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Siege · 16-02-10, 09:39 AM

Sony pulls OLED television in Japan--February 16 2010 05:43

Sony said on Tuesday that it would stop selling a groundbreaking television in Japan that uses organic light-emitting diodes after apparently exhausting demand for the $2,224 sets.

The 11-inch XEL-1 was the first OLED TV to market in 2007 and Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s chairman and chief executive, heralded it as proof that Sony can innovate.

“When you look at OLED, your impulse is to say ‘wow’. We need that reaction from people at Sony … it’s a statement of confidence, that there is a path to somewhere else,” Sir Howard said in December 2007.

Stopping sales of the XEL-1 in Japan without launching a long-promised 27-inch successor suggests that OLED will not rescue Sony’s reported struggling TV business.

OLED technology displays rely on a thin layer of chemicals that emit light when electricity passes through them. Unlike liquid crystal displays – the most common technology used for TVs today – OLEDs do not need a separate light at the back,.. because of this they are thinner and use less power. Sony’s XEL-1 is only 3mm thick.

Sony said that it would keep making the XEL-1 for sale outside Japan and that it is would press ahead with OLED development.

“Not only are we continuing development of mid- and large-size OLED panels for TVs but we also see potential for application of OLED in other devices,” the company said on Tuesday.

A change in regulations means that it would have to redesign the XEL-1 to keep selling it in Japan after April, Sony said, at current prices the market is too small to make that completely worthwhile.

Sony has hit problems with mass production of OLEDs. It makes the screens by depositing a layer of OLED chemicals onto a glass panel but it is struggling to control the thickness of that layer. The result is a high defect rate, a low yield from the production line and high costs.

There is also an industry-wide problem with making OLEDs bigger using current technology. Companies are working on a solution that involves spraying OLED chemicals onto the glass like an inkjet printer.

Almost every large TV company is working on OLEDs and Sony’s rivals in Korea and Taiwan are catching up. Last year, LG of Korea launched a 15-inch OLED television.

Executives at Idemitsu Kosan and Sumitomo Chemical, the two largest suppliers of OLED materials, have told the Financial Times that they do not expect OLED TVs to take off until 2012.

16-02-10, 09:39 AM	#1 (permalink)
Siege Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,354 Thanks: 9 Thanked 10 Times in 7 Posts	Sony pulls OLED television in Japan Sony pulls OLED television in Japan--February 16 2010 05:43 Sony said on Tuesday that it would stop selling a groundbreaking television in Japan that uses organic light-emitting diodes after apparently exhausting demand for the $2,224 sets. The 11-inch XEL-1 was the first OLED TV to market in 2007 and Sir Howard Stringer, Sony’s chairman and chief executive, heralded it as proof that Sony can innovate. “When you look at OLED, your impulse is to say ‘wow’. We need that reaction from people at Sony … it’s a statement of confidence, that there is a path to somewhere else,” Sir Howard said in December 2007. Stopping sales of the XEL-1 in Japan without launching a long-promised 27-inch successor suggests that OLED will not rescue Sony’s reported struggling TV business. OLED technology displays rely on a thin layer of chemicals that emit light when electricity passes through them. Unlike liquid crystal displays – the most common technology used for TVs today – OLEDs do not need a separate light at the back,.. because of this they are thinner and use less power. Sony’s XEL-1 is only 3mm thick. Sony said that it would keep making the XEL-1 for sale outside Japan and that it is would press ahead with OLED development. “Not only are we continuing development of mid- and large-size OLED panels for TVs but we also see potential for application of OLED in other devices,” the company said on Tuesday. A change in regulations means that it would have to redesign the XEL-1 to keep selling it in Japan after April, Sony said, at current prices the market is too small to make that completely worthwhile. Sony has hit problems with mass production of OLEDs. It makes the screens by depositing a layer of OLED chemicals onto a glass panel but it is struggling to control the thickness of that layer. The result is a high defect rate, a low yield from the production line and high costs. There is also an industry-wide problem with making OLEDs bigger using current technology. Companies are working on a solution that involves spraying OLED chemicals onto the glass like an inkjet printer. Almost every large TV company is working on OLEDs and Sony’s rivals in Korea and Taiwan are catching up. Last year, LG of Korea launched a 15-inch OLED television. Executives at Idemitsu Kosan and Sumitomo Chemical, the two largest suppliers of OLED materials, have told the Financial Times that they do not expect OLED TVs to take off until 2012.