OLED TV Update: Sony Debuts Pro 17" and 25" Monitors

[Woochifer]

The fits and starts with OLED have been frustrating for anyone looking beyond the limitations of today's plasma and LCD options. A promising technology that can purportedly overcome these obstacles, OLED has yet to gain any sort of foothold in the TV market, despite the demo units wowing the crowds at CES and other shows.

Companies like LG, Samsung, and Sony have said that they would introduce practical sized OLED TVs, but so far nothing has come out. While the OLED demos at CES again impressed the audiences (LG demoed the world's thinnest TV, and Sony demoed glasses-free 3D using an OLED panel), no word yet on when the long-awaited first crop of OLED TVs will begin arriving.

With that said, it looks like OLED is beginning to gain traction in other markets. With smartphones, more and more of the high end models have begun incorporating OLED screens, and this market is rapidly growing.

More importantly, the technology might finally get some real field trials via the professional market. Last month, Sony's professional division introduced a pair of high end OLED monitors aimed at the broadcast and studio markets. These monitors will be available in 17" and 25" sizes.

Even though professional grade flat panels have been available for years, CRTs are still considered the reference standard in the professional markets because of their superior color range and accuracy. Sony's press release touts the new OLED monitors as reference grade and a "true replacement for CRT in critical evaluation applications."


The new monitors – the 25-inch BVM-E250 and 17-inch BVM-E170 -- boast several new features specifically designed for professional master monitoring. The first monitors to deliver full HD resolution OLED panels with 10-bit drivers, the BVM-E Series uses a newly developed Sony Professional Display Engine. The OLED processor is designed to bring out the full performance of a master monitor, producing deep blacks with high dynamic range, blur-free motion, wide color gamut and accurate picture reproduction.

The new TRIMASTER EL lineup is refined with its new EL (electro-luminescence) displays, expanding the capabilities of Sony’s TRIMASTER™ technology. This maximizes the full performance capabilities of professional flat-panel displays to deliver higher levels of color accuracy and color reproduction, precision imaging and consistent picture quality.

http://pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/files/cat/mondisp/pressreleases/Sony_new_OLED_BVM-E_series-HPA_2011.pdf

With price points approaching $29,000 for the 25" model, these monitors are obviously out of reach for consumers. However, PC World points out that these prices are only 10% higher than the LCD models that Sony currently sell to the professional market. Their side-by-side assessment of the new OLED models indicates that the image quality of the OLED was clearly superior to Sony's current LCD broadcast monitor.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/219770/sony_unveils_17inch_25inch_professional_oled_monit ors.html

Obviously, OLED has a long way to go before it can even enter the conversation as a potential replacement for current TV technologies. But, having a pair of professional models out on the market would seem to indicate that OLED is far from dead, and seems to still have a lot of development activity going on behind the scenes. After years of impressive demos, OLED is long overdue for its big rollout.

[pixelthis]

Of course its not "dead", never was.
Mother nature doesn't always bend to the will of man.
And sometimes our own nature trips us up.
OUR SPACE PROGRAM is about halfway along because intelligent predators can't
be trusted on the high ground with radioactive materials.
AND the greed inherent in that nature means that everything possible will be done to
refine the LCD, so as to maximize investments.
ON A SIDE NOTE what you say about the CRT is funny. At the local hospitals and
schools, and universities the main roll of the CRT is occupying the dumpster.
MOST hate the d**** things. At all of the critical care facilities(endoscopy, cardiac care,
dialysis) the LCD is king . I didn't know you could still buy one outside of a thrift store.
LEARN SOMETHING EVERYDAY.:1:

[Woochifer]

ON A SIDE NOTE what you say about the CRT is funny. At the local hospitals and
schools, and universities the main roll of the CRT is occupying the dumpster.
MOST hate the d**** things. At all of the critical care facilities(endoscopy, cardiac care,
dialysis) the LCD is king . I didn't know you could still buy one outside of a thrift store.
LEARN SOMETHING EVERYDAY.:1:

The difference is that hospitals and schools are not places that require mission critical color accuracy and full gamut coverage. Mastering studios, broadcast units, and digital pre-press most definitely require it. That's why CRTs are still widely used in those industries -- because none of the flat panel options, even high end pro panels that cost more than $20k, can match a professional CRT for those high end applications.

If Sony's press release is in any indicative of the pro OLED monitors' performance, then a suitable CRT replacement might have finally arrived for the professional market. Right off the bat, the PC World article indicates that Sony's pro OLED models already outperform their broadcast LCD monitors, and OLED technology is still relatively new.

[pixelthis]

THEY are just used to CRT and don't want or care to make the capital investment.
AND just because the hospital industry is not your industry makes it no less important.
EXCEPT in their case accuracy (or lack of it) can cost lives.
There is no reason that a CRT should be any more accurate than an LCD, its just
inertia and human nature keeping them around.:1:

[Woochifer]

THEY are just used to CRT and don't want or care to make the capital investment.
AND just because the hospital industry is not your industry makes it no less important.
EXCEPT in their case accuracy (or lack of it) can cost lives.

Except that medical imaging does not use applications like color grading or creating digital intermediaries, where the color accuracy needs much tighter tolerances. The color accuracy is CRT's strength, and that's the reason why they're still heavily deployed in professional broadcast/mastering and digital press applications. Considering how heavily the studios and broadcasters have invested in the transition to HD, swapping out the monitors would be a minor cost by comparison. The reasons why CRTs are still in use has everything to do with performance, since they are working with master sources.


There is no reason that a CRT should be any more accurate than an LCD, its just
inertia and human nature keeping them around.:1:

If flat panel options were sufficient for high end applications, they would have replaced CRTs a long time ago, just like they did in other service industries (those that don't use high end visual applications). Human nature and intertia didn't stop financial services and insurance offices from switching to flat panels. If Sony did not see a need in the professional market, they would not have introduced this OLED lineup. The OLED models look like they're aimed at replacing Sony's broadcast LCD monitors. If the performance advantage is as clear cut as the PC World article indicates, then there's no reason why OLED shouldn't gain a significant foothold in the professional markets. Especially since it costs only 10% more than Sony's professional LCD models.