OLED vs. LED-LCD and Current HDTV Technology

TV Technology always seems to be improving. With CES 2012, we have been exposed to more OLED devices, and more notably OLED TVs. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode, and it is paving the way for better picture, higher contrast, and thinner televisions and visual devices.

OLED TVs on display at CES 2012.
Image source: treehugger.com

What is the difference between OLED and LED-LCD TVs which are available now? To summarize a huge subject in to a few sentences: OLED does not require a backlight, as compared to an LCD which requires a backlight (the backlight being LEDs in an LED-LCD TV). This simple fact allows an OLED to be drastically thinner than conventional HDTVs out today.

Another huge advantage of OLED displays is the fact that they have the potential be twisted and turned to almost any degree, given their extremely thin nature and no need for a backlight.

OLED displays have the potential to be twisted and bent in many different angles
while preserving the image. Try that with a conventional screen.
Image source: mydigitallife.info

OLED technology has always been in the back of manufacturers' minds, but recently the technology has finally seen the momentum that the market has been waiting for. With an already saturated LCD TV Market, new technologies must break the barrier of what is possible in terms of image quality, contrast, and realism. OLED is exactly that new technology which will revitalize a market that currently seems capped.

Many cellphones already use an AMOLED screen which offers a drastic different when viewing pictures and video. OLED technology has been expensive to develop, but like any other technology, with time prices come down (we can see this same trend in the SSD market).

OLED redefines how thin TVs can be.
Image source: treehugger.com

Get ready for the new revolution past the standard HDTVs that we have on the market today. With OLED, we will certainly see drastically better picture quality, contrast, and with that, the possibility of a new HDTV standard with a much higher resolution than 1080p. Strap yourselves for an exciting decade in visual technology.