OLED television screens are here now

softdown · August 2017

This is pretty big news in some ways. They offer a much better picture and significantly less power usage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLED "An OLED display works without a backlight; thus, it can display deep black levels and can be thinner and lighter than a liquid crystal display (LCD). In low ambient light conditions (such as a dark room), an OLED screen can achieve a higher contrast ratio than an LCD, regardless of whether the LCD uses cold cathode fluorescent lamps or an LED backlight." The screens are ~1/4" thick. The black levels are incredible because there is no backlight needed. The televisions are doubtlessly very light.

They have been used on smartphone screens for a few years. Cheaper to manufacture and more energy efficient, it was a matter of time before television manufacturers incorporated what appears to be significantly better technology.

This is great news for the energy conscious off-gridder.....come ~Christmas season of 2018.

Right now....the prices that I am seeing are quite high. I would encourage waiting awhile.

westbranch · August 2017

you might want to wait a while longer than next year if you are going for a real TOP of the LINE...don't hold your breath

http://www.canadianappliance.ca/product/LG_OLED77W7P_TV_LG_OLED77W7P.html

Estragon · August 2017

Maybe the Goog will be beaming content directly into our brains through our phones by then

westbranch · August 2017

It will take a lot of 'beaming' to get me to lay down $30,000 for a TV!!!
Insanity doesn't run in my family....or does it?

softdown · August 2017

Costco has a 65" Samsung OLED for $3500. Supposed to be a screaming deal too.

You are probably right...they will probably spend more than a year milking the price for all they think they can get away with.

softdown · August 2017

westbranch said:

you might want to wait a while longer than next year if you are going for a real TOP of the LINE...don't hold your breath

http://www.canadianappliance.ca/product/LG_OLED77W7P_TV_LG_OLED77W7P.html

FWIW...that link froze my laptop for so long that left and played Monopoly.

mike95490 · August 2017

OLED's have a much shorter lifetime than standard LEDs. But if you are tradeing up every 4 years, maybe it won't matter much

softdown · August 2017

mike95490 said:

OLED's have a much shorter lifetime than standard LEDs. But if you are tradeing up every 4 years, maybe it won't matter much

Do you have a source for that?

Horsefly · August 2017

Since LG is staking their future on OLED, they would say that short lifespan is only a rumor, or at least that they have improved it to the point it is no longer a problem: http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?id=1465304750&subaction=showfull

What seems to be a more objective analysis says that blue OLED is generally unstable and has the shortest lifespan, so they are working on it the most to get more hours: https://www.oled-info.com/lifetime

My own opinion (although I'll admit that I'm cheap) is that OLED may not quite yet be ready for primetime. There are several problems with them (https://www.cnet.com/news/seven-problems-with-current-oled-televisions/) that I imagine will get worked out over time. It sounds from this article that LG has found a way around the blue problem by just using white with different color filters.

jonr · August 2017

Here we see that OLED TVs draw more power than LED:

http://www.rtings.com/tv/learn/led-oled-power-consumption-and-electricity-cost

mike95490 · August 2017

softdown said:

mike95490 said:

OLED's have a much shorter lifetime than standard LEDs. But if you are tradeing up every 4 years, maybe it won't matter much

Do you have a source for that?

Well, you could trade up every 2 years if you are that worried about the lifespan. But the OLED are cheap and easy to print a screenfull. And very sensitive to moisture, so they have to be well sealed. The organics break down quickly, Blue is the shortest lasting. A quick google search will show many reports of shorter than LED lifetimes. Nowadays, they are better, but not near LED life.

solarvic · August 2017

I am going to stick with my 2008 Samsung 67 inch DLP tv as long as it last. The trouble with the late model tv is it makes all your older accessory,s obsolete. This is a tv that has all imputs past and present. I thought I was going to have to buy a new tv last fall as the screen got populated with white dots. Found out on youtube that this is a common problem with the DLP tv. The problem is a computer chip that has a bunch of tiny mirrows that reflect thru the texas instrument color wheels. The tiny mirrows turn on and off. After they get old the mirrows get stuck and you get a white dot. So for about $300.00 I bought a new computer chip and replaced it myself. I think the picture is still like new and I am hoping for it to last another 9 years.

softdown · August 2017

Horsefly said:

Since LG is staking their future on OLED, they would say that short lifespan is only a rumor, or at least that they have improved it to the point it is no longer a problem: http://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.php?id=1465304750&subaction=showfull

What seems to be a more objective analysis says that blue OLED is generally unstable and has the shortest lifespan, so they are working on it the most to get more hours: https://www.oled-info.com/lifetime

My own opinion (although I'll admit that I'm cheap) is that OLED may not quite yet be ready for primetime. There are several problems with them (https://www.cnet.com/news/seven-problems-with-current-oled-televisions/) that I imagine will get worked out over time. It sounds from this article that LG has found a way around the blue problem by just using white with different color filters.

Seems to me that new technology always has difficulties to overcome. That being the reason that it often takes decades, after discovery, to be released. Putting a "blue filter" over a white light is not impressive technology but it does work.

While I am quite satisfied with the picture quality of LED, the energy savings are what interests me.

I think I enjoyed movies about as much on a 720 as on todays HD. It is the story and attention to detail (realism) that I notice....not the picture quality. Though a bad picture certainly damages the experience. Such as seen in the DVD release of Expendables 2....it is barely VHS quality.

Do you expect holographic images in the near future?

softdown · August 2017

Recently read a rumor that Cameron is doing something that will make the next Avatar look like 3D....without having to use 3D glasses and a 3D television. I have no idea how valid this rumor is. If anyone can do it, I suspect it may be Cameron...perhaps destined to go down as the GOAT (Greatest of all Time).

OLED television screens are here now

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