Organically Grown

Sony was showing a gaggle of 11" (diagonal) OLED displays, along with a 27" model. OLEDs, or Organic Light Emitting Diodes, were once thought to be the next big thing in flat panels. They are not only thin, but have great contrast. The light comes from the diodes themselves, and may be modulated or even shut off, similar to the way in which the venerable CRT provides its stunning contrast. The 27" model here is a full 1920x1080 resolution, while the 11" models are 1024x600.

No display I saw on the first day of the show impressed me more than these designs. OLEDs are known to have some technical problems, including panel life and yield in large sizes. But Sony tamed the supposedly intractable LCoS yield problem in their SXRD sets, so we wouldn't count OLED out, particularly when it can produce results like this. And if the crowds drawn to these displays were any indication, OLEDs could be a major hit.

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