OLED e-books?

[HMishkoff]

I noticed that Sony is about to start selling a TV with a 5mm-thick 11" 1024×600 OLED screen. (They also demo'd a 27" 1920×1080 HD model, but I don't think they're planning to sell it yet.)

If OLED technology is already capable of displaying full-color full-motion video (which I assume it is, if Sony is using it for a TV screen), then why isn't OLED being used in e-books?

I understand that E-Ink has a prototype of their product that does color video, but they say that it won't be in production for a few years, whereas Sony is going to be selling an OLED product that does color video in a couple of months.

My apologies in advance if this is a dumb question -- I don't know much about this technology, but I'm trying to learn. Thanks!

[afiggatt]

Originally Posted by HMishkoff

I noticed that Sony is about to start selling a TV with a 5mm-thick 11" 1024×600 OLED screen. (They also demo'd a 27" 1920×1080 HD model, but I don't think they're planning to sell it yet.)

If OLED technology is already capable of displaying full-color full-motion video (which I assume it is, if Sony is using it for a TV screen), then why isn't OLED being used in e-books?

Have you looked at the price for the 11" Sony OLED TV? Quote from a recent article: "Sony, the world's second-largest maker of LCD TVs (behind Samsung), expects the 11-inch OLED TV to sell for $1,700--almost as high as retail prices of some of its own 40-inch LCD models." Sony is selling a very limited supply of these and reportedly will lose money at $1700. I don't think a $1700 11" Reader would sell very well.

OLED - which covers a range of variations in the technology - does have potential down the road for use in readers or some combination of a reader / large PDA. But OLED still has to improve lifespan and manufacturing yield & get costs down. OLED is supposedly more energy efficient than same size LCD displays and thinner, but will require a lot more power than electronic paper displays. Any OLED experts want to weigh in on when we might see OLED in affordable tablet PCs or PDAs?

[wallcraft]

Samsung says they will have 7"1024x600 OLED displays in 2008, see "[FPD International] Samsung SDI VP Indicates OLED Panel Roadmap in Keynote Session". There is no indication of price or power consumption. The devices on the slide look generic, not prototypes.

[mocelet]

Originally Posted by HMishkoff

If OLED technology is already capable of displaying full-color full-motion video (which I assume it is, if Sony is using it for a TV screen), then why isn't OLED being used in e-books?

I think that the requirements of TV/Video and eBook readers are quite different. An OLED screen is not unlike an LCD screen with backlight, in that it emits light. What eink has shown is that a reflective screen is much easier on the eyes, and is thus more suitable for long reading sessions, and it uses less power, so battery life is better.

OLED will probably be great for PDAs, phones, even tablet PCs and laptops, but for an ereader, fast colour eink is probably unbeatable, and slow monochrome eink is probably better than any light emitting technology.