Manufacturers all over the world have laid out plans to develop OLED products due to the wide variety of usage for which the technology can be applied. OLED TVs are also expected to make their first appearance in the second half of this year
Manufacturers all over the world have laid out plans to develop OLED products due to the wide variety of usage for which the technology can be applied, such as for display screens, flexible displays and lighting. Most OLED manufacturers are located in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the US. In Taiwan, AU Optronics (AUO) is expected to have a 4.3-inch AMOLED panel available in the third quarter which may help boost smartphone panel orders as well as allow the company to compete with Samsung Mobile Display (SMD) and LG.
Additionally, Japan’s Sony and Panasonic plan to jointly develop next-generation OLED panels and modules by utilizing core printing technologies. They plan to jointly develop printing method-based next-generation OLED technology suitable for low-cost mass production of large, high-resolution OLED panels and modules. Sony and Panasonic are aiming for mass-production by 2013.
OLED TVs are expected to debut in the second half of 2012 with Samsung and LG producing the initial offerings. Samsung is expected to introduce a 55-inch model with a price tag of around USD 8,760 while LG’s 55-inch model most likely will not ship until 2013. It is expected that another 3-5years are needed before OLED TV technology matures enough to become mainstream.
Eager to capitalize on this growing popularity, China panel makers like Visionox and Changhong have formed an OLED alliance to boost AMOLED TV sales and stay competitive with Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese OLED panel producers. OLED lighting is also gaining more attention. The advantages of OLED lighting include no mercury or UV, and no have overheating issues like LED lights. OLED lighting is also self-luminous and has high-energy efficiency. It is ideal to produce lighting fixtures only a few centimeters thin, making it easy to place fixtures on walls or ceilings. Manufacturers all over the world began promoting OLED lamps in 2009 at competitive prices, and they plan to push the technology more with consumers this year. OLED lighting production costs remain high, and the fixtures give off a lower luminosity, roughly half as bright as fluorescent bulbs. Industry sources said this is slowly improving and they expect prices to fall as the market matures.