New 15-inch OLED TV to be released by LG

South Korea's LG Electronics announced on Sunday that it would launch their 15-inch television set using organic display technology next month. It is perhaps the largest commercial model so far.

Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM-OLED) displays, which employ self-glowing materials, have superior picture quality, consume less power and are slimmer than commonly used liquid crystal displays (LCD) that need backlight units.

However high price has kept it from becoming a mass-produced technology in a market dominated by cheaper LCD panels. OLED screens are making inroads into high-end cell phones but costs to apply the technology for PCs as well as TVs are still prohibitive.
Sony Corp launched the world's first OLED TV in late 2007 yet it has not followed with new models.

LG, the world's second-biggest TV brand, held in a statement that it would be unveiling a 15-inch AM-OLED TV during the IFA 2009 consumer electric show in Berlin in September.

The TV set would be commercialized in Korea in November and subsequently overseas by next year.

Research firm DisplaySearch assumes the market for OLED TV to reach 2.33 million units in 2013 compared with estimated 320,000 units in 2011 as per the data provided by LG.

An LG executive further noted, "We are planning to unveil a 40-inch grade (OLED) product in a not too distant future."