While many people are thinking about LCD flat screen televisions as well as plasmas, there are others that their sole job in life is to create the future of flat screen entertainment. Well sort of, because the future in flat screens is actually older technology that has been revamped. The future is already here though with companies in Japan already releasing models. It is known as an OLED, which is the acronym for Organic Light Emitting Diodes.
Basically in all simplicity, LEDs have been around for quite some time already; since the 1960s. However it is the OLEDs that are making some news in the industry these days. What it is, is a thin layer or film of an organic compound which reacts to electricity. The organic compound is adhered to a polymer in rows as well as columns and the entire thing can actually be printed using current printing technology. Of course this sounds very futuristic and for many it may not seem as if it is at all possible today, but it is and production models are already available.
These can be used for a variety of applications ranging from televisions and computer screens to micro screens in your cell phone or even smaller. There is no need for a backlight like what the LCD screens use and the production cost is a lot smaller since it can basically be printed onto any surface. Imagine going to the department store and instead of seeing those fancy advertisements hanging from the ceiling, that they were paper thin television screens with actual animations. This is the idea behind OLED screens.
While all of this sounds great, you are probably thinking to your self, “What’s the catch?” Well that catch is the degradation of the organic compounds. Sure you get brighter and more vibrant colors as well as an ability to view the screen at any angle, but the compounds which light up will eventually fade and they have to be protected. Even a small amount of water, like print on a Xerox copy, will cause the screen to stop functioning in areas where the compound “smears”.
OLED screens have been tested and the current maximum life expectancy of any one in production is right in around 14,000 hours. This means that if you leave it on 24 hours a day the screen will 5 years 8 hours. While this may seem great, keep in mind that both plasma and LCD screens will last for 60,000 hours. Of course the OLED screens react faster then LCD (great for gamers) and they use less energy as well. The OLED is the future of flat screen viewing and soon the LCD screens will be nothing more then a thing of the past like black and white CRT screens.