The widespread use of OLED’s (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) could offer TV images which are sharper and brighter on screens as thin as 3mm. Not only do OLED’s offer a superior picture quality but, because they don’t require back-lighting, as with traditional LCD screens, they are also much more energy efficient.
Another advantage of OLED’s is that you can view the image from almost any angle without loss of picture quality.
Develped by Kodak
The technology was originated by Kodak in the 1970′s when one of their own scientists, Dr. Ching Tang, found that certain carbon compounds could be made to emit light when an electrical current was passed through them.
Although the first images created were somewhat crude, Kodak continued to develop the technology and in 1989 demonstrated how colours could be improved by using fluorescent dyes.
Work on the project has now progressed to the point where the quality of OLED displays is by far superior to any other current technology available.
» Kodak – About OLED Technology
Benefits of OLED
Brightness – the extreme contrast and luminance offer images which are brighter and more defined then anything else you have so far seen. Organic Light Emitting Diodes do not need back-lighting, nor chemical shutters, which results in each individual pixel glowing like a light.
Clarity – OLED’s vibrant, lifelike colour reproduction with the ability to display over 16 million individual colours.
Full Motion Viewing – because OLED’s can switch on and off in an instant the overall image refreshes much faster than standard video, resulting in moving images without any noticeable flicker.
Many of the world’s leading technology companies are currently developing products which employ OLED technology and Sony is at the forefront of this advance.
The first OLED TV, the SONY XEL-1 was launched at the beginning of the year, although with only an 11″ screen and a price tag of over £3,000.
Other manufacturers are working on their own TV displays and it’s thought that panel sizes of 14″ and 21″ could be released soon. As the technology becomes more commonplace then economies of scale could well see the cost of OLED TV’s rivalling the current crop of high end LCD TV’s?