Dave Horvath
25 Jan 2008 15:59
Anybody who witnesses an OLED TV in person will remark on how vibrant the colors are and what a wonder these televisions are to behold, but the organic materials they use within the set degrade rapidly over time, giving some potential future consumers an edgy approach. Well, those fears will soon be quenched as Toshiba has sided with Matsushita to effectively double the lifespan of an OLED TV. Earlier prototypes would only sustain clear pictures amounting to about 40 percent less than a standard LCD HDTV.
By inserting a metal inside the OLED TV, one which was prototyped at 20.8 inches, they can deliver the light from polymers in the substrate out through the glass surface more efficiently than current OLED standards. In the end, all this means that the brightness needed can be halved while maintaining the same picture quality and effectively doubling the unit's lifespan.
Earlier OLED televisions have been rated to approximately 30,000 hours of life, or 8 hours per day for 10 years. With the joint venture between Toshiba and Matsushita, it appears they want to appeal to even the most frugal television shoppers by delivering a set that should work for many years to come.