The Future of HDTV: OLED

LCD televisions have dominated the HD market for the last couple years. Their thin display coupled with great color has been very attractive to consumers in the HDTV market. It is believed that LCD televisions are the best option for HDTVs, but that viewpoint will soon change thanks to OLED displays.

OLED stands for organic light emitting diode. This technology is much more advanced than LCD because the display does not require a backlight. This means that OLEDs are capable of being significantly thinner than LCDs, most only several millimeters thick!

Another area where OLED shines is in picture quality. In the past, LCD has boasted for having a 2,000:1 contrast ratio. Sony's first OLED television has an astounding 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. This high contrast ratio can produce deep blacks as well as vibrant color.

For environmentaly friendly consumers, a 20" OLED television requires 40% less energy than a similar size LCD television. This energy efficiency gap only widens as the display size increases.

With all of these advantages, why not purchase an OLED TV now? Because the technology is very new, the prices of OLED televsions are extremely high. Sony's first OLED TV costs a whopping $2500 for an 11 inch television! At the same time, LCD television prices have dropped significanly over the past 5 years, and picture quality has increased in the last several years as well. LCD televisions are also improving in viewing angle for optimum picture quality from many different areas of a room.

OLED will be the HDTV technology of the future, but for now LCD is the best option. LCD televisions are a great deal for the money, and the picture quality is still very good. For now, LCD is the way to go for HD televisions.