New Samsung Edge-Lit LED LCD HDTVs Spring Up at NYC Line Show

[MrBoylan]

"Exploded" LCD TVs, live demos and hard dates/prices for their new product line highlighted Samsung's spring line show in New York City this week.

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[HD-Fan]

I understand that Samsung is on schedule to make these OLED's consumer ready 2010/2011.



Is OLED worth waiting for? What's the difference between the OLED's and Edge-Lit LED's?

[MrBoylan]

I understand that Samsung is on schedule to make these OLED's consumer ready 2010/2011.

Do you have a reference for this statement? A link to an article perhaps?

Is OLED worth waiting for? What's the difference between the OLED's and Edge-Lit LED's?

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), like plasma, is a self-emissive (self-illuminating) technology. This means it doesn't need a backlight and that individual pixels can be *ON* or *OFF* which is something that LCD simply cannot do and this is what makes OLED superior to LCD TVs in contrast ratio.

Also, OLED TVs can be extremely thin. I've seen a Sony OLED prototype in Japan that was 0.3 mm thick (about the thickness of two business cards). So thin and flexible it can be bent into a curve without breaking. But commercializing the panel manufacturing process is tricky. The largest OLED screen I've seen is still only about 27 inches diagonal, but I understand that was really 4 individual panels stuck together.

OLED TVs and Samsung's "LED TVs" are entirely unrelated. Make no mistake - Samsung's "Edge Lit LEDs TVs" are LCD TVs. The only thing they use LED for is as a backlight source. By illuminating a thin translucent sheet of multi-latered plastic from the edges using LED lights, Samsung is able to make the light source more uniform than standard CCFL TVs, but really the main advantages are lower power consumption and thinner panel depth. They offer no performance advantage over Samsung's standard back-lit LED LCD TVs. In fact, they are inferior to those TVs as they have no local-dimming - no granular control over the intensity of the backlight in different areas of the screen.

There will be enhancements to both plasma and LCD TV technology over the coming years that will continue to make both formats viable for the foreseeable future. But someday, if (when) they can solve some serious technical challenges in manufacturing, one could conceivably see OLED TVs that you buy by the yard and unroll onto your entire wall.

Is it worth waiting for? Depends on what you mean. If you have a 25-inch 4:3 tube TV that needs replacing, then you should buy yourself a flat panel TV now. And if you want the highest performance, then get a plasma or a LED-backlight LCD TV with local dimming technology (like Samsung's A950 series). If you're putting off upgrading your current TV with the expectation that cheap huge OLED TVs are "right around the corner" then I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

-CB

[HD-Fan]

a freind was at CES and had a talk with Samsung people. I understand they had a decent sized OLED on display there (i think 40"). I know this is passing talk, but they assured him that OLED's would be "consumer ready" by 2011, maybe sooner.

I'm not desperate to upgrade. I have a 52" Samsung LCD. I can't wait to see an OLED, but I don't want to wait five years either.

Thank you for the clarification.

[MrBoylan]

a freind was at CES and had a talk with Samsung people. I understand they had a decent sized OLED on display there (i think 40"). I know this is passing talk, but they assured him that OLED's would be "consumer ready" by 2011, maybe sooner.

I'm not desperate to upgrade. I have a 52" Samsung LCD. I can't wait to see an OLED, but I don't want to wait five years either.

Thank you for the clarification.

Well I was invited to a behind-closed-doors session with the Samsung people at CES and they did have some pretty cool stuff on display, but it wasn't OLED. Even those stalwarts of plasma technology Panasonic have told us they're working on OLED in the labs but they won't commit to specific dates for models to be available to the consumer. At the CEATEC show in Japan last year, Panasonic showed off the concept of a "LifeWall" - an entire wall-o-TV that was interactive with each family member and with gesture-based controls like something out of "Minority Report." This demo was a simulation, built using rear projectors, but the only technology that lends itself to that type of deployment currently would be OLED if they can solve the technical issues.

I think a lot of developent plans will be put on hold or delayed by economic factors so I think it's unwise to commit to specific dates for general commercial viability (and availability). Sony already has an OLED TV on the market. But unless you want to spend $2,500 for an 11-inch screen, it's probably not for you.

-CB

[green1706]

I understand that Samsung is on schedule to make these OLED's consumer ready 2010/2011.



Is OLED worth waiting for? What's the difference between the OLED's and Edge-Lit LED's?

LED TV is a term used by Samsung to describe its line of LCD (liquid crystal display) TVsthat use LED backlighting.
LED-backlit LCD TVs do differ from conventional LCD TVs in some important areas:
1- They can produce a very bright image and deep blacks (doesn't work for Edge-LED
2- With Edge-LED lighting they can be extremely slim.
3- They can offer lower power consumption.
4- They can offer a wider colour gamut, especially when RGB-LED backlighting is used.