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