OLED TV NEWS: News, updates and annoucements about the next generation of TVs

LG fully focussed on OLEDs for the future

2009-03-13T10:27:00.001-07:00

LG has decided that the credit crunch isn't a bad thing - it's a golden opportunity. It has vowed to increase spending on 'future growth engines', including a big look at OLEDs and solar cells. After being one of the earliest researchers of OLED tech, LG has seemingly scaled back its efforts in the burgeoning tech category, despite the arrival of an LG OLED TV being apparently imminent. But the company will commit more money into these future technologies, which also includes more efficient solar cells and batteries for electric cars. As you can see... futuristic. The main aim will be to improve the efficiency and yield rates of OLED tech, i.e. losing less panels during the manufacturing process, as this is currently one of the main reasons why OLED costs so much more than LCD on the market.

OLEDs ready for the mainstream

2009-03-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

A new display technology that is now starting to receive wide acceptance in the market is Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) displays with sizes ranging from 0.66-in thumbnails to 40-in OLED TV screen now available from Samsung. There were even rumours floating around prior to the US CES 2009 show that Samsung would be launching a 50-in OLED TV screen there. Source: Electronics News

Worldwide OLED revenues up 60% year-to-year in third quarter 2008, report says

2008-12-20T01:27:00.000-08:00

DisokaySearch report reveals OLEDs still facing strong competition from LCDs. The worldwide OLED display revenue in 3Q08 was US$141M, down 11% Q/Q but up 60% Y/Y, according to a new report by DisplaySearch.

"OLED displays have very attractive performance: wide viewing angle, wide color gamut at all gray scales, fast response time, low power consumption, thin/light weight and wide operating temperature. Lifetime has improved dramatically in recent years, and red and green lifetimes are long enough for many consumer electronic applications. Despite this, OLEDs still face strong price competition from TFT LCDs and PM LCDs," said Jennifer Colegrove, director of display technologies at DisplaySearch.

"The OLED display industry is changing rapidly, with new companies entering the business, existing companies expanding capacity or exiting the market, and other companies changing their application focus," added Colegrove.

TV forecast for 2009

2008-12-20T01:24:00.000-08:00

No surprises here, but the analysts at DisplaySearch have evidently been working overtime in order to revise the 2009 forecast for LCD TV shipments. We're not particularly sure where the originals sat, but if these new numbers prove true, we'll see LCD TV revenue fall year-over-year for the first time in the history of LCD TV shipments. The updated report notes that key factors in the downturn are "reductions in forecast TV prices and revised forecasts for year-over-year shipment growth for LCD and PDP TVs in 2009, down by 7 and 6 points from previous, respectively." As of now, LCD TV revenues are slated to drop 16% year-over-year, with total TV revenues falling 18%. Get a few big-screen OLED TVs out for under two large, and we bet all that changes -- don't mind that we're asking for the impossible or anything.

Kodak increases the lifespan of an OLED TV

2008-11-18T08:01:00.000-08:00

Kodak has developed a new type of OLED TV that has a life span of more than 65,000 viewing hours, Kodak claims. The claim would boost the lifespan of emerging OLED TVs, which have been reported to suffer from limited screen lifespans.

OLED TV, or Light Emitting Diode television, is popularly tipped as being set to replace LCD and Plasma TVs over the coming years. Market researchers, DisplaySearch, believe that the global OLED TV market will grow to £10.8 billion by 2015.

Until now there have been concerns over the life span of OLED TVs, and it has been reported that the picture fades severely after only a few thousand hours of watching. Kodak's OLED Material EK-GD403 technology, is said to bring the life span up to around 65,000 hours, which is comparable to the life span of a plasma model.

When Will Large OLED TVs Come Out?

2008-10-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

"CEATEC JAPAN 2008," a general exhibition of the latest IT and electronics technologies, took place from Sept 30 to Oct 4, 2008. Among TV-related exhibits, which can be described as the "face" of electronics manufacturers, exhibitors presented a variety of display technologies, including a slim TV with the thinnest part measuring less than one inch (25.4mm), 3D video devices and higher image quality based on a super resolution technology.

Sony Corp attracted many visitors to its booth last year because it announced the world's first 11-inch OLED TV on the day before CEATEC. I remember thinking to myself, "The future of OLED TVs is bright." Sony, of course, presented OLED TVs at this year's CEATEC as well. The company exhibited a new 0.3mm slim OLED panel and an OLED TV that only measures 0.9mm at its slimmest part.

In spite of all this, Panasonic and other manufacturers aiming to commercialize OLED TVs did not have any OELD-related exhibits. And I heard many of the display engineers I met at the show say, "I don't feel the same impact that I felt last year." I suppose such an impression stemmed from their disappointment that they could not see any progress toward larger OLED TV products this year. Read full column at Tech-On.

Sony Shows Wireless OLED TV

2008-09-13T01:32:00.000-07:00

Sony Japan has shown off another OLED TV model, it sees Sony taking the XEL-1 concept, removing the power cable and adding a battery to create a wireless OLED TV. Aside from the newly added, and unquoted, battery life stat, specs elsewhere should be exactly the same as the XEL-1. That means a 960 x 540 resolution, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (a believable claim when actually seen) and an 11in diagonal size. The design is a little different from the XEL-1, as the tuner has been moved from below to behind the screen, resulting in a slightly less stylish design, but one that seems more practical. Sony haven't confirmed the release date, and they haven't mentioned the price.

Sony to Sell OLED TV in Europe in 2009

2008-08-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

Sony will expand sales of its 11-inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) television to Europe in 2009. According to Japan's influential Nikkei business newspaper, Sony will indeed by selling an OLED TV – most likely an updated version of the XEL-1 – in Europe some time next year. Sony didn't confirm the report but said the XEL-1 television has received a positive reception from consumers in Japan and so an expansion of sales into other markets is being considered.Should Sony decide to launch the set in Europe the announcement could come as soon as the IFA trade show, which begins on Aug. 29 in Berlin and is Europe's largest consumer electronics show.

Sony's XEL-1 has won broad praise for its thinness and bright, vivid images. But at around ¥200,000 (US$1,829) in Japan and around US$2,500 in the U.S. the TV set remains too pricey for most consumers. For Sony to significantly expand sales it will need to increase production from the current 2,000 sets it manufactures per month but technical hurdles remain as OLED is a new technology and production processes are still being refined. The company is planning to invest over $200 million in the mass production of larger OEL screens by the end of this fiscal year. Sony is not alone: Matsushita (Panasonic) is expected to build prototype 40-inch OLED displays in early 2009, with plans of offering them to Japanese customers in 2011. Samsung plans to roll out 14-inch OLED TVs in 2010.

Projected growth of OLED TV

2008-08-11T04:43:00.000-07:00

DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in display market research and consulting, has released the Q2'08 Worldwide Flat Panel Forecast Report showing what applications will grow the fastest over the next eight years. The report forecasts a 167% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for shipments of OLED panels from 2007 to 2015. The CAGR of shipments for mini-note PC applications may be 74% over the coming eight years.

"OLED TV and mini-note PC applications are the next big opportunity for flat panel suppliers," explained David Barnes, VP of Strategic Analysis for DisplaySearch. He added, "Last year, we identified the potential for digital picture frame demand to lead unit growth. That application is still growing strong but these two applications will be even stronger."

Shipments of flat panels for all applications decreased 12% from Q4'07 to 881.7 million units on normal seasonal weakness in Q1'08. Compared to Q1'07, shipments increased 15%, led by demand for mini-note PC, digital picture frames and portable navigation devices. On a unit share basis, mobile phone applications consumed 45.8% of all flat panels in Q1'08. By comparison, the next largest consumption came from conventional PC applications for desktop and laptop displays, which used 9.1% of the flat panels shipped. Panels for LCD TV and Plasma TV sets comprised 3.5% of shipments. On a display area basis, TFT LCD technology provided 88.6% of total FPD area in Q1'08. PDP technology delivered 9.4% and OLED delivered 0.1% of the total.

The Quarterly Worldwide Flat Panel Forecast Report covers all flat panel and CRT technologies in 40 categories of applications. The report provides historical data from 2006 through 2008 and forecasts demand through 2015. Clients obtain detailed data in spreadsheet formats that allow them to create custom studies or create presentations using formatted tables and charts provided.

A glimpse into the future of lighting (OLED technology)

2008-07-29T08:45:00.000-07:00

Even though this post refers to OLED technology and its potential as a light source, applied to various situations and environments, and not specifically to TV, it is a very interesting peice of video to watch. I recommend to take 3 minutes to find out what we can expect from OLED technology. The video is found here: ecomagination

Panasonic is planning to market a 40-inch model within three years.

2008-07-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

If there was ever any doubt about the bright future of OLED television sets, that can be all but dispelled by the news today that Panasonic is planning to market a 40-inch model within three years. The unofficial word is that the Japanese company will convert its Kyoto semiconductor R&D lab into a full-scale OLED TV factory at a cost of "several dozen billion yen" (£165 million and upwards). The large organic electroluminescent TVs will be preceded by 20-inch prototypes made next spring in Kyoto. The likely move comes less than a year after Sony introduced the 11-inch XEL-1, which was the world's first OLED television set. Sony has also shown a 27-inch prototype, while Samsung has a 31-inch pre-production model of its own. Source: Techradar

Sony to join forces with Toshiba, Matsushita to develop large-sized OLED TV

2008-07-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

Sony and a group of Japanese manufacturers including Toshiba and Matsushita said they plan to work jointly on the development of mass-producible large-sized OLED panels for TVs, according to a Reuters report. Although details of the collaboration were to be announced later, Sony said it would join other firms, including joint ventures with Toshiba and Matsushita Electric Industrial, in the project, which is being initiated by the Japanese government. Key goals of the project are to establish basic technologies needed to mass produce energy-saving, high-definition OLED displays with screen sizes measuring 40 inches and larger. Full article here: TWICE

Samsung SDI plans increase in OLED production

2008-07-09T02:33:00.000-07:00

Samsung SDI plans to expand production of OLED (organic light emitting diode) display panels this year, it said Monday. The company, in which Samsung Electronics holds a 20 percent stake, will invest 551.8 billion won (US$528 million) to increase production between now and June next year, it said in a regulatory filing with the Korea Stock Exchange. OLED is an emerging flat-panel display technology that uses an organic material in the pixels that emits its own light, so a backlight isn't needed. That helps make the displays thinner and much less power-hungry. OLED screens also handle fast-moving images better and offer richer color reproduction than current LCDs (liquid crystal displays) and PDPs (plasma display panels).Full article here: ARN

Sony ''awfully close'' to start selling a 27-inch OLED TV

2008-07-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

Sony is currently selling an 11 inch OLED TV (XEL-1) for about $2,500. This TV is more like an expensive executive desk decoration than a home entertainment product. Sony's COO Stan Glasgow said this week at a dinner event in San Francisco that Sony is "awfully close" to selling a 27" OLED TV. What "awfully close" means in terms of time frames can only be guessed. The biggest problem in producing OLED TVs lies in the amount of manual labor needed according to Sony. The key for Sony is to find ways to automate the production of the OLED screens, which right now require significant amounts of labor. After the 27 inch OLED Sony plans to offer a 40 inch OLED TV. More at Barrons.

Panasonic eyes 37-inch OLED TV

2008-06-26T02:43:00.000-07:00

Panasonic plans to put TVs featuring 37-inch OLED screens on sale in the next three years, according to a Japanese newspaper. Panasonic is moving toward commercialization of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels and plans to put TVs with 37-inch OLED screens on sale in the next three years, according to a Japanese newspaper report. The panels will be produced on new production lines that will be installed at the factory of IPS Alpha, a display-panel-manufacturing joint venture owned by Panasonic and Hitachi, the Sankei Shimbun reported Tuesday. Responding to the report, Panasonic said it was working on OLED technology but did not yet have any plans to start production. OLED is an emerging flat-panel display technology that uses an organic material in the pixels that emits its own light, so a backlight isn't needed. That helps make the displays thinner and much less power-hungry. OLED screens also handle fast-moving images better and offer richer color reproduction than current LCDs (liquid crystal displays) and PDPs (plasma display panels). Full article here: ARN

Masushita to produce 37-inch OLED TVs in 3 years

2008-06-24T00:54:00.000-07:00

Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co is finalising plans to mass-produce 37-inch organic light-emitting diode TVs in three years, aiming to overtake rivals in the next-generation flat-TV race, the Sankei Shimbun daily reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said that Matsushita would be the first to mass-produce OLED TVs of over 30 inches, and that the company aimed to challenge Samsung Electronics for the top share in the global flat-TV market. The paper also said Matsushita would likely start selling the OLED TVs for around 150,000 yen ($1,390). Full article here: Reuters

27-inch OLED TV 'fairly soon'

2008-05-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

Sony plans to launch a much larger version of its impressive OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) television within the next year, CEO Howard Stringer said Wednesday. Sony launched its first OLED TV, an 11-inch model, in late 2007. The set, which also has the distinction of being the first commercial OLED TV in the world, won great acclaim thanks to the smoother, sharper and more richly colored images it offered over today's LCD (liquid crystal display) and PDP (plasma display panel) technologies. At the same time Sony began showing a prototype 27-inch OLED screen and last month in Tokyo showed an OLED screen that was just 0.3 millimeters thick. Stringer, speaking at The Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference in Carlsbad, California, on Wednesday, introduced the thin prototype and talked about commercialization. Full article here: PC World

A laymans view on OLED TV

2008-05-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

Modern tech life teems with long-standing dilemmas, questions that never seem to go away. Mac or Windows? Turn off the computer every night or let it sleep? Plasma or LCD? Or why not OLED?

At a cooperative Best Buy store, I did a little test. I set the XEL-1 up next to state-of-the-art plasmas and LCD sets, all hooked up to the same video signal for easy comparison, and recorded the reactions of shoppers and employees. Their adjectives for this picture included "astonishing," "astounding," "incredible" (twice) and "amazing" (five times). They were right. The XEL-1's picture is so colorful, vibrant, rich, lifelike and high in contrast, you catch your breath. It's like looking out a window. With the glass missing. Name a drawback of plasma or LCD -- motion blur, uneven lighting across the panel, blacks that aren't quite black, whites that aren't quite white, limited viewing angle, color that isn't quite true, brightness that washes out in bright rooms, screen-door effect up close -- and this TV overcomes it. Full article here: journalnow.com

Dribbling over a non-Sony OLED TV?

2008-04-24T04:35:00.000-07:00

Samsung showed off a 40" OLED TV at CES in January, however it's taken until now for them to announce they'll be available commercially as of 2009. They've supposedly started producing the panels already - 1.5 million of them - however that number will reach 3 million in 2009, and 6 million in 2010. If they enter the market next year with OLED panels, they'll be joining Sony who managed to pip everyone to the post with their XEL-1.OLED screens are looking like the Next Big Thing in the world of consumer electronics, due to their wider viewing angles, faster response times, better contrast and colours, and of course - the fact that they're so darned skinny! Full article here: TechDigest

Sony Reveals Another Paper Thin OLED TV

2008-04-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Sony has cut the thickness of their LED OLED panel to a mere 0.3mm or 0.1 inches. The new TV was shown for the first time at the Display 2008 expo trade show held in Japan. At the CES Expo in Las Vegas in January Sony stunned crowds with the commercial release 11-inch XEL-1, the world's first mass-produced OLED TV. The new display panel which measures just 0.3mm thick (0.01in) is a major reduction and could go commercial as early as December 2008. Full artcile here: Smarthouse

OLED to Show Rapid Growth This Year

2008-04-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

According to DisplaySearch, Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays will grow 69 per cent this year to reach more than US$826.5 million, and are expected to continue to grow to achieve an impressive US$3.1 billion by 2012. The research company, which is a division of The NPD Group, predicts an 83 per cent growth in the category in 2009, following by 53 per cent in 2010 as Active Matrix OLEDs become mainstream products. Full artcile here: Marketnews

Why Toshiba Dropped OLED TV

2008-03-21T02:53:00.000-07:00

Investigation by engineers of the Sony 11” OLED offering has revealed that power is still a major issue and could well affect the roll-out of any future OLED screened as governments world-wide move to bring in rating systems for all TV technology including Plasma, LCD, DLP and OLED. Full article here: Smarthouse

Digital Journal TV First Look: Organic LED and the Future of Television

2008-03-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

In this episode Digital Journal TV will give you a first look at Sony's 11-inch XEL-1 and discuss the pros and cons of this emerging TV technology. There is a long list of benefits but we've also found a few setbacks, and we look into just how much Sony plans to invest in the future of television. Source: Digital Journal

Analysis of Sony's OLED TV Reveals Design Innovations

2008-03-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

The XEL-1 organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV released by Sony Corp of Japan in December 2007 has a display only 3mm thick. In addition to its innovative design, another key selling point is the display performance. We measured and evaluated the display performance with the help of a panel engineer, and came to understand the difficulties that Sony faced in overcoming the drawbacks associated with using OLED panels in TVs, and how it made the best use of the superlative image quality that OLED panels offer.

Extending Service Life
The most intriguing of the difficulties Sony faced was brightness time control. It turns out that after the TV is turned on, the brightness is automatically adjusted through five levels in only 300s (Fig 1). This appears to be a clever way of utilizing still-developing OLED panels.

Full article here: Nikkei Electronics Asia

Hitachi to launch slimline Wooo TV (range only 38mm wide)

2008-03-03T10:26:00.000-08:00

Following on from Sony’s launch of the 8mm thick XEL-1 OLED TV in Japan, Hitachi has thrown down the gauntlet in Europe by announcing the imminent arrival of its so-called Wooo range of slimline TVs.

Well, Hitachi isn’t actually going to describe any of the models in its new range specifically as a TV, as none of them feature an on-board TV tuner. Quite what it will call them isn’t yet clear. However, with a suitable set-top box and an HDMI cable, they are all perfectly able to function as TVs.

Space saving mission

The omission of a tuner is just one of many space-saving and size-reducing measures taken by Hitachi. The on-board power supply has been downsized by 33 per cent too, a move that allows for a much thinner screen overall. Full article here: Techradar

OLEDs: Past, present and future

2008-03-03T02:29:00.000-08:00

First appearing in 1999, the OLED display was expected to be the wunderkind of the flat-panel display world, the LCD killer that would quickly take over across a range of applications. Pundits cautioned, however, that it might take OLED technology until 2002 or even 2003 to scale up to 10 inches.

Flash forward nine years to 2008, and only one 10-inch-plus OLED has made it to production—and that only in relatively small quantities, with the manufacturer reportedly losing money on every one. Otherwise, the OLED has yet to progress beyond a few small-screen applications. What happened? And now that Sony Corp. has started testing the market with an 11-inch OLED TV, what's next?

Two reasons are most often cited for the OLED's failure to meet expectations. The first is that the LCD, ever a moving target, continued its relentless drive to better performance for lower cost, and passive OLEDs became less attractive. The second is that active-matrix OLEDs (AMOLEDs) present manufacturing challenges in the active-matrix circuitry, in the display materials and structures, and in the interaction between the circuitry and display. Given the advances in active-matrix LCDs, the investment required to iron out the wrinkles in AMOLEDs and achieve reasonable manufacturing yield just didn't seem worth it. Full article here: EE Times

OLED TV lifespan doubled by new build tech

2008-01-25T04:36:00.001-08:00

The new breed of OLED televisions are, without a doubt, wondrous to behold, but the use of organic materials that degrade gives them a lifespan that's around 40 per cent less than a standard LCD screen. That, however, is no longer a concern - providing you buy a TV from Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology. The joint venture between the two electronics heavyweights has come up with a new display that doubles the life of OLED screens by increasing the efficiency of the way they use emitted light. Full article here: Techradar.com

CES 2008: Sony OLED TV Interview

2008-01-22T01:31:00.000-08:00

OLED technology is extremely interesting and produces the best picture we've seen yet in a commercially released device, but there are some doubts about its longevity, cost, and mass producability. Sony's Jim Arvanitis was more than happy to talk about their support of OLED technology and tell us all about the 11" OLED HDTV that is currently available from SonyStyle.

Is there room for OLED in TV market?

2008-01-21T07:46:00.000-08:00

After examining Sony Corp.’s 11-inch organic light emitting diode (OLED) television, there is no denying how stunning the picture is. But at just 11-inches, it’s hard to imagine a family gathering around it to watch a DVD or television show. But because the OLED-TV market is still in its infancy, with the Sony set being the first to be manufactured and sold to consumers, it’s unreasonable to expect it to compete effectively with liquid crystal display (LCD) or plasma display panel (PDP) televisions at this time. However, this begs the question: Will OLED TV ever be able to match up with LCD and PDP televisions?

“It will be a challenge for OLED to catch up, given the investments that have been put into the other technologies,” said Paul Semenza, vice president of displays at iSuppli Corp. “But there is no doubt about its performance and there is a lot of potential for the display technology, maybe in mobile applications.” With Sony being the first to throw its hat into the OLED-TV ring, due to its introduction of the 11-inch set this month in Japan at a price of $1,800, shipment volumes are expected to be very small, targeting a small niche of well-heeled, tech-savvy consumers. And even at such a high price, Sony indicated that it is taking a loss on the sale of each OLED set, according to Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. Full article here: Engineer Live!

CES 2008: Super thin 27" Sony OLED TV prototype

2008-01-12T02:01:00.001-08:00

The scene stealer at Sony's booth was their ultra-thin organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions. Starting with a crazy thin 3mm thick 11" model, the 27" prototype pictured above is only 10mm thick. OLED technology not only allows this extreme thinness to be achieved but offers much greater viewing angles then LCD's, and an amazing 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The 11" XEL-1 OLED TV is now available for about $2,500. Initially, it will be in limited supply at Sony Style® retail stores nationwide

Samsung presents two OLED TVs at CES

2008-01-07T01:09:00.000-08:00

Two next-generation OLED models (14.1" and 31") is presented by Samsung at CES 2008 in Las Vegas. "OLED and quadruple full-HD technologies represent an entirely new
paradigm in picture resolution technology," said Dr. Jongwoo Park,
president of Digital Media Business, Samsung Electronics. "This is a
level of clarity that is in some cases four times beyond current
industry standards yet retains the slim fits and light weight that
have made our models preferred among consumers."

OLED is seen as a powerful contender to be at the center of the
future display market mainstream given its very high resolution,
svelte profile and extremely light weight. Electronics manufacturers
have already begun exhibiting these next-generation displays at major
trade shows, but Samsung is going a step further at CES 2008. The OLED
is being presented as a finished TV product that features an elegant,
optimized design.

The chic, ultra-slim OLED TVs employ AM OLED panels developed by
Samsung SDI, a Samsung affiliate dedicated to display production. The
finished products weigh some 40 percent less than other LCD TVs of the
same size while boasting a contrast ratio of 1 million to one, color
gamut of 107% and brightness of 550nit. Samsung will begin commercial
production of mid- to large-sized OLED TVs around 2010. Source: Reuters.

Sony to Sell Super-Thin OLED TV in U.S.

2008-01-07T01:03:00.001-08:00

Sony Corp. on Sunday said it is introducing to the U.S. market a high-quality organic LED television only as thick as three stacked credit cards.

The 11-inch XEL-1 television, to go on sale this month, is Sony's first television for the U.S. to use organic light-emitting diode technology, which enables superior picture quality on super-thin displays. The company also is demonstrating a prototype 20-inch version at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas.

The XEL-1 has a contrast ratio — the difference between maximum and minimum brightness — of 1 million to one, because pixels can be turned off completely for a near-perfect black. That compares with 30,000 to one for a good conventional flat-panel TV, which can't show a perfect black.

The high picture quality comes at a hefty price: about $2,500 for the XEL-1. It sold for $1,700 at its launch in Japan in December. Source.

OLED TV shipments to reach 120,000 units in 2010

2007-12-31T06:10:00.000-08:00

Shipments of OLED TVs will rocket from 2,000 units in 2007 to 18,000 units in 2008, while further shooting up to 50,000 units in 2009 and 120,000 units in 2010, according to Digitimes Research.

OLED technology has been a hot area lately, with Matsushita Electric Industrial, Canon, and Hitachi recently announcing they would be working together for OLED development, and Sony release of the world's first OLED TV on November 22.

However, OLED TVs remain a niche market and the technology still lags other flat panel TV technologies in terms of production costs, yields, and the ability to scale the technology to larger sized panels. Full artcile here: Digitimes.

OLED TV Alliance To Catch Up With Sony

2007-12-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

Matsushita, Hitachi and Canon are in talks to jointly develop the next generation of ultra-thin flat panels, news reports said Wednesday, in an apparent bid to catch up to Sony's lead in the new technology. The technology, called organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, has won attention as a possible replacement for today's liquid-crystal and plasma displays. Sony Corp. launched the world's first commercial OLED TV in October, an 11-inch display that measured just 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) thick _ about the same as a coin. Full article here: The Age.com

Is there room for OLED in the TV market?

2007-12-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

After examining Sony Corp.'s 11-inch Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) television exhibited here at iSuppli Corp.'s Flat Information Displays (FID) 2007 conference last week, there is no denying how stunning the picture is. But at just 11-inches, it's hard to imagine
a family gathering around it to watch a DVD or television
show. But because the OLED-TV market is still in its infancy, with the Sony set being the first to be manufactured and sold to consumers, it's unreasonable to expect it to compete effectively with Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or Plasma Display Panel (PDP) televisions at this time.

However, this begs the question: Will OLED TV ever be able to match up with LCD and PDP televisions? "It will be a challenge for OLED to catch up, given the investments that have been put into the other technologies," said Paul Semenza, vice president of displays at iSuppli Corp., speaking at FID 2007 last week. "But there is no doubt about its performance and there is a lot of potential for the display technology, maybe in mobile applications." With Sony being the first to throw its hat into the OLED-TV ring, due to its introduction of the 11-inch set this month in Japan at a price of $1,800, shipment volumes are expected to be very small, targeting a small niche of well-heeled, tech-savvy consumers. And even at such a high price, Sony indicated that it is taking a loss on the sale of each OLED set, according to Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. A few more brands are likely to enter the OLED-TV market in 2009, including Toshiba Corp. and Panasonic Corp. The major motivation for these companies' entrance into the market is to make a statement to the industry that they are capable of producing OLED TVs, Jakhanwal added. Full article here: EMSNow

Toshiba to Release OLED TV Only After 'Power Consumption Less Than LCDs'

2007-12-13T08:24:00.000-08:00

"The problem is power consumption." Katsuji Fujita, president of Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co Ltd, explained the challenges that need to be overcome before the commercialization of OLED panels for TV applications at a Toshiba Corp press get together in Tokyo Dec 12, 2007. Toshiba had declared that it would release a 30-inch class OLED TV in 2009. However, the company indicated a plan to postpone the schedule. TMD is the company that is developing a panel for this OLED TV. Full article here: TechON

Samsung Succeeded in 31-inch OLED TV

2007-12-12T23:56:00.000-08:00

Samsung Electronics developed the first 31-inch AM OLED TV in the world. Samsung developed its own AM OLED technology and succeeded in applying the technology to its prototype 31-inch TV. The company announced on December 12 that it will introduce its prototype at CES2008, the biggest consumer electronics trade show held in Las Vegas on January 7 next year. Full article here: ETNews

Samsung Develops TVs With Biggest ``Dream Displays''

2007-12-12T02:02:00.000-08:00

Samsung Electronics plans to showcase a next-generation high-definition TV using a 31-inch active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AM OLED) display at the upcoming international consumer electronics fair. If Samsung releases the TV set on schedule, the company would become the first consumer electronics company to commercialize the biggest OLED TV.

Samsung’s rival Sony, which has introduced an 11-inch model with a 3-milimeter screen with a price tag of some $1,700, has reportedly developed a prototype of a 27-inch TV set, according to industry sources. TMD, the joint venture between Toshiba and Matsushita, has recently postponed its plan to commercialize 32-inch AM OLED TV sets from 2009 for technological reasons, while Panasonic is still in the research and development stage. Full article here: Korea Times

OLED TV will arrive next year in US

2007-12-12T02:00:00.000-08:00

When organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions were first put on display people were immediately grabbed by the stunning resolution and bright color capabilities possible. Place an OLED TV beside a plasma or LED TV and the difference is immediate. That is also true if you place the price tag of the OLED beside the plasma/LED. Because OLED technology is still new the price range for these kinds of TVs are astronomical. The first commercial OLED TV is Sony’s XEL-1 and its 11-inch display will set you back about $1,800 if you can find one (they are only available in Japan right now.)

Today the chairman of Sony said that the company will begin to sell OLED televisions in America starting next year. “When you look at OLED, your impulse is to say ‘wow’. We need that reaction from people at Sony … it’s a statement of confidence, that there is a path to somewhere else,” said Howard Stringer at a Sony vision seminar held in Tokyo. Full article here: MSNBC

Toshiba and Matsushita out of OLED TV race

2007-12-11T05:01:00.000-08:00

According to Japanese business paper the Nikkei, Toshiba and Matsushita's much-vaunted plans to join Sony in the OLED TV market have been shelved after problems moving from the research lab to mass production.

After finding trouble getting production efficiency to a level that could be commercialised, the Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology joint venture has decided to postpone its promised 30-inch OLED television set that was planned for 2009.

Instead, it will concentrate on smaller OLED screens for mobile phones and portable media players, according to the report. Should the experience prepare it to compete in the promising OLED TV field, we expect the firm to focus on the 25- to 35-inch sector of the market within five years. Full article here: Tech.co.uk

'Black Stones' on Main Board'

2007-12-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

The disassembly of the XEL-1, Sony's OLED TV, is reaching the final stage. The Nikkei Electronics Breakdown Team took out the main board on the bottom face of the TV mount chassis and observed it

Read the full story here part #8
Read the full story here part #9

Lump of Cu Found in TV Mount

2007-12-05T03:03:00.001-08:00

After breaking down the display unit of XEL-1, Sony Corp's OLED TV, the Nikkei Electronics Breakdown Team started to disassemble the TV mount.

Read the full story here part #7

Drive Circuit Layout Realizes 3mm Thickness

2007-12-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

The key feature of the XEL-1, Sony Corp's OLED TV, is definitely the display unit, which measures only 3 mm at the thinnest portion. The Nikkei Electronics Breakdown Team first disassembled the display unit to discover Sony's techniques to achieve the slimness. After we took out the bezels and other parts at the back of the display unit, we could see two FPCs connecting the unit with the turner block, which serves as a TV mount. The two circuits were thought to supply power and the drive signal.

Read the full story here part #5
Read the full story here part #6

We Watched Digital Terrestrial Broadcast

2007-11-30T03:07:00.000-08:00

We opened the box of Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV and turned it on. We started to adjust the settings for digital terrestrial broadcasting on the configuration screen that appeared. We could only connect the TV to an antenna outlet at a certain spot in the Nikkei Electronics editorial department. Then, we remembered that XEL-1 included a rod antenna for receiving digital terrestrial broadcasts. We started to adjust the reception settings for the antenna.

Read the full story here part #3
Read the full story here part #4

We Got Sony's OLED TV

2007-11-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

The product positioned as the "Symbol of Sony's Revival" by Ryoji Chubachi, President and Electronics CEO, has finally been released. It is the long-awaited organic EL TV. The date of release is Dec 1, 2007, but ahead of this, some volume retailers have already launched initial sales of the products. The supply is already running short and customers have to wait some time before obtaining the products in most cases. But you don't have to worry. Our Nikkei Electronics Breakdown Team has obtained the precious TV. It is not for the editorial department, but for breaking down and analyzing part of the product that Sony is boasting as the culmination of its technologies. The break down process will be reported to the readers of Tech-On! and Nikkei Electronics.

Read the full story here part #1
Read the full story here part #2

Sony begins selling world's 1st OLED TV

2007-11-24T05:02:00.000-08:00

Sony Corp. on Thursday began selling a new three-millimeter thick organic light emitting diode television--the first OLED TV to be launched in the world.
OLED TVs feature panels are made of a substance that lights up when electricity is passed through, doing away with the need for a backlight and allowing for the slim design.
Production is limited to 2,000 units per month, and so most sales will be made through advance orders at major retail outlets.
The 11-inch model costs 200,000 yen including tax.
Sony brought the model's scheduled launch date forward from Dec. 1 because nearly all products to be sold in the year-end sales battle are already on store shelves. The first batch sold out soon after a direct sale Internet site began accepting reservations on Nov. 14, and further units will be shipped as they become available.
Four units are on display at Yodobashi Camera Multimedia Akiba in Akihabara, Tokyo.
"This will have the biggest impact since the [Sony] Walkman," a customer said.

Source: The Yomiuri Shimbun

Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV limited to 2000 units

2007-11-21T01:07:00.000-08:00

At this point, it's not clear if the interest around Sony's ultra-thin, XEL-1 OLED TV is plain ol' first-gen technology, gawker enthusiasm or valid consumer interest. As such, it's hard to say whether an initial production run of just 2,000 units spread across 700 stores in Japan is going to be a problem or not. However, if you're lucky enough to stumble across this storefront display you'd best not dawdle and dig deep for that ¥200,000 (about $1700 US) MSRP right then and there. As for the rest of us, the chances of that 1,000,000:1 contrast coming to North America or Europe any time soon is just that, a million to one. Source: Engadget

Sony takes pre-orders of the XEL-1 OLED TV, launch date still 1st December

2007-11-15T03:57:00.000-08:00

Sony's direct sales site, SONY STYLE, began yesterday 14th novemver with pre-sales of the worlds first OLED TV "XEL-1". Direct sales price is a standard price and the same 200 000 yen ($ 1 806) , but a 3 year warranty service has been included in the price. Additions and shipping date is undetermined but "XEL-1" release date is set to 1st December.

Sony's Home:
Http://www.sony.co.jp/

Sony's sales page:
Http://www.jp.sonystyle.com/Qnavi/Detail/XEL-1.html

New release:
Http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200710/07-1001/

Product information:
Http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/oel/index.html

Samsung takes on Sony's new OLED TV release

2007-11-14T02:37:00.000-08:00

With just about a month to go until Sony puts the world's first OLED (organic light emitting diode) television on sale, two rival display makers took the wraps off their latest OLED TV panel prototypes at an exhibition in Japan the previous week. OLED technology is being fiercely developed by many panel makers because it offers a brighter, more vivid picture than today's LCD panels. And because OLED pixels emit their own light a backlight isn't required, meaning OLED TVs use less power and are also much thinner - the Sony set is just 3mm thick. Samsung Electronics was showing three prototype TVs based on 14in OLED panels. That's larger than the 11in screens that are in the new Sony TVs but a close look at the Samsung panels revealed some imperfections. In each of the three prototypes on display were pixels locked to a single colour.

The problems stem from difficulties that remain in the manufacturing stage, said a Samsung representative on the company's stand at the FPD Expo in Yokohama. Samsung is one of the world's largest manufacturers of LCD panels and the OLED screens on display were designed to be manufactured using an existing TFT LCD production process. That presents some hurdles now but could mean big cost savings in the future because Samsung won't have to invest in a new factory to make the screens.

Sony OLED TV could land in US in 2007

2007-11-06T03:05:00.000-08:00

Sony's XEL -1 could be available in the US before 2008 depending on how well it fares in Japan, company electronics president Stan Glasgow has told journalists at a press gathering. While the 11-inch set is only officially slated to launch in Japan on December 1st, a relatively modest reception in the country or a favorable supply of OLED panels could lead to an early US release, possibly reaching stores by the holidays. The set would require a change to the format of its analog and digital TV tuners to accommodate American signals but could remain unchanged from its original design, which sports HDMI, Ethernet, and USB connections and generates an unprecedented 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Pricing for the US version of the XEL-1 was not discussed; the TV is comparatively expensive at the equivalent of roughly $1,800 in Japan after taxes but may decrease in price for its transition to the US. Sony plans to release larger OLED TVs in the future but does not expect these for the next one to two years.

Samsung's OLED roadmap - 21" monitors by 2009, 42" Full HD TV by 2010

2007-11-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Samsung has published their OLED roadmap for the coming years. In 2008 they want to have 3.5 to 7 inch displays - for ultra-mobile PCs or PDAs. In 2009 they will have 14"-21" panels, to be used in laptops and desktop monitors. In 2010 they expect to commercialize 40"/42", Full HD OLED TVs.

Samsung also expects to have flexible displays out soon - they cannot commit to a date, but they say 2012 at the latest

OLED - LCD TV's worst nightmare

2007-10-30T02:16:00.000-07:00

Thinner. Blacker. Brighter. Faster. Better colour. More energy-efficient. Wide viewing angles. These are but some of the advantages of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display technology, coming soon to a high-definition television near you. What's that, you say? You just dropped a few thousand on an LCD or plasma TV?

Don't worry - you have some time to exhale: The first commercially available OLED TV screen is only 11 inches (measured diagonally), and will be available exclusively to the Japanese market when it debuts this holiday season.Even so, it's hard not to get excited about this promising display type, which is predicted to replace flat-panel LCD and plasma televisions in a few years. What is it? An OLED display stacks several thin layers of materials that operate on the attraction between positively and negatively charged particles. When voltage is applied, it stimulates organic material between the positive and negative particles, which emits luminescent light visible through a layer of glass. To enhance the colour or brightness, manufacturers can add complex chains of molecules (polymers) to the carbon-based layers. Unlike LCDs, which require backlighting, OLED displays are "emissive" devices, meaning they emit light rather than modulate transmitted or reflected light. "Because light is generated by the diodes themselves, we're talking extremely thin panels at just 1.4 millimetres - even with the TV frame, an OLED TV is only three millimetres thick," says Patrick Lapointe, marketing manager for LCD televisions at Sony of Canada. Full article here: Canada.com

Creating light - OLED

2007-10-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Oleds from Samsung, Epson and CMEL at FPD-International in Yokohama

2007-10-24T10:52:00.000-07:00

Samsung Electronics was showing three prototype TVs based on 14in OLED panels. CMEL shows som 25-inch AMOLED panel, CMEL will also introduce 11- and 12-inch panel production and expects to offer 32-inch AMOLED panels during 2010. apan's Seiko Epson, which has been researching OLED technology for many years, was displaying five prototype 8in OLED panels. In contrast to the Samsung panels, the Epson ones didn't have any visible defects and offered a bright, smooth and crisp image. The screens, which are 3mm thick, attracted a crowd at the show - many more people than the company expected, a representative confided.

What is OLED?

2007-10-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

OLED means Organic light emitting diode and is emerging as a leading next-generation technology for electronic displays and lighting. OLED can be used as display technology or as light source.

One of the great benefits of an OLED display over the traditional LCD displays is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function. This means that they draw far less power and, when powered from a battery, can operate longer on the same charge. It is also known that OLED-based display devices can be more effectively manufactured than liquid-crystal and plasma displays. However, degradation of OLED materials have limited the use of these materials.

An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a special type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive layer comprises a thin-film of certain organic compounds. The emissive electroluminescent layer can include a polymeric substance that allows the deposition of very suitable organic compounds, for example, in rows and columns on a flat carrier by using a simple "printing" method to create a matrix of pixels which can emit different colored light. Such systems can be used in television screens, computer displays, portable system screens, advertising and information, and indication applications etc. OLEDs can also be used in light sources for general space illumination.

Why is OLED a next generation display technology?

Vibrant colors
High contrast
Excellent grayscale
Full-motion video
Wide viewing angles from all directions
A wide range of pixel sizes
Low power consumption
Low operating voltages
Wide operating temperature range
Long operating lifetime
A thin and lightweight form factor
Cost-effective manufacturability

Toshiba to sell 30-inch OLED TV in 2009

2007-10-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

The drive toward an OLED TV future is gathering pace with Toshiba trumping Sony's OLED annoucement. Toshiba says it plans to sell a 30-inch OLED TV by 2009, slashing the expected on sale date by five to six years.

Toshiba is obviously hoping to have been able to address many of the shortcomings of organic electroluminescence technology by then. OLED TV panels are said to be difficult to make in large sizes, and currently have a shorter lifespan than LCD - that's 30,000 hours for OLED, compared to 50,000 hours with LCD.

However Toshiba's president and CEO Atsutoshi Nishida was quoted by TechOn back in April as saying: "We don't expect that the organic EL can compete from the beginning on the equal footing with the LCD TV, which is released from many manufacturers across the world, but we believe its superiority will be recognised as production volume rises."

Sony confirms 11" OLED TVs by December

2007-10-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

Sony says their 11" OLED TVs will be on the market by december this year.

Sony will only sell a handful of these screens (a thousand or so a month) and it will be pricey. They will only be available in Japan.

OLED technology to make minor inroads into TV market, says iSuppli

2007-05-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display technology is set to make minor inroads into the TV market during the next few years, iSuppli predicts.

Now mainly relegated to handset displays, OLED TV shipments will rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 170.6% to reach 1.2 million units in 2012, up from 8,000 in 2007. Sales revenue for OLED TVs will increase to US$691 million in 2012, rising from less than US$1 million in 2007, iSuppli forecasts.

Sony spurs OLED TV talk

"Interest in OLED TVs has been stimulated by Sony's recent announcement that it will offer a product using the technology by the end of the year," said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. "Sony cited OLEDs' ultra-thin form factor and higher contrast and richer colors compared to conventional LCD TVs."

In response to Sony's announcement, Toshiba Matsushita Display (TMDisplay), the display arm of the consumer-electronics giant Matsushita, also announced accelerated availability of 20.8-inch active-natrix OLED (AM OLED) panels for OLED TVs, Jakhanwal added.

TV suitability

Indeed, AM OLED technology is suitable for TV in many regards, iSuppli believes. OLEDs offer fast response time, good color, high brightness, excellent viewing angles and high contrast ratios. Furthermore, OLEDs don't need backlights, making them potentially thinner than the alternative flat-panel technologies on the market.

Moreover, the resolutions needed in the TV market are attainable with OLEDs. OLED TVs in larger sizes, i.e. greater than 20-inches, could be sold by the 2012 timeframe. Most likely, these TVs will use polymer panels made by inkjet printing in the largest sizes, but small-molecule OLEDs made by evaporation techniques also could be used in TVs.

However, there are shortcomings to OLED technology that will prevent wider adoption in the TV market. The main challenges are poor manufacturing yields, limited lifetimes and pricing.

OLEDs get active

Manufacturing processes for AM OLEDs now are being tested for small sizes like two and 2.4 inches. Manufacturing these small-sized panels is proving to be a challenge. Producing AM OLEDs in larger sizes will be an even greater challenge. More time is needed to establish manufacturing processes for large panels, and to build equipment that can make such panels efficiently. Inkjet printers for fourth-generation (4G) substrates are still in the beta-testing phase.

Thus, it is likely that the first OLED TVs will be small and designed for novel locations such as kitchens or bathrooms. The total available market for this sort of TV is small.

Later, as technical and manufacturing capabilities grow, OLEDs may move into more standard-size TVs at dimensions of 20 inches or larger. This will happen near the end of the forecast, but only with continued investments and commitments from major polymer OLED suppliers.

Due to high manufacturing costs, AM OLEDs are expected to be considerably more expensive than LCD panels for the foreseeable future. OLED TV panels are expected to be twice as expensive as LCD TV panels in 2011.

Crowded market

Another challenge for OLEDs in the television market is the large number of competitive technologies vying for a share of sales. The TV market already is flooded with options: CRT, LCD, PDP (plasma display panel), four types of projection systems and the potential for a variety of novel technologies like surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) and carbon-nanotube field emission display (FED).

Consumers, for the most part, do not care about particular technologies. Instead they tend to look only at the picture quality and the price, and secondarily at the size and depth. This may make it difficult for OLEDs to gain consumer awareness.

The plethora of technologies also may make it hard for OLED TV to attract the attention of end-product OEMs and channel vendors.

Because of this, OLED will be limited to less than half of 1% of the 242.7 million unit worldwide TV market in 2011, according to iSuppli.

Samsung says Sony will fail to deliver OLED TV

2007-05-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

Samsung has stated that it does not believe Sony will be able to deliver on its promise to begin consumer sales of OLED screens this year. The Japanese brand has caused rivals to accelerate thier plans for OLED screen development, after pledging that it will begin sales of eleven-inch OLED monitors before the end of the year. Organic Light Emitting Diode technology allows high resolution displays to be created from wafer-thin panels. As OLED screens are self-illuminating there is no need for an LCD-style backlight.
Yoo Eui-jin, vice president and chief of Samsung SDI’s OLED team, said “I hope Sony will really do it, but considering circumstances, I doubt they will be able to start selling it this year. Maybe it would be possible for them to make a hundred or a thousand units as artifacts, but no more than that.”
Samsung is currently pushing ahead with plans to introduce AM (Active Matrix) OLED screens for mobile phones and portable devices, rather than TV.
Sasmung SDI claims to have developed the world’s thinnest 2.2-inch AM-OLED. Measuring just 0.53 millimeters thick, the company says that it is lighter, brighter and more energy-efficient than LCD. Mass-production of the tiny panel is expected to begin this summer. However, for OLED to really move forward, panel makers have to improve yield efficiency. Samsung admits that only four out of ten AM-OLED panels are currently suitable for use.

Sony's world's first 16.7 million color flexible OLED

2007-05-24T09:32:00.001-07:00

Oh boy, another bendy display we won't likely see on the market any time soon. This time it's Sony's turn to tout with this, their 2.5-inch, 160 x 120 pixel OLED display on a flexible plastic film. Better yet, this organic TFT delivers a relatively stellar 16.7 million colors compared to the 262k and 16k colors Samsung and LG.Philips, respectively, were showing off last week. That's a world's first 24-bit color depth for these types of displays. Take that Samsung. The display also measures a mere 0.3-mm thin which easily bests the hapless Korean (and Dutch) giants. The only downside (if you call it that) is the display's "greater than" 1000:1 contrast ratio compared to Samsung's 10,000:1 rating. But by now you've learned to take contrast measurements with a grain of salt, right?

Expected revenue of OLED TVs

2007-04-23T13:56:00.001-07:00

Samsung OLED TV

2007-04-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

To date, manufacturers have used OLEDs for screens inside phones and MP3 players. Samsung, like Sony, has also shown off larger OLED screens that can function as TVs. They are "breathtakingly bright," Stringer said of OLEDs. "The reality is connected to price, but it is so beautiful we want people to see it."

Seiko Epson will commercialize OLED TVs by 2007

2007-04-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

Seiko Epson is on schedule to commercialize OLED screen technology for televisions in 2007 but some significant research issues remain, a company executive says. The initial goal is to double the current OLED screen lifetime to 4000 hours by mid-2005 and reach the 10,000 hour mark by 2007. Later in 2007, the company aims to boost the lifetime to provide about four hours per day of viewing for 360 days a year over 10 years, or about enough for nearly 15,000 hours of viewing. The company plans to double this lifetime again by around 2010. Epson estimates that OLED TVs will cost a bit less than PDP or LCD TVs of the same screen size in 2007. The reason is that OLED panels will be simpler to make than LCDs or PDPs, according to Iino. Unlike LCDs, OLED panels do not need backlights and filters.