Sony To Sell OLED TVs In Japan Dec. 1

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/8/2007

TOKYO — Sony has reported that it will begin selling an 11-inch thin-screen OLED TV, in the Japanese market, beginning Dec. 1.

The 11-inch TVs would see retail prices of around $1,725 each, the company said.

OLED screens are comprised of LEDs that use an emissive electroluminescent layer using a film of organic compounds. The OLEDs are deposited in rows and columns onto a carrier panel using a printing process. Light is emitted directly from each pixel, and the pixel matrix will emit light of different colors.

The primary benefit of OLED displays over traditional LCDs is that OLEDs do not require a backlight to function, and draw less power during operation. Eventually, OLED displays are expected to be more efficiently manufactured than LCDs and plasma displays.

The displays are also generally brighter and thinner than the current LCD and plasma screens. So far, screen sizes have been small and used primarily in handheld devices such as cellphones and portable media players.

Sony said it expects to be able to produce the 11-inch panel in quantities up to 2,000 units per month. Sony Electronics U.S. president Stan Glasgow told TWICE the OLED panels will have a lifespan of about 50,000 hours, comparable to most LCD and plasma TVs.

The screens on the new OLEDs will measure just 0.11 inches thick at their thinnest point, the company said.