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

Creating light - OLED

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.

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

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."

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)