OLED Benefits Over hyped?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,110209,tk,dn040903X,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/news/article...n040903X,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"For the past couple of years electronics companies researching OLED, or Organic Light Emitting Diode, displays have been making technology promises that are almost as bright as the displays themselves, but commercial products have been lacking. The first commercial OLED began shipping in March. However, both it and the latest batch of prototypes suggest that the power-reduction promises made about the technology may have been optimistic, at least for the first generation of products."<br /><br />The article goes on to say that the first OLED screens consume as much, and in some cases more, power than current LCD screens. And I'm having doubts about whether or not I want to buy hardware with organic components that will break down after 10,000 hours. I reuse and give away a lot of my old hardware, and to have it "expire" would be a very negative aspect of OLED to me. What would be interesting is a service industry popping up around OLED - companies would replace the organic components of the OLED display for a small fee. Crazy? Maybe not.

[Jimmy Dodd]

10,000 hours?!?!? 8O

That's only a little over a year. With a planned lifespan that short the price would have to be ridiculously low for me to want one. Either that or a method to easily replace the screen.

[PhatCohiba]

Just bring you screen into bay 2 and our professisonal techs will perform our standard 30-point checkup. Included in this service is:

1) replacement of you old grey-hared microbes with new state-of-the art microbes
2) polish and clean you screen.
3) Free ClearTouch screen protector
4) We'll polish all your electric connectors with our patented pencil rubber eraser.

Just remember to come back in ever three years or 15,000 hours of use. 8O :rock on dude!:

all for $99.

[toml]

If they're after a power savings, I've always wondered why PDA manufacturers don't use white LEDs for backlighting on current displays rather than flourescent?

I know a backlight takes a lot of power, and from personal experience turning it off can make a big difference in battery life. It seems LEDs would have to make a big difference.

[jizmo]

10,000 hours?!?!? 8O

That's only a little over a year. With a planned lifespan that short the price would have to be ridiculously low for me to want one. Either that or a method to easily replace the screen.

I use my home computer max 6hrs a day, and I can safely calculate that the monitor is used average 5 hours per day. If the lifespan was 10,000 hours it'd give the device over 5 years of use.

OLED displays woudn't be very good for 24hrs a day use, but they'd fit well for my use (monitor + tv) if the price was right (and if there was possibility of getting a refueling before selling it second hand).

/jizmo

[Jimmy Dodd]

10,000 hours?!?!? 8O

That's only a little over a year. With a planned lifespan that short the price would have to be ridiculously low for me to want one. Either that or a method to easily replace the screen.

I use my home computer max 6hrs a day, and I can safely calculate that the monitor is used average 5 hours per day. If the lifespan was 10,000 hours it'd give the device over 5 years of use.

OLED displays woudn't be very good for 24hrs a day use, but they'd fit well for my use (monitor + tv) if the price was right (and if there was possibility of getting a refueling before selling it second hand).

/jizmo

Is it 10,000 hours of use or 10,000 hours of existence? I work in nuclear medicine so I automatically think of things' lifespans in terms of shelf-life, which may be inappropriate in this case. If so I stand corrected.

[Jason Dunn]

Is it 10,000 hours of use or 10,000 hours of existence? I work in nuclear medicine so I automatically think of things' lifespans in terms of shelf-life, which may be inappropriate in this case. If so I stand corrected.

10,000 of active use is what they're saying. Active meaning "on and lit up" I believe.

[Jimmy Dodd]

Is it 10,000 hours of use or 10,000 hours of existence? I work in nuclear medicine so I automatically think of things' lifespans in terms of shelf-life, which may be inappropriate in this case. If so I stand corrected.

10,000 of active use is what they're saying. Active meaning "on and lit up" I believe.

Thanks for the clarification Jason (and jizmo). That scenario is not nearly as bad as what I had believed it to be.

[mv]

"
- companies would replace the organic components of the OLED display for a small fee. Crazy? Maybe not.

Not crazy at all. If they promise to replace your screen for a reasonable fee,, (no more than $30 or $40 in a PDA for example, no more than $50 to $60 in a laptop) and as many times as you want, for all the time you want (or at least 10 years, because i may donate old hardware) then it will be not only good, but excelent, since you will worry less about scraching your screen... but i really doubt it. Maybe a free replacement every two or three years?

[deich]

Hmmm ... didn't I hear the life time of the backlight for my beautiful Axim display is 20K hours? I don't see the issue if the life time of the first generation OLEDs is 10K hours. Of course, there may be other issues. Does anybody know how OLEDs look in sunlight?

[Jonathon Watkins]

10,000 of active use is what they're saying. Active meaning "on and lit up" I believe.

Thanks for the clarification Jason (and jizmo). That scenario is not nearly as bad as what I had believed it to be.

Indeed, that's livable with. After all, what is the average time of active use of PDAs, particularly for THIS crowd? 8)

[Don Stratton]

I am working with early OLED prototypes, and the one thing you have to remember is that once the manufacturing technology is perfected you can expect to see RIDICULOUSLY inexpensive displays. The manufacturing process is like a cross between vapor depositing and ink-jet printing. A vendor (who's name I can't divulge) has told me they believe their prototype 2"x2" display will cost about SIXTY-FIVE CENTS to make in quantity. Another funny thing about OLED manufacturing is there is almost no cost difference between a 2x2 display and a 20x20 display, or a 200x200 display. So, I envision a world where OLED devices that have a multiyear expected useful lifespan would have a method of easily removing the display and attaching a new one, perhaps printed edge connection so the display simply slides in and out and locks down with a bracket.

[bleeman]

Hmm, organic LED's. Let's see now! Finally, a practical use for cloning!

Ladies and Gentlemen! MOLLY, the world's first cloned Monitor :lol:

[emarkp]

Thinking of OLED's as a drop-in replacement for LED's is a mistake. OLED's are brighter and have darker black. It's one of the reasons I'm excited about seeing them when they mature.

[Jonathon Watkins]

Thinking of OLED's as a drop-in replacement for LED's is a mistake. OLED's are brighter and have darker black. It's one of the reasons I'm excited about seeing them when they mature.

OK, so they are better - but they are still a drop-in replacement as they perform the same function as LEDs, in the same way - just improved. :idea:

[emarkp]

Yeah, "drop-in" wasn't the best choice of words. The claims for OLED's are that they are better in some ways than LCD's. Actually, their original claim was that they're better in *all* ways (though pixel lifetime wasn't one of the specs listed at the time).

If it's a better display, the engineering will improve to reduce cost/extend lifetime/etc. Or the panel itself could be made replacable (instead of the electronics behind it). We'll see. But the brightness/contrast ratio is the biggest reason I see OLED's taking over the market at some point, if the weaknesses can be overcome.

[Saaby]

Traditional LEDs have an estimated life of 100,000 Hours. 5 Zeros...10 years. They don't burn out, they just get dmmer and dimmer--the 100,000 Hours is a half life I believe.

Maybe somebody is missing a 0 and Oled displays are rated for 100,000 hours? Maybe not.

There's not real advantage (Power wise) to using LEDs over Flouressent, or rather Cold Cathode Flouressent (CCF). Flouressent lighting is actually slightly, ever so slightly more efficient than LED technology, but LEDs are more shock resistant and unlike CCF that are glass tubes and thus subject to plenty of design constrants, LEDs are very flexable as far as design goes.