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OledTv posts

Researchers developing OLEDs as cheap as newspapers?

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 31st 2009 at 1:26PM

Sure, it'll probably be a good while before you get your hands on an OLED TV, but don't lose heart, young gadget-head! Techno-wizards at the RIKEN center in Japan have concocted a new way to fashion OLEDs that eschews the standard spin-coated films for something called electrospray-deposited polymer films, incorporating "a novel dual-solvent concept" that makes the 'em "smoother than before, thereby enabling [...] superior devices." We'll skip a few details that don't mean anything to those of us who aren't Advanced Materials subscribers (hit the read link for more info) and get to the good stuff: Yutaka Yamagata, the guy who developed this technique, says it will lead to displays "manufactured as inexpensively as printing newspapers." Is that a promise, Yutaka? If so, we're holding you to it.

[Via OLED-Info]

LG slips 30-inch OLED panel production into 2012

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 17th 2009 at 1:52AM


With LG's 15-inch OLED TV coming to stores in December it can't be long until LG's mid-sized TV's start showing up for retail right? After all, Samsung and Sony are on record with claims of producing mid-sized OLEDs as early as this year and no later than mid-2010. Not so fast, literally. Although LG had previously targetted 2011 for the mass production of its 32-inch OLED TV, CEO Kwon Young Soo now says that LG plans on producing 30-inch OLED panels for TVs in 2012. Of course, all those earlier OLED projections were made before the global economic collapse so delays have to be expected, however upsetting it may be.

[Via OLED-Display]

Samsung slaps "production-ready" label on 14.1- and 31-inch OLED TVs

by Darren Murph posted Jun 1st 2009 at 10:56AM


Samsung's been kicking around its 14.1- and 31-inch OLED TVs since CES 2008, but it seems as if things are turning for the better at SID this week. In a press release outed today, Sammy told the world that it's exhibiting "production-ready" AMOLED TV sets, though the sizes are the same as the ones we've seen before. The 31-incher really has our attention, with it being the planet's first OLED with a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, a color gamut of over 100 percent NTSC and an 8.9 millimeter slim enclosure. So, when does "production-ready" morph into "in production?" Bueller?

[Via OLED-Display]

DuPont crafts ultra longevous OLED materials, which likely won't be affordable

by Darren Murph posted May 31st 2009 at 7:19AM


DuPont's been dabbling in OLED advancement for years now, and while the world waits for the introduction of market-ready big-screen OLED HDTVs, engineers at the miracle-working company are toiling away to make sure those very sets last quite some time. For anyone following the OLED TV scene, you'll know that luminance longevity has been a nagging issue, but if new developments pan out, stamina will be the least of our worries. In fact, the firm has crafted a green light-emitting material that can purportedly push onward for over a hundred years... continuously. Furthermore, the same scientists have engineered a new blue light-emitting material with a luminance half-life of 38,000 hours along with a red light-emitting material with a life of 62,000 hours. Unfortunately for the laypeople out there, we can't imagine this stuff being even marginally affordable -- but hey, it's great news for the sybarites!

Seiko Epson's inkjet tech brings big-screen OLED TVs closer to reality

by Darren Murph posted May 26th 2009 at 10:34AM


We know it's been burning on your mind everyday since December 6th, 2007: "What on Earth are those guys and gals over at Seiko Epson doing now that they've killed production of RPTVs?" At long last, we've located an answer. According to a prideful new release from the outfit, it has developed a new inkjet technology that will enable the "uniform deposition of organic material in the production of large-screen OLED TVs." For what seems like years now, manufacturers have teased us with 37-inch OLED HDTVs, but they've skirted around questions relating to "price" and "release." Now, the last remaining excuse seems to have been vaporized, so if we don't see a market-ready big-screen OLED at CES 2010... well, let's just say the knee-capping club is dying for a reason to reunite.

[Via Akihabara News]

Sony to finally unveil larger-screen OLED TVs at IFA?

by Darren Murph posted Apr 19th 2009 at 8:21PM


We've been waiting for what seems like ages for the next iteration of the XEL-1 to dash in and swoop us off of our feet, but frankly, we're growing anxious. As the world waits for a commercial-ready OLED TV that's larger than a standard sheet of paper, industry insiders down at the IFA briefings in Malta this past week believe that Sony could be gearing up to make all sorts of hopes and dreams come true this September. Jens Heithecker, executive director of Messe Berlin, which organizes the IFA trade fair, noted that "IFA is a trade show which is focused more on market-ready technologies," hinting that anything we see in just a few short months will be prepared for release into the wild. We're also told that more "ultra-widescreen" 21:9 sets -- like Philips' masterpiece -- could be on display, not to mention scores of internet-ready HDTVs and a Samsung set with refresh rates of 400Hz. Needless to say, IFA's shaping up to be quite a show for the television sector, so you may want to think twice (or thrice, if necessary) about snagging a new panel on August 31st.

[Via OLED-Info]

Samsung flip-flops, says mainstream OLED TVs still 5 years out

by Darren Murph posted Mar 27th 2009 at 5:53PM


Hey, wait just a cotton-pickin' minute here! Last April, we caught Samsung asserting that it figured affordable medium-to-large size OLED TVs would be available in 2009 / 2010. Now, we've got Samsung Europe's new President and CEO telling us that "mainstream" OLED sets are still five years out. Believe it or not, said bigwig was quoted as saying that "when it comes to OLED, we have several issues to overcome in terms of technology and production cost," and that it would be "at least four to five years before we see OLED in the market place." Of course, such a quip is to be expected given the quantity of dollars Sammy has poured into LCD, but we're still a bit dismayed by the news. Hear that, entrepreneurs of the world? The time's about right for an OLED-only startup to beat every last one of these traditional powerhouses to the punch.

Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV finally coming to Australia next month

by Darren Murph posted Mar 25th 2009 at 7:39PM


Sony's XEL-1, widely known as the first consumer-level OLED TV to hit the market, has done a pretty decent job of traversing the globe. For reasons unknown, however, it has yet to touch down in the great nation of Australia. Thankfully for deep-pocketed Aussies who passed up on the Kevin37 deal, all that changes next month. CNET is reporting that Sony will launch its 11-inch wonder Down Under in "mid-April," with pricing expected to be anywhere from AU$6,000 ($4,209) to AU$8,000 ($5,612). Call us looney, but we get the idea that most mates will be passing this opportunity up without thinking twice. We mean, do you have any idea how much, um, stuff that kind of dough buys in Nimbin?

[Via Sony Insider]

Scientists purportedly improve blue OLED efficiency by 25%

by Darren Murph posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 3:43AM


The holy grail of OLED is upon us. With scientists around the world working to improve efficiency of the short-lived blue OLED in order to better align with lifespans of the green and red counterparts, a team from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has reportedly taken a huge leap in solving the whole thing. These gurus have conjured up new host materials for a blue phosphorescent OLED that's at least 25 percent more efficient than existing blue OLEDs, but regrettably, details beyond that are few and far between. Word on the street has it that PNNL scientists are expected to gather and discuss the findings before heading to a meeting of the American Chemical Society later this spring, and we'll be crossing our fingers that whatever they've found is both a) cheap and b) easily implementable.

[Via OLED-Display]

OLED market set to skyrocket in 2011, says DisplaySearch

by Darren Murph posted Mar 15th 2009 at 8:17AM


You've seen the prototypes tucked away in trade show corners, and you've seen the demise of existing generation technologies -- it doesn't take an industry expert to realize that the door is wide open for OLED to walk through. According to a new report from -- who else? -- industry experts, the OLED lighting market is set to boom in 2011, with OLED revenues expected to surpass PMOLED displays in the 2013 / 2014 time frame. Specifically in the OLED TV market, manufacturers are scrambling to assemble large-screen OLED TVs that are even close to affordable, and estimates we've personally heard put those on the market just after the next decade begins. Clearly, the biggest hindrance from OLED domination right now is the prohibitive pricing, but once those XEL-1s are given away inside King Size cereal boxes, we'll really be onto something.

Samsung SDI to back away from PMOLED, focus efforts on AMOLED

by Darren Murph posted Dec 16th 2008 at 7:40AM

Unbeknownst to most, there are actually quite a few flavors of OLED out there. We've got passive-matrix (PM), active-matrix (AM) and transparent, and evidently Samsung SDI isn't really feeling the former anymore. Reportedly, the outfit will begin to phase out of the PMOLED business, and it will begin looking for ways to alter its existing PMOLED production line for "other uses." The plug is being pulled (at least partially) as decreasing panel prices and a small bucket of buyers have reduced profitability, leaving it little option but to readjust its focus on the more promising AMOLED. The move isn't entirely surprising -- after all, LG Display suspended its entire PMOLED business last year, and while there is a slight possibility that the firm keeps a small bit of PMOLED production going, it'll be minor (if there's any at all). Our take? We're stoked. It's the AMOLEDs that'll end up in that mythical 40 inch (and beyond) OLED HDTV, so we're all about giving more attention to that baby's commercialization date.

Sony demos battery-powered, fully-wireless OLED TV

by Darren Murph posted Sep 10th 2008 at 11:39PM


What's better than a (cheap) XEL-1? How's about a wireless, battery-powered XEL-1? Sony has recently shown off a completely cordless OLED TV with the same ultrathin chassis as used in the aforementioned 11-incher. Bulking things up a bit is the integrated HDTV tuner, and of course, it's wall-mountable for midgets who live in a Little Tikes playhouse. Unfortunately, there's no real mention of specs (aside from the whole "3-millimeter thin" part), and even worse, there's no telling how long we'll have to wait before we see it hit shelves (let alone grow to a size that's actually useful). Anywho, tap the read link for a plethora of images.

Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV spotted at Sam's Club for $1,748

by Darren Murph posted Aug 5th 2008 at 1:47PM


You can order up Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV from SonyStyle.com right now for $2,499.99 and hope that it ships by tomorrow. Or, you can waltz on down to your local Sam's Club, plunk down for a membership and walk out with the previously mentioned set for just $1,748.51. We can't say for sure if these units are available at Clubs nationwide just yet, but that's a comparatively delicious price for those in the market for an ultra-small, ultrathin OLED TV. Anyone care to guess how cheap this thing will be on Black Friday?

[Thanks, Vishal]

Sony's Howard Stringer to show off new OLED TVs at D

by Nilay Patel posted May 28th 2008 at 12:11PM


The D conference is in full swing, and the next heavy hitter on deck is Sony CEO Howard Stringer, who's rumored to have a new Sony OLED display for Unkie Walt to play with. We're assuming it'll be a little bit bigger than the XEL-1, but Silicon Alley Insider says it'll come in at just .3mm thick, which is only slightly beefier than a playing card. We're guessing it'll be more like the XEL-1's 3mm, but we'll see what Howie has in store for us -- we wouldn't be opposed to hearing some more about those "slim PS3" rumors, ourselves.

Sumitomo may not actually produce OLED TVs in 2009

by Darren Murph posted May 15th 2008 at 4:35PM

Whoops! Looks like Sumitomo President Hiromasa Yonekura was "misquoted" just a few days back, and there may actually not be any large OLED TVs churned out by the outfit in 2009. According to a new report, Sumitomo is currently "working with partners," thus the "timing of any product launch is not just its call." No worries -- we're fairly certain someone else will step up to the plate in your absence, right guys?

[Via OLED-Info]




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