OLED monitors: introduction and industry news - Page 15

Last week Sony unveiled new 30" and 56" 4K OLED panels, slated for release in 2014, and they also updated their TRIMASTER EL professional OLED monitors with the new A Series which sport an improved OLED panel. Now I have some new information on Sony's new OLEDs.

So first of all, that 56" panel is the same panel shown at CES, made in cooperation with AU Optronics. Sony do plan to use it for their professional video division, but it's still too early for any delivery dates or price information.

Update: we've got some new details on those new OLED panels from sony

Sony has some interesting news for us at NAB 2013. First up are new 4K OLED monitor prototypes (30" 4096x2160 and 56" 3840x2160). And the good news is that Sony actually plans to release the 30" ones in 2014.

Sony also updated their TRIMASTER EL professional OLED monitors with the new A Series. These new monitors use an improved panel that has a wider viewing angle and reduced color shift (by half, compared to previous models). The new series includes the BVM-E250A/BVM-E170A cinema/broadcast monitors, the BVM-F250A/BVM-F170A TV production and broadcasting monitors and the PVM-2541A/PVM-1741A picture monitors.

Sony unveiled a new 20.5" monochrome OLED monitor for the medical industry. This monitor offers 2048x2560 resolution, high luminance, wide viewing angle, high contrast and deep, rich black reproduction (the black level is less than 0.001cd/M² and 500 cd/M² luminance). The monitor isn't available yet, and apparently it doesn't have a model number yet.

Sony is already offering the full-color 25" Trimaster EL PVM-2551MD medical monitor, which has recently received FDA approval for use in surgery (the first OLED panel to do so). It costs €6,000 (which is 50% more expensive than the equivalent LCD monitor from Sony).

Sony's OLED professional monitoring technology was honored with a technical Emmy award (for outstanding achievement in engineering development). This is rather cool - and I think it's the first OLED that wins an Emmy...

Sony offers OLED monitors in several sizes (from 7.4" to 24.5") and in several series (BVM-E,BVM-F and PVM). Sony's OLED monitors provide a superior image quality compared to LCDs, and the cost difference is not so large because in these premium products the cost of the panel itself is a small portion of the total product cost. Sony already sold over 15,000 professional OLED monitors.

Sony announced that they have sold over 15,000 OLED monitors (or actually they will have sold that number by the end of the month). Back in April 2012 they announced that they sold 10,000 monitors, so it means they have sold 5,000 monitors in 6 months (about 800 monitors a month). When we discussed OLEDs with Sony's OLED product manager back in February 2012 he said that the OLED fab at Nagoya Japan is running at full capacity.

Sony also published several "customer stories". RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana has just purchased 1,105 monitors (not sure which model) that will be supplied over a three year period. Dutchview from the Netherlands are also using OLED monitors, and Turkish Ozkan Production has equipped eight of its outside broadcasting vehicles with Sony's OLED monitors(they are using 34 PVM-1741 monitors and 6 PVM-2541 ones).

We just found out that back in April 2012 Sony announced that it has sold over 10,000 professional OLED monitors in the TriMaster EL range. Sony introduced the monitors in April 2011 in Europe and already sold over 2,000 units there. When we discussed OLEDs with Sony's OLED product manager back in February 2012 he indeed said that the OLED fab at Nagoya Japan is running at full capacity.

Sony offers several monitors in several sizes (from 7.4" to 24.5") and in several series (BVM-E, BVM-F and PVM). Sony's OLED monitors provide a superior image quality compared to LCDs, and the cost difference is not so large because in these premium products the cost of the panel itself is a small portion of the total product cost. Sony also offers a medical grade 25" OLED monitor (that recently started shipping), you can see it in the new video above.

Sony announced today that the Trimaster EL PVM-2551MD (announced back in September 2011) is now shipping. The PVM-2551MD is a 25" Full-HD monitor for the medical industry. It uses the same panel used in Sony's professional HD monitors (such as the recently announced BVM-F250). The panel is the first OLED panel to get an FDA approval for use in surgery.

The monitor is now shipping. The price is Europe is €6,000 (which is 50% more expensive than the equivalent LCD monitor from Sony).

AUO's mobile solution BU manager Dr. T.K. Wu says that OLED penetration in the smartphone sector will reach over 10% in 2012, and he expects OLED panel prices to drop in the next two years - to the point where small to medium sized panel prices will be comparable to LCDs.

Dr. Wu also predicts that OLED panels will be adopted for smartphones and TV applications, but they may not be used in notebook and monitors "due to factors in the IT industry and price competition".

Ignis Innovation announced today that they developed and verified the second generation of the MaxLife driver IC - suitable for OLED TVs, monitors and tablets. Ignis wouldn't reveal the changes since Gen 1 - so it may be that the real issue here is support for larger displays.

The MaxLife driver enables AMOLED displays on a-Si, LTPS and Oxide-TFT backplanes. For LTPS and Oxide-TFTs, it offers better yields. For a-Si backplanes, it enables stable and high frame-rate displays.

Sony's OLED program is now focused on medium (7" to 25") OLED panel used in professional monitors. With consumer OLED TV coming from Samsung and LG soon, Sony is also considering entering this market. We had the good chance of talking with Gary Mandle, the product manager of Sony's OLED products for the professional market. Gary has worked within the Sony Professional Solutions Group for more than 26 years in the development and marketing of new display products - including CRT, SXRD (LCOS), LCD, and now OLED products. His current focus is on Sony’s OLED technologies intended for video and film production & post production applications.

Q: Sony is currently offering 7.4", 16.5" and 24.5" professional OLED monitors (TriMaster EL^TM) and also OLED monitors for the medical market. Can you update on your current offerings?

A: For professional television and film production, Sony now has seven OLED models. These are offered in three series, each categorized according to performance and features sets to match different applications. Our PVM lineup includes the PVM 740 (7.4 inch), PVM 1741 (17 inch), and the PVM 2541 (25 inch). These are used in areas where you need something that is relatively cost effective and lets you see within the image. These are used in editing, dallies review, graphics generation, and special effects.