The battle for the next generation of television display has heated up greatly over the past couple of weeks, with OLED manufacturers going head to head over the new type of LED sets. With the launch of LG’s huge OLED set a few weeks ago, the key manufacturers are stepping up their game.
As Korean manufacturers Samsung and LG have joined forces to develop OLED technology, Japanese rivals Sony and Panasonic have followed suit and decided to combine forces over the development of the next generation of LED TV sets.
The combination of Sony and Panasonics research is aimed at creating a mass production base for OLED TVs in 2013. Various sources have professed the benefits of the display type, such as its intense colours, deep blacks, ultra thin displays and low energy consumption. Equally however, the sets are still very expensive with only a handful of models available with hefty price tags.
According to research from IHS, shipments could rise from 34,000 OLED sets this year to 2.1 million by 2015 if the price comes down significantly.
Sony pioneered the OLED TV set, selling the first example of the technology in 2007, although on a much smaller scale set. After getting beaten in the LCD market by their Korean counterparts, Sony and Panasonic’s decision to join forces should increase competition and create lower prices in the future.