Monday, December 31, 2007

OLED TV shipments to reach 120,000 units in 2010

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.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

OLED TV Alliance To Catch Up With Sony

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

Friday, December 14, 2007

Is there room for OLED in the TV market?

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

Thursday, December 13, 2007

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

"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

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Samsung Succeeded in 31-inch OLED TV

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''



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

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

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Toshiba and Matsushita out of OLED TV race

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

Thursday, December 6, 2007

'Black Stones' on Main Board'

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

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Lump of Cu Found in TV Mount

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

Monday, December 3, 2007

Drive Circuit Layout Realizes 3mm Thickness

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

Friday, November 30, 2007

We Watched Digital Terrestrial Broadcast

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

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

We Got Sony's OLED TV

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

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Sony begins selling world's 1st OLED TV

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

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

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

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

Thursday, November 15, 2007

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

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

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Samsung takes on Sony's new OLED TV release

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.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Sony OLED TV could land in US in 2007

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.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

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

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

Read more here (Engadget)

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

OLED - LCD TV's worst nightmare

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

Monday, October 29, 2007

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

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
















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.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

What is OLED?

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

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Toshiba to sell 30-inch OLED TV in 2009

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."

Monday, October 1, 2007

Sony confirms 11" OLED TVs by December

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.

Read more here (Engadget)

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

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

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

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 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.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

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


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?

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Samsung OLED TV

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."

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Seiko Epson will commercialize OLED TVs by 2007


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.