Forget the squabbling over which format of mobile device will be successful in the coming years–ultrabook, tablet, smartphone–OLED is the future, and this year you’ll be able to buy one in a 55-inch size. Both Samsung and LG’s OLED displays were impressive, with Samsung the most visually striking thanks to a superior reel of demo program material. It’s indisputable that OLED offers amazing picture qualty, beginning with the potential for absolute black levels, wide viewing angles, and near-instantaneous response times.
We picked the LG 55EM9600 as our favorite device from this year’s show, but it doesn’t mean that LG can rest on its laurels and just release any old rubbish. We saw prototypes from both Korean companies, and there is still a bit of work to do to get them ready for market–specs on both displays were scarce at the show, and of course pricing wasn’t announced. I’m guessing somewhere in the US$8,000 range.
While OLED has been on the cards for many years, the only surprise TV technology shown this year was from Sony–the LED-based Crystal Display. Displayed without pomp or ceremony on the main floor, the Crystal Display features six million tiny LEDs in a miniaturized version of sporting scoreboards. The picture looked pretty good compared to the LCD placed next to it, but it didn’t have the pop we saw from the competitive OLEDs. Possibility it will ever be released? Probably good…eventually. Possibility it will be commercially successful? Never.
First computers and then telephones got bitten by the dual-core bug, and now we’re sorry to say: So have TVs. No one cares about the processor in a TV; it’s not a big deal. People hated computers in their lounge rooms and that’s why home theater PCs never took off. Reminding them there’s one in their TVs will only arouse the angry mob with firebrands and pitchforks.
Think that plasma is dead? Samsung reckons it’ll be around till 2020 and it keeps getting better. While we haven’t seen a plasma yet that matches the too-good-for-this-world Kuro, all three plasma makers (Panasonic, Samsung and LG) boasted improved black levels and other specs for their 2012 TVs.
The biggest disappointments from this year? Sony has been hurting, and this has caused the company to pull back on the reins. Its CES press conference was filled with more guest stars than actual technology, but still managed to announce its smallest range of TVs in years. While the top-end TVs have the new Gorilla Glass, there hasn’t been any innovation from the company in two years–the Crystal TV notwithstanding.
We were also puzzled by Panasonic’s bizarre press conference. A 10-minute music montage followed by 40 minutes of droming about green principles, a blink-and-you’d-miss it slide that said, “here are some plasmas,” and then Justin Timberlake (who once played the founder of Napster) announced “MySpace TV.” …
Source: CNET Asia
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