Rival Japanese electronics giants Sony and Panasonic have formed a partnership that will see them sharing production of the next generation of OLED (organic light emitting diode) TVs.
After a battering in the LCD TV market by Korean competitors Samsung and LG Electronics, Sony and Panasonic have decided to focus their efforts on developing more cost-effective OLED TVs that could replace the LCD sets in many homes.
In a statement, Sony and Panasonic have said that they are aiming to establish a mass-production process in 2013.
Sony led the way with the first OLED TV way back in 2007 – an 11in model with a screen just 3mm thick that cost US$2000. But today most OLED screens appear on phones because manufacturing larger versions has proved very costly.
However, things are picking up as Samsung has already shown off the 55in ES9500 OLED TV which is predicted to cost double the price of the equivalent LCD model.
We're looking forward to cheaper OLED TVs which promise lower power consumption, darker blacks and even flexible screens. Hurry up, Panasony!
