Is OLED TV Technology In Jeopardy?

MojoKid writes "Sony recently announced it would halt sales of its 11" OLED TV in Japan, where the panel first debuted. For now, the XEL-1 will remain on sale in the US and other markets, but Sony's decision to kill the unit in its home market and reduce the rate at which it's investing in future OLED TV development has been perceived in some corners as a judgment on the long-term feasibility of OLED technology. In the wake of Sony's announcement, far too many pundits have rushed to declare OLED panels dead, dying, moribund, or otherwise abandoned. However, it seems more likely at this juncture that we'll see development focus shift from large panel sizes to smaller ones, particularly since the smartphone/handheld OLED market is growing briskly and larger screens are inherently more prone to defects. Sadly, this means that your chance of traipsing home with a truly cutting-edge display before 2014 or so could be pretty minimal."

Comments

It's a Sony product huh?

[Rod Beauvex]

Who wants to bet it is overpriced, has lots of restrictions, and Sony wants too much to liscense the technology.

Alas Sony, you have great ideas. Why do you always sabotage yourself?

Re:It's a Sony product huh?

[twistedsymphony]

Another case of the best engineers crippled by the worst management.

Re:It's a Sony product huh?

[LordVader717]

For fucks sake they invested and first developed and sold the technology. Credit where credit is due.
Just because you have a personal grudge against the company doesn't mean you have to bash everything they do. New technology is expensive.

size, not technology

[SuperBanana]

Sony's decision to kill the unit in its home market and reduce the rate at which it's investing in future OLED TV development has been perceived in some corners as a judgment on the long-term feasibility of OLED technology

No, it was a judgment in how stupid they were to come out with an ultra-premium-price 11" TV.

I understand that the Japanese are space-conscious, but 11" is a ridiculous size, especially in the day of 1080i broadcasts.

Sony came out with the 11" because that was the largest they could reasonably manufacture, but they forgot that it doesn't matter how cool the TV is if you can't see the damn thing. This one was so small, it'd practically have to be on your nightstand to watch it in bed. Maybe on your desk? Who wants to have an 11" TV on their desk when they have a 20" LCD display, or a 15" laptop display?

If they come out with an OLED set at a price that AV enthusiasts can afford at a size at least some people can use, they'll sell.

Re:size, not technology

[hedwards]

You're point stands, but the resolution and size dictate how far away you sit. 11" is probably just about right for watching HD TV on like a bus or a train, just not for in home viewing. More of a mismarketing than anything else.

Re:size, not technology

[Anonymous Coward]

A small display close to your face is more uncomfortable than a large one far away, because your eyes need to focus close (eyes are relaxed when focused at infinity). Reading glasses only partially solve the problem - while the iris will be relaxed, your eyes still need to point inwards (i.e. cross-eyed) because the object is close (with the object far away, eyes point forwards).

The best type of display would be one which lets your eyes relax.

So

[ShooterNeo]

Let me get this straight : I hear that OLED is the "perfect" display tech.

+ Low energy consumption since all the light from the phosphers shines through
+ ultra high refresh rates possible
+ flicker free
+ full 180 degree viewing angle
+ perfect black levels with absolutely no light emmitting from pixels that are off
+ no ghosting at all
+ cheaper to manufacture than LCDs
+ flexible
+ ultra thin

Basically, a perfect display with no drawbacks other than the fact it isn't 3d like the holodeck.

Oh, and the blue pigments fade fast, so the display dims over time and the color balance gets messed up.

Oh, and it isn't being made in large enough quantities to be affordable.

So what's the deal? Why is Sony throwing in the towel now?

Who said OLED is dying?

[pegasustonans]

Seriously, who said this? I'm genuinely curious. Are there any reliable sources to back this up, or is it just another sensationalist piece?

Pundits: The cancer of the media.

[Hurricane78]

1. Someone does something.
2. The pundits exaggerate it to a end-of-the-world scenario.
3. OMGWTFBBQ
4. ...
5. PROFIT (for the media)

News at 11.