Perennial display industry prognosticator DisplaySearch has looked really deeply into its crystal ball, and has come back with OLED TVs and mini-note PCs as the big growth sectors. Over the years 2007 - 2015, DisplaySearch pegs sales growth for OLED TV at 167-percent and mini-note PC at 74-percent, both outpacing even the golden-egg-laying goose that is the digital photo frame. On the large scale, we agree that OLED looks like it will be the future, but putting numbers on an 8-year span is a bit of a reach; or at least that's what laser TV and FED are hoping.

Several Japanese tech giants are teaming together today in a quest to make 40-inch and larger OLED panels for televisions. Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp and others will participate under a joint development project initiated by the Japanese government. All of this is of course meant to help the Japanese companies compete with South Korea's chaebols, particularly Samsung and LG, as the industry giants maneuver for an advantage over the next, next-generation flat panel technology to dominate the living room.

[Via OLED-info]

Not like LG had any choice but to get savvy with OLED, but either way, it's good to hear that it's making the investment willingly. According to CEO Kwon Young-soo, LG is planning to use some of its "abundant cash" (must be nice, right?) to "increase capital spending for the active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLED) business." He refused to dole out a proper figure at the time, noting that the company was "still watching the market to seek a proper time to implement decisive action." As for logistics, it's highly likely that a little tag-team work with Samsung SDI will take place, while it's also probable that we'll see its 3.5G AMOLED line relocated to its facilities in "Paju, Gyeonggi Province, following the relocation of the two-generation production line in Gumi." So, LG -- now that we know you're all gung ho, might we see that 32-inch OLED TV before 2011?

Looks like Universal Display isn't the only firm out there spending some hard earned time and money researching OLED technology. The European CombOLED consortium is scheduled to run until the dawn of 2011, after which it darn well better have made good use of the $10.9 million that it has been allotted. The project is being headed up by OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, and the primary goal is to "combine new device structures, advantageous manufacturing approaches and less complex materials with the aim to achieve cost-effective OLED-based lighting." We couldn't tell you what that means for mainstream consumers hankering for an OLED HDTV, but it sure sounds promising.

No, really... more rumors of Panasonic shifting R&D yen into OLED televisions? Oh you betcha, albeit this time with the specifics of a 37-inch OLED targeted for a retail launch in the next three years. Japanese newspaper, Sankei Shimbu, is reporting that the OLED panels will be produced on a parallel assembly line at Panasonic's new IPS Alpha factory. Without offering any specifics, Panny did have the decency to confirm that it's working on OLED technology -- something we already knew about. With consumers and editors alike awestruck by OLED display technology and Sony and Samsung already official committed to delivering medium to large panels in 2009/2010, only the chatter of Panasonic not pursuing OLED as a future panel technology would surprise us.

Universal Display has a thing for outdoing itself, and just a month after patting itself on the back for setting a new OLED power efficacy record, the outfit is already celebrating an even larger achievement. Reportedly, the company has "successfully demonstrated a record-breaking white OLED with a power efficacy of 102 lumens per watt at 1,000 cd/m2 using its high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED technology." In layman's terms, this means that its OLEDs are sucking down less energy than ever before. In time (before 2015, actually), the US Department of Energy wants someone to create a 150 lm/W commercial OLED light source, and thanks to our trusty abacus, we can definitively say that Universal Display is getting mighty close to said goal. Oh, and considering how badly Sony's XEL-1 performed in power tests, we can only hope this stuff is applicable to the TV sector.

It's a 0.3-millimeter thick OLED TV from Sony. We get (sorta) up close and personal. Need we say more? Head on over to Classic to take a peek!

At D6 today Howard Stringer showed off a brand new "thinner than a credit card" 0.3mm thick OLED panel that Sony is working on. They're planning on a 27-inch version of the screen in the short term for the ultra-rich, but the obvious hope is to fight LCD for dominance in the home in the coming years. This could very well be that 11-inch 960 x 540 display we saw last month, but specs are slim at the moment. More shots after the break.

[Image courtesy of All Things Digital]

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.

Although Sony's mesmerizing XEL-1 has been picked apart (and not entirely in a good way), the firm has just announced a breakthrough in OLED technology in conjunction with Idemitsu Kosan. The two have teamed up to achieve 28.5-percent internal quantum efficiency (IQE) in deep blue fluorescent OLED devices, the "world's highest level of luminous efficiency for this technology." Though there's quite a bit of technobabble behind all of this, the gist is this: blue OLEDs are the most energy-intensive of the three primary RGB colors, and the development is expected to "significantly reduce the power consumption of OLED panels." Granted, most of the release is just bragging, but we ought to find out what this really means for consumers in the not-too-distant future.

[Via FarEastGizmos]

Competition: so beautiful in its simplicity, so effective in its execution. Sony just authorized an additional ¥22 billion ($210 million) as it aims to produce "medium-to-large sized OLED panels" in fiscal 2009. For Sony, that's the year spread from April 2009 to March 2010. Not coincidentally, that's the same production timeline that Samsung is on. Oh, the OLED game is so on.

Leave it to Gary Merson, a.k.a the HD Guru, to really put Sony's XEL-1 OLED display to the test. He busted out some test bench equipment and found that while the blacks were vanishingly dark, colors were accurate and motion resolution was handled with aplomb, there were some peculiar issues with the brightness. Off-axis viewing dropped the brightness by a third, which damaged perceived contrast as well. What was more troubling, however, was the automatic dimming of the display from 16.4 ft.-Lamberts at power-on to 7.8 ft.-Lamberts after only four minutes. While Sony claimed this is to prevent burn in, the Guru suspects it's more about preventing burn out. We're long on OLED technology, but those of you with itchy trigger fingers might want to consider carefully. Hit the link for the in-depth read.

Samsung's stream of 82-inch monsters packing the company's latest technology continues unabated, this time a minor update to the QuadHD behemoth we saw at CES brings so-outdated 120Hz motion processing and LED backlighting to keep blur and judder far, far away. We know what you're thinking, its 3840x2160 resolution is no good unless you can write on it, luckily Samsung also has an 82-inch ultra high definition e-Board in its SID 2008 booth. OLED fans take heart, Samsung has reached economies of scale, hopefully meaning reasonably priced (and longer lasting) thin screens are due sooner instead of later. The Korea Times notes LG's at the show as well, showcasing LCD roll-printing technology to replace the photolithography process that currently births the flat panels on our walls, but we simply can't be bothered with a company that's only the number two LCD manufacturer in the world.

[Via TV Snob]

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]

For those with ridiculously sharp memories, you'll easily recall that DuPont has been dabbling in OLED technology for years. Now, however, the company famous for showcasing the miracles of science has formed a strategic alliance with Dainippon Screen Manufacturing to "develop integrated manufacturing equipment for printed OLED displays." Furthermore, the duo has agreed to "bring together the elements needed -- materials, technology and equipment -- to mass produce OLED displays." In essence, the two are hoping to produce higher-quality units at a lower cost than what's currently available, and we can happily say we hope they succeed. Now, if only we knew when some product would emerge from this here wedding...