Roll-up OLED display. Finally!

[x88x]

That's right, Sony has made a 80um thick OLED display that can still function while wrapped around a 4mm thick rod. Between this and someone..Samsung I think?..planning on releasing 40"+ OLED TVs to market in 2011, the future is finally looking bright for OLEDs again! Rejoice! :bunny:

http://en.akihabaranews.com/47902/display/sony-develops-a-rollable-otft-driven-oled-display-that-can-wrap-around-a-pencil

[jiggiwiddit]

Wow

[artoodeeto]

WOOT! about bloody time! I'm not going to buy another TV or computer screen til OLED (or equivalent) is a reality...and yeah I know there's oled backlit screens out there, which might be a decent compromise once they come down in cost. we'll see...for now I'm quite happy with what I've got. although I wouldn't object to an HDR-capable display. Saw one at SIGGRAPH about 10 years ago and it was literally like looking out a window. Amazing. But this is exciting! New tech :D

[TheGreatSatan]

Yeah! +Rep!

[x88x]

yeah I know there's oled backlit screens out there

Not quite. Those are traditional LCD panels with LED (not OLED) backlighting (instead of the traditional CCFL). The way a traditional LCD panel works is that each pixel changes color to block different wavelengths of light from a backlight shining through it. OLEDs operate on a completely different principle, with each pixel being an LED (or cluster, I forget, it might differ per implementation), and instead of blocking light, each pixel actually creates its own light. Therefore, no backlight is required, which is why they can be so thin, and each pixel is an individual unit, which is why they can be made flexible. They can also be printed out (tech exists, but still in the early stages) on certain substrates, making them potentially dirt cheap to manufacture! We just have to get the tech matured to the point where it's feasible.

EDIT:
Here's the article about Samsung releasing 40"+ panels soon:
http://gizmodo.com/5538859/samsung-to-start-trialing-40+inch-oled-tvs-this-year

Ooh! And apparently DuPont has been making big strides in printing OLEDs!
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25337/?a=f

[knowledgegranted]

Although this is very cool, I don't think it could be used right now. If you can think of a cool application for this say it please.

[x88x]

Curved screens, roll-up displays (think maybe a tiny laptop that unfolds, then has a roll-out screen..15" laptop in something the size of an eee700), dynamic product labels, dynamic wallpaper (aka, TV wall!), augmented reality, auto-dimming windows/visors/etc, HUDs built into windows/visors/etc, durable high-impact displays, cheap touch displays (printable OLEDs in general, not specifically flexible ones), dirt-cheap displays (again, printable in general), much lower power consumption (OLEDs in general), no mercury-containing CCFLs (OLEDs in general, and yes, I know the amount of mercury in CCFLs is tiny, but it's still there), vastly reduced heat (OLEDs in general), video banners (ok, nto very useful, but still cool). ..I'm sure other people can think of more.

[d_stilgar]

My big fear is that 1920x1080 screens will be cheap and that 1920x1200 will always be harder to find and more expensive.

[knowledgegranted]

Curved screens, roll-up displays (think maybe a tiny laptop that unfolds, then has a roll-out screen..15" laptop in something the size of an eee700), dynamic product labels, dynamic wallpaper (aka, TV wall!), augmented reality, auto-dimming windows/visors/etc, HUDs built into windows/visors/etc, durable high-impact displays, cheap touch displays (printable OLEDs in general, not specifically flexible ones), dirt-cheap displays (again, printable in general), much lower power consumption (OLEDs in general), no mercury-containing CCFLs (OLEDs in general, and yes, I know the amount of mercury in CCFLs is tiny, but it's still there), vastly reduced heat (OLEDs in general), video banners (ok, nto very useful, but still cool). ..I'm sure other people can think of more.

I see some use of it, like a wall TV or such, but using it for computer use is silly especially for laptops. You would need something to hold it open, that is the size of the screen anyways. So mind as well as have the regular screen. It's very easily to be broken or ripped.

[x88x]

It's very easily to be broken or ripped.

Not if you put it on a thin sheet of sturdy but flexible plastic. Or, if you don't want to roll it up, how about a thin sheet of CF? :twisted:

[dr.walrus]

Not quite. Those are traditional LCD panels with LED (not OLED) backlighting (instead of the traditional CCFL). The way a traditional LCD panel works is that each pixel changes color to block different wavelengths of light from a backlight shining through it. OLEDs operate on a completely different principle, with each pixel being an LED (or cluster, I forget, it might differ per implementation), and instead of blocking light, each pixel actually creates its own light. Therefore, no backlight is required, which is why they can be so thin, and each pixel is an individual unit, which is why they can be made flexible. They can also be printed out (tech exists, but still in the early stages) on certain substrates, making them potentially dirt cheap to manufacture! We just have to get the tech matured to the point where it's feasible.

Actually, it's likely we'll see a short but significant rash of LCDs using white OLED panels as backlighting. The cost of large OLED panels at the minute can be closed by making all the clusters as white pixels. Slap that behind an LCD panel and hey presto, 1,000,000 contrast ratio, 20% less power drain, without all the associated costs of fully featured OLEDs.

OLEDs purely as lighting:

lvIPV0ioSnk

[x88x]

Interesting. That could be a great way to get manufacturers to start gearing up for OLEDs!