Bad news for all OLED TV fans. Sony Corp.’s next-generation OLED TV, an ultrathin model hailed by executives as a symbol of the company’s technological comeback, is now a symbol of another kind: the dilemma facing its TV business.
Sony will delay the launch of its next organic light emitting diode, or OLED, television because mass producing the new displays would exacerbate losses at its TV division, according to people familiar with the matter.
The company had been targeting a 2009 release for a larger successor to a model with an 11-inch screen released in late 2007
According to a recent Forbes.com article, OLED TV is facing an uphill battle to reach consumers anytime soon.
The lack of basically any consumer ready OLED TV models at CES 2009 underscores the problem. With the Sony XEL-1 as the only OLED TV available right now, and at a steep $2499, OLED has an awfully long way to go to compete with LCD TV.
“Technology research firm iSuppli says the market for OLED TVs is roughly $600 million today and is expected to reach $3.3 billion by 2014. But companies need to start manufacturing these TVs fast and pricing them competitively for the market to grow.”
Some of the current problems with OLED technology include very high manufacturing costs. This is partly due to the fact that many of the components are specialized and not available in high volume yet.
Also, LCD technology is advancing quickly and prices have dropped rapidly in the last few months.
Here’s another quote from the Forbes article;
“We feel the LCD TV has evolved to only 60% or 70% of its potential. It still has room to grow and improve,” says Sharp spokesman Chris Loncto. “In the meantime, you have OLED technology, which we are investigating, but given the expense to produce it and the relatively short product life, compared to LCD, it’s just not a technology for today’s consumer.”
Another hurdle is the current economic situation where high priced toys aren’t selling like they used to. Really that’s all the 11″ Sony XEL-1 is. Early adopters with fat wallets only. Let’s hope that more realistic screen sizes and prices appear in the next few years so consumers can enjoy this fantastic technology.
LG has just announced that they will be releasing the 15″ LG OLED TV sometime later this summer.
With a 15″ 1366 x 768 screen, this TV should be one step ahead of the Sony XEL-1.
Although in the current economic environment, it may prove difficult to sell at anywhere close to what it costs to produce.
“It’s likely to come in the second half of this year, as soon as we get customers,” said Kim Won, director of OLED sales and marketing at LG Display.
“It’s not a good time for us to launch this type of luxurious product because the market is in recession but we think it’s time for us to invest in marketing,” said Kim. “We have to communicate with customers about advanced products.”
At IFA 2008 in Berlin, Samsung has announced that they will mass produced mid to large sized OLED TV’s by 2010.
“Samsung will begin commercial production of mid- and large-sized OLED televisions around 2010. OLED is seen as a powerful contender for the future display market mainstream, given it is very high resolution, has a svelte profile and is extremely lightweight,” Samsung said in a statement.
The release of a Samsung OLED TV, especially a mid to large screen size model will provide competition for Sony and other manufacturers looking at OLED TV production. Further Samusung OLED TV reviews from IFA 2008 coming soon.
The best way to review an OLED TV is to see it up close and in person. Having a Blu-Ray source really brings out all the benefits of the organic LED panel.
Most Sony Style stores in larger cities have an XEL-1 on display. If you haven’t seen one for yourself yet, please make the effort. It is a ground-breaking technology that will be part of our lives a few years from now as screen sizes go up and prices come down.
Here is a quick video clip I took at the Sony Style store in Ottawa, Canada. Obviously we’re not going to see the intricate details, contrast or amazing colors with a Youtube video, but it will give you an idea.
The XMB (Xross Media Bar) menu system used on the Sony XEL-1 is very similar to that used on other Sony products. It’s straightforward and very easy to use in all modes of operation. You can access all settings for every video and audio mode, select various inputs like cable, one of the two HDMI inputs, or a memory stick with either music or photos on it. I’ve done a quick video walkthrough of the XMB menu on the Sony XEL-1 to show how it operates.
The Sony XEL-1 OLED TV has a demo of the music and photo capabilities that are available when using a Memory Stick. This video doesn’t really do it justice as the picture quality is stunning and the sound, for such a small unit is really quite good.
I’ll have some exclusive hands-on reviews of the Sony XEL-1 OLED TV in the coming days. Video clips showing various features and functions, photos and my impressions. It’s all coming from a secret OLED TV test lab, (or my kitchen table) you pick.
Check back in the coming days for my take on the first commercially available OLED TV, the Sony XEL-1.
Register Hardware has published a reply from Sony on the recent negative OLED TV review from DisplaySearch. DisplaySearch claimed recently that the Sony XEL-1 would only have a 17,000-hour lifetime for a typical video image. This is just over half the 30,000 hours lifetime claimed by Sony.
This wouldn’t have any effect on the average viewer as even 17,000 hours will cover a number of years of viewing. Also, remember that the Sony XEL-1 OLED TV will probably not be the primary television in most households that buy it.
