OLED for the masses?

drunkenmaster · 29-01-2009, 9:54 AM

It seems with the launch of the Sony 11", rave reviews are aplenty, but with a tag of £3000 it seems to be aimed at the public who have a considerable amount of revenue.

My question is (which I think most would like to know), is when will we be seeing +42" screens being affordable to the masses?

Or is this a question of just wait and see, to see if other technologies are superior and cheaper to this in the near future?

andy1249 · 29-01-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Or is this a question of just wait and see, to see if other technologies are superior and cheaper to this in the near future?

It wasnt too long ago that the first 32 inch OLED was promised for 2009 , obviously that deadline has slipped considerably , 11 inch screens have been possible for some time now , however larger screens for OLED still have considerable technical issues to sort out.
( In particular , the different colour elements that make up the picture have radically different lifespans )

At 3000 for an 11 inch screen , and given the current economic situation , I would imagine that the onset of large screen OLED will be pushed back another couple of years at least, and consequently affordable large screens pushed back further still.

Its main stumbling block though , after the technical issues are sorted ( which will undoubtedly happen ) will be convincing potential customers that the benefits of OLED are worth the extra cash over the far cheaper options of LCD and Plasma. The price wont fall until the units start to sell and economies of scale becomes a factor.

JohnWH · 30-01-2009, 1:21 PM

You have to wonder if it'll happen, after all your average Joe consumer already has the "holey grail" of thinish hang on the wall big screen TVs with plasma and LCD, and I doubt most of them would be able to tell or even care about the difference in PQ. So I think you're left depending on OLEDs becoming cheeper to manufacture than the current technologies so that their adoption is driven by the manufacturers...

IMHO.

John.

shadowdogg · 30-01-2009, 8:18 PM

this was purely only done so they could be on top for the next generation of TVs. Since Sony missed out badly on HDTV's - since took them so long.

But Sony have been going a bit too far into the future and driving up costs unncessary and thats not good. HDTV's have a decent lifespan left.

drunkenmaster · 31-01-2009, 10:24 AM

Thank for the responses, so what are we looking at 5,8 or 10 years?

The-One · 31-01-2009, 9:55 PM

I'd hazard a guess at 8 years for them to be as common as LCD today.

The recession will run a couple years, companies will probably cut R&D and staffing costs. When it ends, it'll take time for the first wave of consumers to splash out, which will the push economies of scale higher making it cheaper.

Also, LCD HDTV are currently pushing LED backlit very hard, so companies will want to reap the rewards of their R&D.

shadowdogg · 01-02-2009, 12:12 AM

There will also be marketing drive from the other big boys with their 3d TVs. So it will be a matter of who is willing to spend the most money.

CAS FAN · 01-02-2009, 10:01 AM

I reckon we're looking at at least 5 years until a large screen OLED TV becomes a sensible price (i.e. Sub £3,000). I've just invested in a Pio KRP500A and really can't see that being bettered much over the next few years. The Neo Plasmas & LCDs look good and they are very thin as well and you have to wonder if the main need for OLED tech is for big screen TV's. A big screen TV doesn't need to be flexible and the fact that OLED can be used for felxible screens (roll out screens etc.) seems to be the largest benefit of the tech. Sure the quality of the picture is fantastic and better than anything else at the moment, but Plasma tech has come a long way and the quality is now superb.

I guess in future a TV may come as a tube like a projector screen and you simply press a button on the remote and it unrolls. The installation options and the possibilities for home cinema would be huge with that. If they could make them big enough then you could be talking all about all of the benefits of a projector combined with the best picture quality that isn't vastly affected by ambient light. You could even have a permanent installation where a wall is papered with OLED paper so effectively the wall becomes the display!

I'd say that we're talking more 8-10 years before that sort of thing becomes a possibility. We're certainly in a very transitional stage for the TV though and many of us are already moving away from the box in the corner of the room to having wall mounted displays. Tech like OLED could see the next big steps in that transition.

daikide · 14-02-2009, 11:14 PM

I think that we will not see an affordable 40+ inch OLED HDTV till about 2015 or so... but it's just my opinion...

tohid100 · 15-02-2009, 9:42 AM

samsung today announced a mobile phone with OLED screen .

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH - Full phone specifications

hope we can see more devices with OLED screens soon.

CAS FAN · 15-02-2009, 10:35 AM

I think that the next gen of handheld games (PSP, DS etc.) are ripe for having OLED screens. The devices could be even thinner and have larger screens, which output a better PQ.

They could even be expanding handheld gaming devices with rolled up OLED screens that are small to transport but then have say a 14" widescreen when expanded.

I do see OLED tech being used to solve portable issues more than for using in large screen TV's at the moment. I guess that pull down in car screens for the kids (which say fully retract into the head rest etc.) or laptops with pull put displays are other potential uses.

*huxley309* · 18-02-2009, 5:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tohid100

samsung today announced a mobile phone with OLED screen .

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH - Full phone specifications

hope we can see more devices with OLED screens soon.

Have a look at the cowon s9, already has an oled screen got one sitting here.

Chippy99 · 15-04-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huxley309

Have a look at the cowon s9, already has an oled screen got one sitting here.

Certain Sony mp3 players (forget the model numbers) have had them for years. Probably 2 or 3 years now.

D-Jingle · 15-04-2009, 9:21 PM

According to Samsung people at CES (01-09), this OLED 40"

will be consumer ready (read priceworthy) in 2010

pwood · 15-04-2009, 11:29 PM

Interesting opinions and all seem valid. The way I see it, is that manufacturers need the next big thing otherwise folks will stick with what they already have. Currently the NEXT big thing is LED LCD as far as the GP are concerned as that's what Comet and Currys etc are promoting. I find it amusing that LCD are now more expensive than plasma in the top end which is a total role reversal.

Folks dont change screens often so a real leap in technology is required in a few years if the the likes of Sony are to have a market for big tv's. Bear in mind that it took F1 just over a year to get amazing performance from KERS and Sony/Panasonic/Samsung have a bit more to spend than the likes of Red Bull, Williams etc.

technofan · 26-04-2009, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tohid100

samsung today announced a mobile phone with OLED screen .

Samsung S8300 UltraTOUCH - Full phone specifications

hope we can see more devices with OLED screens soon.

My missus has one of these. I must say I am gobsmacked at the wonderful display. OLED will grab and dominate the phone market, then the laptops, then the big TVs as the technology improves and becomes cheaper.

OLED is a fabulous reality folks...get yourself a mobile to start with and the rest will come soon enough