Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/26/samsung_14in_oled_pledge/
Sony may be about to ship the world's first commercial OLED TV, but don't expect anything bigger than the telly's 11in screen until 2010.
Well, not from rival OLED maker Samsung, at any rate. Lee Sang-wan, head of the South Korean giant's LCD operation, yesterday said the company will begin mass-producing 14in OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TVs in that year.
Sony's XEL-1: million-to-one contrast ratio
He's likely to be beaten to it by Toshiba, which last month forecast the production of 30in OLED TVs in 2009 (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/03/toshiba_30in_oled_tv/). Given the strength of LCD sales and their future potential, we can't help wondering if Toshiba's being overly ambitious. The technology has some way to go - Sony is apparently limiting itself to just 1000 panels a month going into 2008.
Sony announced its 11in XEL-1 in Japan at the beginning of October, but the screen won't go on sale until December (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/01/sony_talks_first_oled_tv/). The resolution of the 3mm-thick panel is a not-quite-HD 940 x 540, though the TV will happily take a 1080p signal and squeeze it down.
Active Matrix OLED - aka AMOLED - is seen as one of a handful of technologies that will supersede today's LCD and plasma (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/11/feature_future_display_tech/) flat-panel displays.
Fujitsu pulls plug on low-profit plasma (31 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/31/plug_pulled_on_low_profit_plasma/
Sony renounces rear-projection TVs (31 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/31/sony_renounces_rpt/
Sharp, Toshiba to share LCD TV toys (21 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/21/tosh_sharp_partner_on_lcd/
Toshiba delays OLED TV development (12 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/12/toshiba_delays_oled/
Samsung glass breakthrough to slash LCD TV prices? (1 November 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/01/samsung_lcd_glass_breakthrough/
Samsung roadmaps 42in OLED TVs for 2010 (30 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/30/samsung_oled_roadmap/
Sharp shows 'world's first' 1080p 22in LCD TV (29 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/29/sharp_unveils_first_1080p_22in_lcdtv/
LG switches on latest display (26 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/26/lg_m228wd/
Samsung shows 1cm-thick 40in LCD TV (22 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/22/sams_1cm_lcd_tv/
Toshiba pledges 30in OLED TV will ship in 2009 (3 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/03/toshiba_30in_oled_tv/
Sony talks up 'world's first' OLED TV (1 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/01/sony_talks_first_oled_tv/
TV makers go ape for 100Hz LCDs (3 September 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/09/03/ifa_100hz_lcd_frenzy/
Philips shines light on Aurea LCD (30 August 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/08/30/ifa_philips_aurea/