Logo

OLED’s Four-Year Enrichment Plan

Apr 17, 2008  •  Post A Comment

Customers will be able to enjoy The Next Big Thing in high-definition television sets just in time for the Summer Olympics—the 2012 London Summer Olympics, that is.
Organic Light Emitting Diode televisions promise a thinner, clearer, greener viewing experience than that provided by today’s most advanced liquid-crystal display sets. But while more than $2.3 billion worth of OLED panels will be produced in 2010, up from about $500 million worth last year, most will be used for digital cameras, mobile phones and mobile photo frames, according to a report from NPD Group unit DisplaySearch last week.
Meanwhile, Sony is producing the only OLED TV on the market today, an 11-inch number that retails for more than $2,000, or about double the typical 32-inch high-definition TV set. Sony introduced the product, which is about as thick as three stacked credit cards, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
“You wouldn’t even put it in a niche category,” said DisplaySearch senior adviser Barry Young, who estimated Sony’s production of OLED TVs at about 1,000 a month. “It’s not at any kind of pricing that makes any sense.”
Still, with OLED panel prices falling as production ramps up for other products, monthly production of 20-inch sets may reach 30,000 by the end of next year.
The annual production of 32-inch OLED sets may top the 1 million-unit mark within four years, especially if companies such as LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba join Sony in making OLED TVs, according to Mr. Young.
Such units would provide a far sharper picture than today’s HD televisions, with no contrast degradation for people viewing the TVs from an angle. Power usage would be half that for today’s HDTVs, added Mr. Young, who declined to estimate how much OLED TVs would cost once production increased.
Also, the television sets may be about a quarter-inch thick.
“The real question will be, what kind of package could you put it in to keep it from torquing,” Mr. Young said.

One Comment

  1. This is really great, you can get those early Sony OLED TVs on amazon now!

Leave a Reply to Ron Mertens Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)