Has OLED TV really got a future? - article discussion

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Is OLED TV ever really going to make it to the mainstream or has it been the 'next big thing' for too long and set to be confined to niche status as 4K Ultra HD LED TVs dominate? We hope not but we can see it happening. Mark Hodgkinson explains his thoughts...
 
No sadly as most people go vs price than performance.
 
Yes. LG won't let their early lead come to nothing. Even if it's LG OLED v LCD from the rest forever more, I highly doubt LG won't miss the opportunity to win more sales from the other manufactures.

The OLED price will erode slowly.. Or may be quickly! LG knocked £4k of the price only last year.
I wouldn't be suprised to find a 55" LG OLED TV selling for £2-2500 in 12 months.
 
me for one can't see it being a mainstream product its the price, for one. joe public are still struggling to see a difference in dvd and blu-ray ,so i can't see them rushing out to buy a oled tv i think the public will just go along with 4k led tvs and except them as the norm . like we except 1080p now until 4k is the norm.
 
I do like the picture OLED generates, and this is probably coming from a consumer rather than a prosumer but It didn't blow me away other than the black levels.

When I saw the 4K LCD showing native 4k material - now that blew me away on a 65" screen.

It was outstanding and really shone.

Until they can nail 4k OLED in big screens, ie 60" or so at a sane price point, which seems to me, to be 2-3 years away at best, I don't think OLED is going to get a look in.

Buying a 1080p TV already feels like a step backwards.

I also can't understand people when they say you can't tell the difference between 1080p and 4k...

It genuinely looks easy to distinguish , especially on a 65"
 
Ive seen the first generation Oled from LG cut prices in some european countrys.

Here the price drop to 4200€ (3450£) Oled LG Model 55EA970V

Can any 1080p high end plama (ZT60 or F8500) beat this TV ? i really dont think so.



 
They look lovely.

As to whether they can beat the best 1080p, not a clue, would need the experts to dive into that but you have to assume - yes, absolutely for all the reasons we know OLED outperforms plasma and especially LCD.

The question is.

A) Do they provide price parallels with other options that make sense to a consumer.
B) Are they "better" than the best of the 4k LCD's

I think (B) determines whether the entire product can scale effectively.
 
Judging from what ive has seen, 55EA970V and 55ea980 and dozens of UltraHD LCD/LED, from a consumer point of view, the only TVs that stop the traffic in shopping mall was the samsung S9 85" and OLEDs

They exibit that WOW factor that lacks in UltraHD, i would favor B) to Oled but fail in A)

I would buy any Oled in heart beat over UltraHD if the the price and the offer was the same (even from non videophile point of view)
If LG put any Oled at 2500£ price point they would fly of the shelves,
 
Judging from what ive has seen, 55EA970V and 55ea980 and dozens of UltraHD LCD/LED, from a consumer point of view, the only TVs that stop the traffic in shopping mall was the samsung S9 85" and OLEDs

They exibit that WOW factor that lacks in UltraHD, i would favor B) to Oled but fail in A)

Interesting you say that, I had almost the opposite experience.

In JL a couple of months back and they had the very sexy curved OLED screen up with a couple of people turning their heads as they walked by .

Then a 65" 4k playing native material with what must have been a dozen people permanently glued to it with some filing out and others taking their place.

Admittedly size does have an impact but the 4K LCD had far more wow factor for me and the masses.

Just goes to show that isolated anecdotal stories don't carry much weight in determining market trends.

In regards and OLED or a 4K. I think I might agree with you, if they could put out an OLED 65" FLAT screen at the same price as the 4K unit, I think I would choose the same. Which I guess goes back to my point (A)

Then again, Netflix now showing 4k and native material does have serious impact.
 
Much as I would love one it is simply too much for me.
Do you choose an OLED TV or a usable second hand car?
 
And since the oleds have so many faults atm its really a pot luck how long they last... dead pixeles :(
 
as they say size does matter :D for me 65" is better than 55" and its cheaper the price always wins in the end
 
Until I can switch my Sky box on and watch Sky Sports F1 or on demand movies and TV in 4K it’s not worth the upgrade, it’s all well and good having 4K TVs and the odd bit of 4K (Netflix ala House of Cards) but it’s pointless until there is a decent amount of content.

Once OLED 4K TVs are at the £2000-£2500 price point for 55-60”, I’ll make the leap. Which should, judging by manufacturing issues, coincide with more 4K content being available.

I'd love to buy an OLED TV but i'd imagine like most, i don't want to jump in unless it also has 4K so i'm not looking 6-12 months later at upgrading again.
 

The law of diminishing returns seems to be about to cause OLED a lot of trouble. The very best LCDs, as with the best plasmas, can give a picture very close to looking through a window. Sure you can find specific things that LCD or plasma do better under certain conditions. But it's very close.

So OLED has to justify its higher price in producing a better quality picture against sets which are already extremely good. That is a big ask, when various tweaks can be (and have been) applied to the LCD technology to stay competitive in terms of PQ.

At one time we heard that OLED had the potential to be a cheaper technology, and that would be a much stronger reason to switch. But that theory seems to be receding again.

If Panasonic/Sony/Samsung cannot get their OLED offerings to work expect to hear a lot more about LCD TVs which are 'as good as plasma' or even 'as good as OLED' in the next few years from their marketing departments.
 
I hope you are wrong but suspect you are right.
 
Gotta say Mark, this article feels like it should have come out Months ago. Things are moving on.

LG will be producing 150,000 panels (most LG ones will be 4k) per Month from Jan (less, but still substantial from July this year). We don't know the yield for sure but I reckon 70% minimum.
If they want to sell them, the price is gonna have to be much lower, regardless of competition.

The plants around the World are final assembly plants, all the panels are being made in Korea.

I have slight worries about longevity, IR and failed pixels but these things are normal on new tech.

Right now, the LG HD OLEDs are going for around £3-3500 and will totally wipe the floor with any LCD or plasma of the same size. That price is not far away from where I, and many others would consider buying one.

Worse case scenario is that by IFA, LG will be producing the World's best TVs.
But if Sony and Panny chip in too.......
 
LCD will still be the king of display techno for at least 5 years, due to cheapness and easily can display 4k resolution. OLED Tv was not pencilled for release this year by major companies, No latest models are announced. All we have is last year's bendy models from LG and Samsung.
 
Not true, LG will release 55, 65 and 77 Inch OLEDs between July and September this year, already announced.

And they are 4k
 
You can already buy a 55" OLED TV for £3300, down from £8000 at launch just over six months ago, and the price is continuing to fall very rapidly.

I have to agree with vism, in that this article feels a little behind a rapidly moving curve. LG are preparing to release 4K versions of their OLED sets in 55", 65" and, a little later this year, 77" sizes. At that point, it won't be a case of choosing between 4K OR OLED, but instead the question, 'Do you want a standard 4K set, but with all the added advantages the superior OLED tech offers over LED?'

And here's the thing - from all that I've read it needn't cost more. In fact, the component costs of an OLED should actually come to LESS than an LED set. The problem has been in mastering the manufacturing process, but LG seem to be well on their way to doing this. Their yields were reported to have jumped up above 70 per cent several weeks ago, and their confidence is shown by readying a new $650 million manufacturing facility in South Korea to start up in the second half of this year (which I anticipate will help to further drive down already plummeting prices).

For what is essentially a brand new form of TV technology, OLED is suffering surprisingly few teething troubles (no more than you'd see for any new conventional LED set), and LG certainly seem to be throwing their full confidence behind it.

Even more intriguing are the reports from South Korean press that LG are going to start providing their panels to Sony and Panasonic - offsetting their own financial risk and allowing them to stay in the OLED market while they work on developing their own proprietary approach.

All things considered, I remain very confident in OLED as TV tech. As it stands, it's available now for a price I'm willing to pay. So even if production was called to a halt, I'm comfortable knowing my next TV will be OLED.

Desk
 
There is a lot of investment to recover so I hope LG do well.
Selling panels is a way to do this, then maybe later licensing as volumes grow.
 
Even more intriguing are the reports from South Korean press that LG are going to start providing their panels to Sony and Panasonic - offsetting their own financial risk and allowing them to stay in the OLED market while they work on developing their own proprietary approach.

Desk

I can see Sony doing it because they can add value with their expertise in digital processing.
Panasonic have always been second rate in that department so it's difficult to see what they would offer over a LG version, maybe a better home shopping app.

That Korean OLED site I linked to earlier is also reporting that Sony's TV division has been "spun off". That term normally means sold off but I've not heard anything. Is it just referring to a separate division, has anyone heard anything?

EDIT: It's OK, separate company, still owned by Sony.
 
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lets face joe public go's to currys /pcworld to buy there next tv there not av enthusiasts like us there unlikely to shop around and they want it straight away, most likely they go for a screen size between 40" and 50" if your lucky 50" so that range you have a £1000,£1500 and and £1500 is a lot of money for joe public we would all love to spend £3000+ but it's unlikely the average screen size in the uk now stands at 36.8" you have 41 led tv's to choose from 0 oled to choose and one plasma which is dead now. lg might be releasing 55" 65" and 77" panels how many will they sell in uk very little it comes down to money and space and joe public as little of either . im lucky iv'e got room for a big mounted tv i think 65" will be my next screen size it will be a 4k led
 
Wow, that was difficult to read.
 

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