A recent report stating Japanese manufacturer Sumitomo Chemicals will begin producing OLED TVs by 2009 appears to be wide of the mark.
An informed source at Cambridge Display Technology, the company that develops the polymer light emitting materials (P-OLEDs) to be used in the forthcoming TVs, says “Sumitomo is working with partners so the timing of any product launch is not just [its] call.”
The source goes on to say Sumitomo President Hiromasa Yonekura was “misquoted” in his speech regarding the development of OLED TVs and the timescale placed upon their release.
Another source at CDT said claims the Sumitomo displays could be inkjet-printed were valid, as the technology has also been developed to the point where it could be used to manufacture larger panels.
So it might not be in this decade, but low-cost, ultra-thin large screen OLED TVs could be with us sooner than many people think.
Techradar
