IFA 08: are new LCDs the OLED killer?

Will the new organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens face their most serious challenge for the crown of the 'future of flatscreen technology' from the current incumbent, the humble LCD?

At the risk of disappointing those who have been eagerly awaiting the OLED, the LCD might still hold out if the products on show at the IFA in Berlin are anything to go by.  On its IFA stand in Berlin, Philips unveiled a 32-inch, full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) LCD television that is only 8 mm thick!  You can see a video of the new screen here.



Without quite saying it was all over for the OLED, Philips was certainly pushing its new LCD.  Here’s why the manufacturer reckons it’s still onto a winner:

• LCD technology is mature.  Apart from one very small model only available in Japan, the OLED is still in the prototype stage

• The lifetime of the components in this new LCD is the same as that of regular LCD screens, or around 50, 000 hours.  OLED technology, on the other hand, still shows worryingly short lifespans and this has been confirmed by users of the small numbers of units already on sale in Asia.

• This new Philips model will sell at the same price as current 32 inch full HD screens.  No official price has been confirmed for Samsung’s 31 inch OLED screen, but rumor has it that it could well retail for several thousand euros.

As soon as we get an LCD technology which is sufficiently well-refined, with a decent contrast (we have seen plenty of models get past the 1000:1 barrier in our labs) and whose response time means that afterglow is not a worry, what more can OLED bring?  Even better contrast?  Do we even need better contrast?  And is that really worth the investment for a product that might end up being overpriced and  short-lived?

It’s a hard act for the OLED, whichever way you look at it, and the LCD has certainly not breathed its last just yet.  It’s by no means impossible that the OLED, already victim to several years of delays, has missed its moment.  It might well bring too few innovations at too high a price to justify the leap of faith to a whole new technology.

The 8 mm TV in the flesh ...