Coming to a living room near you...the Oled TV

A NEW revolution in television technology is poised to take over the nation’s living rooms after scientists developed a high-definition screen just a few millimetres thick.

THIN SCREEN The Oled screen is virtually indestructable and can be rolled into a tube THIN SCREEN: The Oled screen is virtually indestructable and can be rolled into a tube

Industry pundits predict sales of Organic Light-Emitting Diodes screens – or Oleds – will overtake other flat screen models as consumers rush to snap up the first large-screen models when they go on sale at the end of the year.

In 2007 large Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) televisions overtook the sales of traditional cathode-ray sets for the first time.

Now Oled screens are set to be the next stage in the evolution of High Definition (HD) television.

Images are created using organic pixels which radiate light of different colours on command, meaning Oled screens do not need a backlight, unlike LCD models.

This means they use 40 per cent less energy while having a significantly-sharper picture.

LCD displays have a contrast ratio of 30,000 to one but the new Oled screens have a ratio of a million to one.

Virtually indestructible, an Oled screen is so flexible it can be rolled into a tube and it is very lightweight.

Earlier this year the 11-inch Sony Bravia XEL went on sale for £3,489. Panasonic are predicted to launch a 40-inch Oled model next year and Apple is creating a 15-inch notebook using Oled technology.

Sony is expected to launch a large Oled television at the end of 2009 priced at £5,000.

The cost of the new technology is expected to come down by 2012 in time for the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, which usually spark a wave of television buying.

Jim Clark, senior technology analyst at Mintel, said: “Experts think it will be the dominant television technology by 2012. It is going to be like getting on to the HD ladder.”

Recently the price of LCD televisions has plummeted with Currys and Comet 26-inch screen models coming down from £600 to £350.

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