With CES just around the corner, LG is first in line with product announcements. In addition to marketing lighter passive glasses, they are announcing a demo of a whopping 55″ OLED 3D HDTV. Enthusiasts are excited about OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display/Diode) because in addition to being bright and colorful, they are also very efficient when it comes to power use. Normally, a plasma or LCD panel requires a back light to make the magic happen. In this case, each pixel is its own light source which means black pixels don’t have to use power. They also offer very high contrast ratios compared to their back-lit counterparts.
Here’s the thing – the star that burns twice as bright burns half as long. OLEDs are prone to “fading”, and can lose as much as half their luster in the first 24 months of operation. They are also super expensive. The questions on everyone’s mind is if LG’s new OLED display offers more longevity and better pricing compared to its predecessors? We’ll have to wait and see!