Sony's 3D OLED Prototype

Sony's 3D OLED Prototype

Details: Category: Televisions; Written by Rich McComas

At CES 2010 in Las Vegas, Sony demonstrated that OLED is definately the wave of the future offering thinner displays, blacker blacks, snappy gaming and 3D images, and lower energy costs. However, with even smaller displays not expected for a few years, the wait is killing me.

As I viewed these beautiful OLED displays at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, I thought "I wonder how much more warranty time I have left on my existing TVs -- I just need them to last a few more years and then... OLED, here I come!"

Right now, the 3D OLED prototypes that we have seen to date are all in the 14-15" area, with Sony showing off a 24.5" display in their booth. I watched a golf game with 3D glasses and the image was as realistic as I could have ever imagined. However, Sony reps said that a commercial version of these TVs won't be available till about 2013, and then it will take several years for them to scale up in size.

OLED stands for "Organic light emitting diodes" and OLED TVs offer blazing fast response times, wide viewing angles, plus high contrast and brightness levels, all in the thinnest of all possible displays. Some manufacturer's panel designs are water-resistant, flexible, and even transparent, leading to a wide variety of applications.

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TECH2 LAKE HOUSE

UPDATE - The exterior of the Technology Lake House is complete and we are now working on interior finishing and electronics. Last year, San Francisco's Channel 7 ABC News ran a special video report on the construction progress of the Technology Lake House, and we expect them back for a follow-up soon. Click HERE for a DLINK Live Video Feed with pan and zoom features (userid=user, no password, daylight hours only).

Ron Rosberg's current project home, the Technology Lake House, is currently under construction on the shores of Clearlake in Northern California. Even though the house is a wireless demo house, we have installed more than seven miles of wires in the walls for dozens of flat panel TVs, speakers, control panels, and sophisticated lighting. So far, more than a dozen technology and fixture manufacturers have agreed to sponsor this project, which has been simmering in Ron's head since he attended the first CES show in New York in 1967. The 7,500 square foot project (plus three existing rustic cabin guest houses) is being built on a five-acre Honeymoon Cove resort with 500 feet of beach directly across from Konocti Harbor Resort. This summer retreat will host technology gatherings annually, inviting Western states home builders, contractors, and technology consultants for a live open house showcasing the latest in home technologies. There is room to park plenty of boats, so plan on coming up for some lake fun after the project is complete. For more info, send email to ronald@usa.net, or call 707-995-2683. To see the latest photos, visit Ron's Flickr gallery.

We are currently looking for products to evaluate in these areas:

Home automation: lighting, security, and entertainment
A/V technology for the 500 SF home theater media demo room

Hot News on Cool New Features: The ENTIRE front of the home is made of 21 sliding NanaWall glass panels that fold into the walls, opening the entire home up to the lake during demo days.