Introduction to OLED displays and TVs

What is an OLED display?

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) is a flat display technology, made by placing a series of organic thin films between two conductors. When electrical current is applied, a bright light is emitted. Because OLEDs produce (emit) light they do not require a backlight. This means that OLEDs can be made very thin and very power efficient when compared to LCD (which do require a white backlight).

LG Display 19-inch OLED prototype

Because OLEDs are so thin, efficient and simple, they can be made flexible, transparent, and even be used to create white-lighting.

Flexible OLED lighting prototype

OLEDs vs LCDs

OLEDs have the following advantages over today's flat-panel tech (LCD or plasma):

• Low power consumption - OLEDs are a far better choice for portable devices. It also makes OLEDs much more environmental friendly, and a candidate to be the white-light "bulb" of the future
• Faster refresh rate and better contrast.
• Greater brightness - The screens are brighter, and have a fuller viewing angle.
• Exciting displays - new types of displays, that we do not have today, like ultra-thin, flexible or transparent displays.
• Better durability - OLEDs are very durable and can operate in a broader temperature range
• Lighter weight - the screen can be made very thin, and can even be 'printed' on flexible surfaces

The future - flexible and transparent OLED displays

It turns out that because OLEDs are thin and simple - they can be used to create flexible and even transparent displays. This is pretty exciting as it opens up a whole world of possibilities:

• Curved OLED displays, placed on non-flat surfaces
• Wearable OLEDs
• Transparent OLEDs embedded in windows
• OLEDs in car windshields
• New designs for lamps
• And many more we cannot even imagine today...

Several companies are working towards this, and we already got some pretty exciting prototypes. Hopefully these kind of displays will become available within a few years!

How do OLEDs work?

An OLED is made by placing a series of organic thin films between two conductors. When electrical current is applied, a bright light is emitted.

So what's organic about OLEDs?

OLEDs are organic because they are made from carbon and hydrogen. There's no connection to organic food or farming...

Where can I find OLED displays today?

Today you can find small (up to 3 or 4 inch) organic displays in many types of devices - mobile phones, A/V players, car audio systems, Digital cameras and PDAs. Lot's of companies are placing OLEDs in their products - Sony, Samsung, LG, Microsoft, and others.

The main attraction today is the small size, the low power consumption and the great brightness. Obviously OLEDs carry a price premium over LCDs, but companies are using these displays more and more. Here's our list of products and gadgets with an OLED display.

Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch phone

If you want to get an OLED, check out our OLED shop, with lot's of OLED products!

Why can't I buy an OLED TV?

Actually you can, sort of. In November 2007 Sony began to sell a limited amount of the world's first OLED TV - the 11" XEL-1 (for about 2000$). Sony didn't really consider it a commercial product, and stopped selling it on February 2010. You can still find a few second-hand XEL-1 TVs in eBay. In January 2010, LG unveiled the EL9500, a 15" OLED TV. This is also a very expensive set: it costs over $2500 in Europe or Korea. It isn't shipping in the US, but you can find some deals on eBay.

Sony XEL-1

One of the main challenges in OLED displays are the life time, especially of the blue color, which is problematic for larger screens. There are constant progress in the lifetime of OLEDs, though.

Several companies (notably Sony, Samsung, LGDisplay, Toshiba and Panasonic) are working towards larger OLED displays, and hopefully by 2009 we'll see them available - probably around 10"-14" OLEDs for laptop displays at first.
Read more about OLED TVs here.

OLED disadvantages

OLEDs aren't perfect. First of all, OLEDs are currently very expensive - although this should hopefully change in the future, as OLEDs has a potential to be cheaper than LCDs because of their simple design.

OLEDs have limited lifetime (like any display, really), that was quite a problem a few years ago. But there has been constant progress, and today this is almost a non-issue.

OLEDs can also be problematic in direct sunlight, because of their emmissive nature. But companies are working to make it better, of course.

Can OLEDs produce white lighting?

One of the more exciting attributes of organic displays is the low power consumption, and the ability to operate as a light source. OLEDs can produce white light, and can provide the bulb of the future - low power and thin designs (and no "bad" metals...). As energy prices go up, and environmental issues take center stage, we can expect fast development in this field.

Transparent white OLEDs by Philips

A lot of companies (Philips, Kodak, OSRAM, GE, Samsung, LG, UDC and others) are working towards OLED Lighting. Both OSRA and Philips sell panels online, but these are very expensive 'samples' and not real commercial products yet. Real products shold arrive at 2010, hopefully.

Read more about OLED white light here.