Yep, it's true. I actually work in the tv production industry
and saw these babies over a year ago at a trade show. They truly
knock your eyes out but I think about 2 yrs from now they will
really have the lifespan issue worked out. OLED future looks might
mean the screen is no thicker than a piece of mylar and can be used
on windows, etc. even. bye bye to those "thick" 2" tvs!
LOL
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Title: Forget plasma and LCD,
Posted by ravun on 28th of May 2009 at 10:42 am
[ Duncan McLeodFinancial Mail] While many consumers are fretting over which high-definition TV to buy, a new, low-power screen technology is already on the horizon. TVs that use “organic light-emitting diodes” could quickly consign today’s LCD and plasma technologies to history.
The pace of innovation in television is starting to rival the frenetic rate of development in the computer industry.
It’s been more than 100 years since German physicist Ferdinand Braun invented the cathode-ray tube, the technology that until the 1990s remained the most popular way of building TV sets and computer monitors.
In recent years, though, all that has changed. The bulk of TVs sold today are large-screen, flat-panel monitors that use plasma or, more likely, LCD (liquid crystal display) technologies. Prices have plummeted, to the extent that 40-inch TVs capable of delivering full high-definition (HD) video signals — defined as 1 080 lines of vertical resolution using progressive rather than interlaced scanning — can cost as little as R10 000. And prices are continuing to fall, bringing an HD cinematic experience into ordinary people’s homes for the first time.
However, screen technology is not standing still, and monitor and TV manufacturers are salivating at the prospect of the next wave of HD displays, based on organic light-emitting diode (Oled) technology.
HowStuffWorks.com describes Oleds as solid-state devices composed of thin films of organic molecules that create light with the application of electricity. “They can provide brighter, crisper displays on electronic devices and use less power than conventional light-emitting diodes or LCDs used today.”
The technology promises a future with TVs and computer monitors that are not only much thinner and lighter, but which can be folded away or even, believe it or not, embedded into clothing or newspapers.
The technology is not in the realm of science fiction and should become used in everyday consumer electronics products in the next 24 months. It could also be standard-issue technology in new flat-panel TVs within the next three years. Oled technology is likely to find a market first in smaller electronic devices, with unconfirmed rumours suggesting the next version of Apple’s iPhone will have an Oled screen.
However, prices will need to come down dramatically before the technology enjoys widespread adoption in large-screen devices like TVs. Sony began selling an 11-inch Oled screen earlier this year, the Bravia XEL, for a wallet-busting £3 500 (R45 500). That’s four times the price of a regular, 40-inch LCD panel for a screen that is barely a quarter of the size.
But analysts say that as the production of Oled monitors ramps up, prices will fall quickly as economies of scale are achieved — much as they did with LCD and plasma screens.
Take-up could happen quickly. According to people who have seen the technology in action, it makes older LCD and plasma screens — even the good ones — look prehistoric. The pictures that Oleds produce are about 10 times sharper than LCD screens. They also weigh much less and, because they don’t have back-lights like LCDs, they consume about 40% less electricity. And they are much more “responsive”, so there are no blurring effects in sports broadcasts or fast-paced action movies.
Oled technology is not without problems, though. The organic materials used to make them do not last as long as LCD. Manufacturers are making quick progress in addressing this problem and expect to have Oled screens soon that will outlive LCD.
If you’ve just shelled out for a brand new flat-panel TV, it’s time to start saving your pennies again. There’s an Oled screen in your near future.
Yep, it's true. I actually
Posted by mark09 on 28th of May 2009 at 10:49 am
Yep, it's true. I actually work in the tv production industry and saw these babies over a year ago at a trade show. They truly knock your eyes out but I think about 2 yrs from now they will really have the lifespan issue worked out. OLED future looks might mean the screen is no thicker than a piece of mylar and can be used on windows, etc. even. bye bye to those "thick" 2" tvs! LOL