Both Samsung and LG are in a race to be the first to bring OLED (organic light emitting diode) HDTVs to consumers. However, two other TV companies are ready to do battle -- and they're going to do it together.
Sony and Panasonic just announced plans to team up on OLED TV, with plans to hit the mass-market by 2013. While set specifics aren't even close to ready, Engadget says that we shouldn't plan to see any cross-branding. Sony and Panasonic will bring together core and printing techniques that each company has been developing, but are still competitors are heart.
"Each company plans to utilize its own strengths to develop and commercialize its own competitive, high-performance, next-generation OLED televisions and large-sized displays," says the joint announcement.
Boasting excellent color saturation, image uniformity, brightness and contrast, OLED can actually generate the same or better black levels that plasma can do, but in a panel that's slimmer than an LCD. OLED TV actually promises a bigger image that's better than plasma and LCD, but in a form factor as slim as 0.16 inches.
Both Sony and Panasonic have yet to release dimensions, release dates or prices just yet. For now, the duo will "jointly develop printing method-based next-generation OLED technology." The end result should mean mass-production of OLED HDTVs at lower costs.
How low remains to be seen. Samsung's 55-inch OLED TV is expected to cost over 10 million won -- or more than $9000. LG's 55-incher is said to be a little less expensive, at a mere $7900.
Sony is already quite versed in OLED TV. The company released an 11-inch consumer back in 2007 and a 25-inch pro version in 2011. Panasonic is no slouch, either, with experience in the "all printing method", which boasts large screens at lower costs. Panasonic is also working on the research and development of flexible OLED panels, in an effort to develop large-sized, high-quality sheet-type displays.
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