For those waiting for a large OLED TV the suspense will soon come to an end. The LG 55EM9600, a 55″ White OLED (WOLED) TV, will be released in May with a reasonable price tag of $7,900. That may seem like a lot to the average person, but just remember that not long ago Sony was selling an 11″ OLED TV for over $2,000 and more recently a 25″ OLED monitor at $30,000.

LG 55EM9600: Could this be your next TV?

The 55EM9600 weighs in at only 15.6 pounds, has a thickness (or thinness in this case) of only 4mm, a 5mm bezel, a staggering 100,000,000:1 contrast ratio and features a response time of 0.1 microseconds. How fast is that? Really fast. Almost instantaneous. Keep in mind LCD display response times are measured in milliseconds and the average LCD TV response time is usually 6ms or higher. Now consider there are 1,000 microseconds in a millisecond. This means the average LCD has a response time of 6,000 microseconds versus the nearly instant 0.1 microseconds of the LG 55EM9600. It’s a major difference that will produce less blurring along with a significant performance increase in fast moving videos and gaming.

There will be many videophiles ready and willing to plop down $8,000 to enjoy a display of this caliber and size. No doubt there will be even greater demand a year from now once the price is inevitably cut in half. We may finally be on the road to a transition away from LCD displays.

The LG 55EM9600 is set to make its first appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Rumours are circulating out of Korea that the next version of Apple’s iPhone (the iPhone 5) could finally make the upgrade from LCD to an OLED display. This rumour apparently originates from an anonymous member of Samsung management who leaked details about a possible iPhone/iPad OLED display to the Korea Times.

“Thanks to the increased volume, chances have been raised to ship Samsung’s OLEDs for Apple’s iPads and even iPhones,” Anonymous source from within Samsung

An executive from Samsung confirmed Apple approached Samsung directly to address the issue, in the process giving weight to the rumour. Apple inquired about the production volume Samsung is capable of with OLED displays. Lately Samsung has been increasing their output of OLED displays, which would make sense if this rumour pans out.

Samsung includes OLED displays for many of their own mobile devices, such as the Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note and Galaxy S2.

“Apple is Samsung’s biggest customer, buying $7.8 billion of components such as memory chips and LCDs in 2011,” The Korean Times.

That number is expected to grow from $7.8 billion to $11 billion in 2012. As common as OLED displays have become in the mobile sector over the past two years there is a high chance the next iterations of the iPhone/iPad both utilize OLED display technology.

I find it surprising Apple chose to wait this long without deciding to make the switch to OLED displays. Hopefully the next iPhone also benefits from an increase in screen size, as the 3.5″ display of the iPhone 4S is starting to look small in comparison to the competition.

By now anyone interested in OLED displays is well aware of the advantages they boast, from being about as thin as a credit card to possessing the blackest of blacks and CRT like response times. That doesn’t mean OLED technology is without flaws.

The one nagging issue that has stayed with OLED to this point is lifespan, specifically with the color blue. It’s common knowledge that LCD and plasma displays have a larger lifespan than OLED. LCD panels generally have the longest expected lifespan, upwards of 100,000 hours as an average with plasma only slightly behind. For comparision, Sony’s XEL-1 OLED TV has an estimated lifespan of only 30,000 hours.

As oxygen and water molecules filter into the OLED’s layers, over time they will begin to degrade, reducing the displays capacity to display consistent colors. However, this problem is already being address to the point it should be a non-issue if OLED displays become more widespread in the future.

The main culprit of short lifespans in OLED displays is the absence of an efficient, long-lasting blue light to go along with red and green. Blue has always been the bottleneck, but advances in OLED technology are still being made every year that increase their lifespan.

Just recently a new procedure was discovered to increase OLED lifespan to an estimated 44,000 hours. While still more than half the hours of LCD and plasma lifespan, that remains a large improvement which can be built upon. To put it into perspective, 44,000 hours is equal to about 12 hours of use everyday for 10 years. For television, most users will probably never come anywhere near that amount of hours before the display is ready to be replaced. Computer monitors are a different story since they get a lot more use and are often left on for days at a time in various situations.

In summary, current OLED life expectancy is very mediocre, but years from now if OLED displays manage to become as widespread as LCD and plasma are today, you can bet it will be due to advances that increased their lifespans to more acceptable levels.

The release of Sony’s new handheld gaming console, the PlayStation Vita, is drawing near. For a handheld device the Vita packs quite a punch. The Vita is powered by a quad-core ARM based CPU and PowerVR SGX GPU. It will have 512MB of system RAM installed as well as 128MB of dedicated VRAM (video RAM). Two cameras will be standard at both the front and rear with the ability of producing 60FPS video at a resolution of 640×480. All this should add up to a very powerful portable gaming system capable of handling much more advanced games than were possible in the past.

To keep the display up to these high standards, Sony has chosen to utilize OLED technology for the Vita based on the quick response times, higher contrast ratios, deeper blacks, wider viewing angles and all around superior video quality of OLED displays. It will ship with a 5″ OLED capacitive touch-screen capable of multi-touch with a widescreen resolution of 960×544. Detailed OLED specs or specific model of OLED display used in the Vita have yet to be released by Sony.

DuPont has recently made public the signing of a licensing contract with a popular Asian producer of AMOLED display devices. The contract will permit system technology produced by DuPont for use in the construction of larger sized AMOLED HDTV’s. The DuPont AMOLED manufacturing technology makes it possible for large HDTV’s to be manufactured at substantially reduced price than current methods. Further details about the companies involved have yet to be disclosed.

AMOLED solutions have been widely accepted and used for compact devices such as mobile phones and media players, unfortunately increased prices have been the most significant obstacle for production runs of larger sized HDTV’s and displays.

DuPont has created a unique printing technique which simply dispenses liquid OLED materials that DuPont has refined to increase display yields and performance. The complete process is needed to greatly reduce manufacturing costs for large HDTV’s in contrast to the existing procedures of producing AMOLED or LCD displays. This development couldn’t come soon enough, as industry estimates conclude the market for OLED based HDTV’s is projected to increase to over $5 billion by 2017.

For experienced gamers, playing video games on the majority of modern LCD monitors or HDTV’s can prove to be a frustrating challenge. When evaluating a display, response time is the amount of time it takes for a pixel to transition from one value to another and back. Low response times are essential for competitive gaming. Current LCD tech is simply unable to provide fast enough response times to rival the smooth, clear and fluid movement provided by CRT’s of the past. This problem is less prevalent with LCD monitors, but even the fastest of large LCD televisions currently available are easily overmatched.

The addition of input lag resulting from post processing techniques (such as dynamic contrast and gimicky “true motion” features) used to improve image quality often introduces further complications. What this means is fast moving images such as those found in many video games are morphed into a blurry, eye straining mess. In many cases hardcore gamers will find fast paced games like first person shooters practically unplayable on LCD HDTV’s because they put the gamer at a competitive disadvantage against those using faster, more responsive displays.

This is where OLED displays will shine. Unlike LCD tech, which suffer from response times ranging from 2 to 16 ms (milliseconds) and higher, OLED can provide silky smooth motion video with response times below 1 microsecond (around .01 milliseconds). Input lag should also be eliminated, as OLED displays will require little to no extra processing to improve contrast ratios and image quality the way LCD panels do. Casual gamers may not notice or even care about this increased performance, but many players will jump at the chance to reduce any lag in their gaming experience  introduced by electronics. Anything for a higher KDR.

Today we have more OLED monitor goodness from Sony. This week they introduced a couple cutting edge OLED reference monitors. The BVM-E 17″ and 25″ OLED monitors succeed the unveiling of their previous 7″ OLED reference monitor during the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas.

New 17" and 25" OLED from Sony

The 25″ OLED is currently being exhibited at the HPA Technology Retreat along side a CRT and a LCD monitor. The demo consisted predominately of photos, making it impossible to measure motion blur and response times. The OLED looked sharp, clean and accurate from a broad range of viewing angles. This particular OLED technology from Sony is definitely being marketed as a substitute for CRT monitors.

One of the many chief attributes both of these latest OLED monitors contain is top-emission technology. Top-emission technology is claimed to be considerably better than the bottom-emission lighting utilized in the past. This so-called “Super Top Emission” technology includes a “micro-cavity structure and incorporates color filters. This micro-cavity setup applies an optical resonance effect to further improve color and improve light-emission efficiency.”

The OLED displays employ a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, 10-bit drivers; 3Gbps, HD, SD-SDI, HDMI ports, DisplayPort and optional ports for input adapters. They also feature 3D signal analysis functions with an approximate lifespan of 30,000 hours.

Sony has stated the 25″ OLED monitor will begin distribution in mid-April with a roof shattering price of around $30,000, while the 17″ model is expected to be available in June at a reported price of roughly $15,500. Not cheap by any means.

Mitsubishi showcased a rather unique display recently at the ISE 2011 trade show. A large, 360-degree display constructed of multiple 15″ flexible OLED displays hangs from the ceiling over Mitsubishi’s booth at the trade show.

The display is extremely bright and measures roughly four feet high. However, this particular product is not exactly meant for use as monitors or TV’s. The pixels are spaced about 3mm apart as it was developed specifically to be used as a sign or billboard.

Sony will be demonstrating two new OLED monitors intended for the professional market during the Hollywood Post Alliance Tech Retreat taking place from the 14th to the 18th of February. These OLED monitors are targeted to professionals such as graphic designers and developers who require accurate color reproduction that could previously only be obtained with CRT’s.

These two new OLED monitors will be based on the same OLED technology Sony demonstrated during the recent Consumer Electronics Show where they presented the prototype of a consumer autostereo OLED monitor with glasses-free 3D technology. These displays are 2D-only, though future products with 3D capabilities are planned.

During PlayStation Meeting 2011 in Japan the next-gen portable gaming device to succeed the Sony PSP was revealed. The device, which was given the codename NGP or Next Generation Portable, will feature a 5″ OLED display with a screen resolution of 960 x 544. It will also deliver dual analog sticks, WiFi and 3G capability, GPS, quad-core GPU (SGX543), two touchpads (front and rear), compass, dual cameras located at the front and rear of the unit as well as a quad-core CPU (ARM Cortex-A9) described as “the most advanced” in the line of mobile processors.  The actual games for the PSP2/NGP will not be stored on UMD’s like the previous generation. Sony will make use of some variety of flash media based storage.

The PSP2/NGP is scheduled for release this holiday season. Pricing details are unknown, but expect to empty your wallet if all these features are included. My guess is the PSP2/NGP will launch with a retail price somewhere between $300-$400. Anything cheaper than that will be an absolute bargain.