Planar

Sept. 6, 2022 - Planar, the longtime global leader in fine pixel pitch LED display technology, is making it easier to choose a leading-edge microLED video wall, by significantly lowering our suggested retail pricing on the premier Planar® DirectLight® Ultra™ Series.

In a time of generally increasing costs across the board, these price changes may seem unusual, so we want to provide some explanation. First, we believe in the promise and benefits of microLED technology. We've supported that belief with significant investments in all aspects of the technology's research and development, which has helped us to create them more efficiently and economically, without sacrificing quality.

Not only are microLEDs physically much smaller than Standard LEDs allowing for higher pixel density—or resolution—but they can also be brighter, allow for deeper black levels, and use less energy at any given brightness level. A lower price point puts these benefits within reach for more customers and more applications.

Second, global demand for higher resolution LED products that serve viewers who are closer to the screen, including those using microLED, has grown significantly in recent years. As demand has increased, what were potential cost advantages in microLED have become real cost advantages. Organizations implementing finer pitch can realize benefits such as greater resolution and content clarity in the same physical area, comfortably supporting a wider range of viewing distances to get more "good seats" from a particular space, and LED display technology can be used in new creative applications that don't look as good with larger pitch displays. It is a strategic goal of Planar's to make finer pitch affordable for more applications and more customers, so we are also lowering the price on our popular Planar® TVF Series 0.9mm model.

"When we began mass producing microLED displays last year, we understood the potential of the technology both in terms of immediate performance gains, but also longer-term cost savings." said Steve Seminario, vice president of product marketing at Planar. "While this technology is still in early days with much potential ahead, it's gratifying to see adoption rising to a point where we can already make meaningful price reductions for our customers."

The microLED price reduction is not intended to be temporary, and we hope it will help drive greater adoption of microLED technology.