The first OLED TV is scheduled to arrive at the beginning of the year 2013 and if you haven’t heard about it yet you’ll definitely hear more about this upcoming TV soon. About ¼-inch in depth and 80 inches wide these incredible new TVs are space savers that you’ve never seen before. When they’re not being used they can be rolled up for quick and easy storage!
OLED vs LED TVs
LEDs are different from OLED TVs in many ways. LED TVs use LED bulbs for backlighting while an OLED TV uses a carbon film and conductors as a lighting source. OLED stands for “Organic Light-Emitting Diode” and the word organic here refers to the carbon. An LED TV uses an LCD display along with LED bulbs to get the picture showing on the screen while the OLED doesn’t need this LCD display panel at all.
The benefits of OLED TVs
Besides the storage benefit there are a lot of other reasons why you may want to consider upgrading to an OLED. For one, the viewing angles on these new TVs are incredible and you can sit anywhere in the room to enjoy it. With an LED TV, however, the viewing angle is very limited and in some cases you need to set almost directly in front of the TV to get the most out of it.
With an LED TV the colors can start to shift when you move away from direct viewing and these color shifts can often get stronger as you increase the viewing angle. Not so with an OLED TV. The colors remain consistent across the entire screen width no matter where you are situated in the room.
The contrast levels are amazing
There’s no other TV that’s being manufactured now that can hold a candle to the contrast offered on the new OLEDs sets. The picture comes alive right on the screen and since this TV has the ability to produce more colors the picture is stunningly beautiful. So much so that you’ll have to see it for yourself to really appreciate it.
You can expect to see the whitest whites and the darkest blacks ever on these models that are also promising color accuracy that is as close to perfect as you can get. The response rate is also incredible with a lightning quick speed that’s approximately 1000 times faster than an average LED or plasma TV.
Ultra-thin design
These TVs are designed to be the slimmest models that you’ll be able to purchase anywhere. Since they don’t require any backlighting they don’t need to be more than a few millimeters thick and they are also lightweight and easy to carry around. They are perfect TV for people that need to transport their set from one room to another from time to time.
The TV that’s built for gamers
If you’re a gamer get ready for this new model. With the fast response time and near perfect picture you’re going to see your games in a whole new light. There won’t be any blurring happening even with your fastest games since there is light control on each pixel. This allows very localized dimming to keep the action roaring across the screen every second.
Unrivaled 3-D performance
The TVs that are expected to come to market will both be equipped for 3-D. Samsung is developing a model that will use active 3-D while LG is opting for passive 3-D.
Energy efficient
If you’re looking at reducing your electrical bill you’ll want to take a closer look at the OLED’s that will be released soon. While the LED TVs that are currently being sold are much more efficient than their older LCD counterparts, the new OLEDs will be the most energy-efficient units yet.
The release of the OLED TV
Samsung and LG are scheduled to release the first TVs of this kind at the beginning of 2013. Both models will be 55-inches and Samsung is releasing their new model before Christmas. This TV will have voice controls and will consist of only one pane of glass. It will be 7.5 mm thick and the color accuracy will be 40% better than a standard LED TV with backlighting.
LG’s OLED TV will be much thinner than the Samsung model and the lightest TV ever produced weighing in at only 7.5 kg. This one will be thinner than the Samsung model measuring only 4 mm in depth. It will include built-in Wi-Fi, a Magic Remote, dual core processor, Freeview HD along with Smart TV. The technology on this LG TV will be different from the Samsung model since LG is using a color filter in order to add an extra fourth white pixel. Samsung uses different technology that does not require such a filter.
Sony will be following suit in 2013 and this model will include passive 3-D. While Sony has long been producing TVs that use active 3-D technology, some of its newer models are switching over to passive. Sony has recognized that many consumers prefer passive 3-D over the active technology.
Panasonic is working on a pilot production and expects to release OLED TVs sometime in the future. This company sold its OLED subsidiary a few years ago to Toshiba.
The cost
You’ll have to dig deep into your pockets for this ultra-new state-of-the-art television with some estimates putting a price tag of $8000 per set or more on them. Even with this steep cost, however, if you want one you’ll have to get one quickly once they are released. There will be limited numbers available until public reaction is tested. If the testing goes well, Samsung and LG will most likely begin mass production, which would obviously significantly lower the cost.
The final word
It may just be that an OLED TV will end up sitting in your living room in the near future if everything goes well. It remains to be seen whether any fixes or bugs will be present and how they will get handled. The future of the OLED TVs will rely not only on public feedback during the initial release but also on mass marketing efforts and how low the price can go. It may be as early as 2013 when these OLED TVs will be an affordable option for TV enthusiasts everywhere.
