Panasonic Wary of OLED TV

Before they've even hit the market, Panasonic seems to have doubts about the viability of OLED TVs. They don't have an OLED on the market, but they were working on one.

CNET is reporting from Ceatec 2008 in Japan that Panasonic's AVC Networks President said currently OLED TVs will not be made greater than 30-inches in size, and the technology is still not suitable for mass manufacturing. He has stated previously that mass production of OLED could be as far off as 2015, and could be even further from becoming a reality.

Why the delay?

At the moment, OLED is limited in size. Sony is the only manufacturer with a set on the market, and it's only 11 inches, though they've said they're working on a 27-inch model.

OLED is also prohibitively expensive, especially since LCD and plasma are still getting thinner and less power-hungry. If the advantages of OLED are matched by LCD and plasma, Panasonic might be wise to hold off on OLED. -Leslie Shapiro

CNET

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