An LG executive said Tuesday that the firm’s rival Samsung Electronics is moving away from the active 3-D display technology and develop its own “passive” technology for its TVs.

The executive, who wished to remain unidentified, said that Samsung will adopt the passive 3-D technology although it will be different from the film-type patterned retarder technology supported by LG.

Debates over the superiority of active and passive 3-D technologies became heated earlier this year between the world’s biggest TV maker Samsung Electronics and its competitor LG Electronics. Samsung currently applies the active shutter glass technology, while LG has applied the passive FPR technology for its 3-D TVs.

“LG also has been supporting the shutter glass technology until last year,” the official said. “Now we’re in the process of laying out strategies on how we will make known the FPR technology-based 3-D TVs to our customers in the short term.”

Industry watchers have recently touted the development of the passive 3-D technology, stating that the glasses are easier and cheaper, lowering investment costs for its customers.

DisplaySearch, a well-known market research firm, said that it already sees a shift from the first generation (active shutter) to passive shutter glasses and that the passive 3-D displays have reduced flicker, increased image brightness and offered frame designs which do not have to use electronics and LCD elements in the lenses.

Meanwhile, the sales of worldwide 3-D TV are expected to grow to 50 million sets next year, up from the projection of 20 million sets this year.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)