Want affordable OLED TVs? Don't hold your breath, Panasonic says

**gadgtfreek** · 06-28-2012, 08:12 PM

"Company President Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters in Tokyo today, according to Reuters, which was in attendance, that he does not believe OLED pricing will match LCD televisions "for a considerable time." According to Reuters, he didn't provide a road map on when the televisions might come down to a far more affordable level."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-574...news&tag=title

**cajieboy** · 07-01-2012, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by Jason Whiddon

"Company President Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters in Tokyo today, according to Reuters, which was in attendance, that he does not believe OLED pricing will match LCD televisions "for a considerable time." According to Reuters, he didn't provide a road map on when the televisions might come down to a far more affordable level."

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-574...news&tag=title

Yep, that's my take on it too, and had a similar conversation w/a relative a few days ago. I think we're at least a good 5-6 years out from seeing affordable OLED TV's, and plasma TV's will remain the best bang-for-the-buck display for a very long time. In fact, as plasma tech continually improves inch-by-inch, year in & year out, the PQ advantages of OLED are decreased more and more. Of course, I'm speaking in generalities as it relates to the general public because as we all know, video hobbyists & videophiles will always want the best of the best, no matter what it cost...and I'm ever so grateful for those 1st Adopters!!

**gadgtfreek** · 07-01-2012, 10:21 AM

I figure Im gonna keep this GT30, because it really is nice, for 1-2 more years, then grab a higher end Panasonic plasma and wait out OLED. That gives me 3-5 years to let the price come down

I just dont like LCD.

**david_b** · 07-01-2012, 05:20 PM

The guy said it will be some time before they reach price parity.

I don't care if OLED is a little more expensive, say %25 over the same size upper end Samsung.

That will happen much sooner then Panasonic believes.

Samsung is pouring so much money into OLED R&D I can't imagine my prediction won't happen for the 2014 models.

**gadgtfreek** · 07-01-2012, 05:22 PM

I dunno, they can't make a good lcd even at this point without being heavily priced at larger screens, I just don't see oled doing it anytime soon. They gotta make all that money back they are pouring into it.

I spent $2700 on a 42" plasma in 2005, and it was only 480p.

**mattg3** · 07-02-2012, 05:17 AM

I spent 4 grand on a Pioneer 433 cmx 43 inch plasma and it still hangs over my fireplace almost 10 years later and pq quality same as day i bought it.Its not my prime screen(Samsung 55 8500 takes the honor) but i still consider it a good buy when the retail model was going for 8 grand at Best buy.Hopefully we will find internet sales at affordable prices on OLED a lot quicker than 6 years.

**speedking** · 07-02-2012, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by mattg3

I spent 4 grand on a Pioneer 433 cmx 43 inch plasma and it still hangs over my fireplace almost 10 years later and pq quality same as day i bought it.Its not my prime screen(Samsung 55 8500 takes the honor) but i still consider it a good buy when the retail model was going for 8 grand at Best buy.Hopefully we will find internet sales at affordable prices on OLED a lot quicker than 6 years.

If you purchased your Pioneer around 2002 then it was over 5 years since their inception...Pioneer sold plasmas in 1997...saw one at a local Sound Advice store for $25,000...it was a 40ish size screen..in the near future we will be paying tax on these internet purchases at the time of sale(you are supposed to pay tax on them now)so the internet marketplace will have changed in this time frame too...the one thing never mentioned in OLED discussions is the lifespan of the display to half brightness...in the past blue OLED's haven't lasted very long(14,000 hours)...I'm sure that's been where a lot of the research dollars have been spent..to reduce the drive current and still achieve the same brightness..

In any event... the early generations of OLED will have a lot of issues..cost is just one of those issues..

**Disco Batman** · 07-02-2012, 07:50 AM

Speed is right. Screen life is the huge issue no one talks about with OLED. That's why it works great for phones now. People don't keep them more than a couple years.

**gadgtfreek** · 07-02-2012, 07:51 AM

IR too. I've seen a lot of complaints on OLED phone screens and IR.

**buzzard767** · 07-02-2012, 07:55 AM

Originally Posted by speedking

In any event... the early generations of OLED will have a lot of issues..cost is just one of those issues..

This is very possible but it won't deter those who both want the latest and greatest AND the display looks good on the retailer's wall. Sharp Elite anyone? The promise of OLED becoming the dominant selling display will certainly be related to price, but, after a year or so, if most problems can be cleaned up with a video processor, count me in.

**speedking** · 07-02-2012, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by buzzard767

This is very possible but it won't deter those who both want the latest and greatest AND the display looks good on the retailer's wall. Sharp Elite anyone? The promise of OLED becoming the dominant selling display will certainly be related to price, but, after a year or so, if most problems can be cleaned up with a video processor, count me in.

I think there will be early adopters...there always will be...and I can understand you getting one in a couple of years...but OLED won't be dominant..even in the very small pool of buyers on these forums...and your analogy involving the Sharp Elite is an interesting one...IMO..it will have a very short run...I can't see the Elite lasting very long in it's present form and price point..even with the IR problems of recent Panasonic displays..plasmas have spoiled us in the cost/value price point..it's an incredible bargain..and even with the rock bottom prices many people in the US don't even have HD displays...so dominance for something as pricey as OLED is a long way in the future...but I'm excited to see the results...and since I don't buy Samsung products anymore..I'm happy to see Panasonic getting involved in the technology..

**buzzard767** · 07-02-2012, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by speedking

I think there will be early adopters...there always will be...and I can understand you getting one in a couple of years...but OLED won't be dominant..even in the very small pool of buyers on these forums...and your analogy involving the Sharp Elite is an interesting one...IMO..it will have a very short run...I can't see the Elite lasting very long in it's present form and price point..even with the IR problems of recent Panasonic displays..plasmas have spoiled us in the cost/value price point..it's an incredible bargain..and even with the rock bottom prices many people in the US don't even have HD displays...so dominance for something as pricey as OLED is a long way in the future...but I'm excited to see the results...and since I don't buy Samsung products anymore..I'm happy to see Panasonic getting involved in the technology..

My reference to the Elite had more to do with "looks good, incorrectly". And the color problems cannot be fixed with a standard video processor - a 3D LUT setup is required.

Also, this just out from The OLED-Info newsletter (July 2012):

OLED TVs in 2012
Samsung and LG already announced plans to start selling OLED TVs in 2012, but it seems that no one really knows how much they hope to sell in 2012. The actual question seems to be the capacity: how many panels will the two companies be able to produce until the year's end?

According to Digitimes, Samsung's internal target is to produce 200,000 panels in 2012 (in their 5.5-Gen fab). LGD will only be able to produce 50,000 panels.

DisplaySearch are much less optimistic. They estimate that both companies together will only be able to produce 20,000 panels as they still haven't overcome all the technical challenges.

**ImRizzo** · 07-02-2012, 09:27 AM

Rumored pricing on a 50" OLED will be in the 9.5K neighborhood, sorry but I won't be moving into that neighborhood anytime soon, especially with a new technology.

**cajieboy** · 07-02-2012, 10:16 AM

Well, I for one am very excited about OLED finally being ramped-up into major display production, which is saying something after becoming so enamored & then all hopes dashed w/Canon's SED hand-built prototype shown at CES back in 2006. These OLED displays have been a long-time waiting, but these TV's will have to go through a number of generational cycles & upgrades before I'll ever consider pulling the trigger on one. Been through the early adopter routine too many times in the past w/all sorts of CE devices ranging from VCR's to Laptops, and plan to skip the big rodeo on this bad boy until I feel the livestock is healthy & well-fed.