pixels

RBGW subpixel arrangement on a UHD TV

RGB subpixel arrangement on a UHD TV

At the heart of the issue are the sub-pixel arrangements different manufacturers use in their TVs.

An RGB arrangement uses only red, green, and blue subpixels, while an RGBW panel adds a white sub-pixel, effectively reducing the total number of vertical lines of the display.

Where a UHD panel using RGB technology has a resolution of 3,840 × 2,160 pixels, a television using RGBW only has a resolution of 2,880 × 2,160 pixels.

However, LG argues that in the end both types of displays have the same number of subpixels:

2,880 × 4 [RGBW] × 2,160 = 3,840 × 3[RGB] × 2,160

LG conceded that RGBW panels are cheaper to make, but said this was a good thing.

“TVs using the RGBW technology have an enhanced brightness and energy efficiency, while costing less,” said LG.

“That’s because a conventional RGB UHD panel needs more LEDs to emit an adequate amount of light, which ends up costing more to produce. By saving on production costs, UHD TVs are now much more affordable in both the short term and the long term.”

Pot and kettle? The Samsung Galaxy PenTile controversy

PenTile matrix subpixel arrangement on the Nexus One

Not too long ago Samsung was embroiled in a similar controversy over its PenTile subpixel arrangement used in the displays of smartphones such as the Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 Edge.

PenTile is a trademark of Samsung, and uses a RGBG subpixel scheme where green pixels are interleaved with alternating red and blue pixels.

Much like the RGBW controversy, many questioned whether Samsung was being truthful in reporting the display resolutions of its smartphones.

Samsung was asked what the difference was between pseudo-UHD RGBW TVs and its use of PenTile technology, but the company has not responded to queries on the topic.

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