Sony’s Stringer Shows Next Generation OLED Screen: 0.3 MM Thick, Thinner Than A Credit Card

All Things Digital conference, Sony (SNE) CEO Howard Stringer, who comes out to the opening notes of the song “I think I’m turning Japanese.” He is being interviewed by Walt Mossberg.

Stringer says Sony is the number one seller of LCD TVs in dollars, but not in profits. They did $9 billion in televisions this year, but profit was not as high. He notes that it has become a commoditized business. He says race for market share drives prices down at a rate that is “quite striking.”

Stringer says LCD has plenty of life in it, but is working on OLED, which is very expensive at the moment. First product is in the market place. Costs $2,500 for 11-inch screen. Stringer says he has one on his desk. The screen is so bright; a million-to-one contrast ratio makes it 100 times brighter than an LCD screen. Stringer is showing the next generation screen, which is 0.3 mm wide, thinner than a credit card. And you can make a flexible plastic version. He says there will be 27-inch version “fairly soon,” and it will be “fairly expensive.”

• Stringer says they are making and selling their OLED panels; working very hard to figure out how to mass produce it. When they do, it is a winner.
• On game console business: Stringer says the model has been lose money for long time, then make money on software, and then on the hardware. He says they are coming up to break-even on the hardware for PS/3, and making money on the software. Now number one in the U.K. Has life beyond that of video game; working on Playstation network for later this year. Beginning to generate its own excitement.
• He says they won the Blu-Ray/HD-DVD war in part because of the ability to play Blu-Ray titles on the PS3. Stringer says the company did NOT write a lot of big checks to the studios to get them to back Blu-ray. (Unlike the HD-DVD camp.)
• Walt is asking: How many years of value does Sony get for winning the high-def format war, given the move to digital download. Stringer says there is a long lead time. Downloading and streaming will be way to get video, but he says it will be a long time before you can get Blu-Ray quality that way. Stringer says if they had lost the format war, the headline would have been “Betamax 2.” So they did not want that to happen.
• Stringer says the movie theater is not going to die, as a shared experience. He notes that not every home will have a 70-inch Bravia, and even if they do, “you aren’t going to want to watch it with your mother.”
• On PCs, they had their best year ever last year, Stringer says. Mossberg notes they are low market share; Stringer says they are an elegant computer manufacturer. Mossberg says that the Vaio is loaded with “craplets, littered with half-baked programs.” It had 3 Sony-produced movies, but you had to pay $15 to watch them, Mossberg says. Stringer says he promises to do a “craplets review.”
• On music players: they are focused on phones. Stringer says they are doing more and more downloading relationships; you can get Usher downloads exclusively from Sony BMG on Sony Ericsson phones.
• Mossberg is wondering if standalone music and video players will eventually go away in favor of music and video capable phones. Stringer says there is room for 2 or 3 devices.

Sony Invests $203.5M in OLED

 TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony Corp said on Tuesday it will spend 22 billion yen ($203.5 million) to develop technology to make medium to large organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels.Sony launched the world’s first TV using such panels in November at a price of 200,000 yen.OLED displays use organic, or carbon-containing, compounds that emit light when electricity is applied. Unlike liquid crystal display panels they do not need backlighting, making OLED TVs slimmer and more energy-efficient.

Just 3 mm thick, the new TV consumes 40 percent less power than a comparable LCD set and is suitable for watching fast-moving images such as sports programs because of its quick response time. It also offers bright colors and a wide viewing angle.

But it is technologically difficult at the moment to make large OLED panels. Sony’s existing OLED TV has an 11-inch screen, or roughly as large as two CD cases put side by side.

Shares in Sony, which competes with Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Sharp Corp in LCD TVs, ended Tuesday trade up 2.2 percent at 5,010 yen, outperforming the Tokyo stock market’s electrical machinery index, which gained 1.1 percent.

[CES 2008] Sony Debuts First OLED Television in the United States

LAS VEGAS (CES BOOTH 14200) Sony today announced the availability of the industry’s first Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) television in the United States.

The 11-inch (measured diagonally) XEL-1 model is just about 3 millimeters thin and offers picture quality with extremely high contrast, outstanding brightness, exceptional color reproduction, and a rapid response time.

“The launch of an OLED TV is one of the most important industry landmarks,” said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division. “Not only does the technology change the form factor of television, it delivers flawless picture quality that will soon become the standard against which all TVs are measured.”

Under development for more than 10 years, Waynick said OLED displays not only offer a striking form factor, they deliver “unmatched performance” in key picture quality categories. With its light-emitting structure, OLED displays can prevent light emission when reproducing shades of black, resulting in very deep blacks and a contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1. The lack of a backlight allows the device to control all phases of light emission from zero to peak brightness. The innovative technology delivers exceptional color expression and detail without wasting power, so it is an exceptional energy-saver.

The OLED display panel uses extremely low power levels since the light-emitting structure of the panel eliminates the need for a separate light source. As a result, OLED panels can be up to 40 percent more efficient per panel inch compared with a conventional 20-inch LCD panel. Additionally, since OLED displays create their own light, any mercury associated with traditional backlighting is eliminated.

Sony’s unique “Super Top Emission” technology features a wide aperture ratio producing high brightness and efficiency allowing the TV to deliver an accurate picture. The device’s proprietary color filter and micro cavity structure allow it to reproduce natural colors — even in darker scenes — and more faithfully recreate the colors that were originally intended.

Since OLED technology can spontaneously turn the light emitted from the organic materials layer on and off when an electric current is applied, it features rapid response times for smooth, natural reproduction of fast-moving content like sports and action scenes in movies.

Sony’s new OLED TV features the latest connectivity options, including two HDMI inputs and a Memory Stick® slot for viewing high-resolution photos.

The inaugural model is also DMeX compatible so consumers can add BRAVIA Internet Video Link service (as well as other modules under development). Using a broadband connection, the module streams select Internet video for no charge from content providers directly to the television without a computer. Current BRAVIA Internet Video Link content partners include CBS and FEARnet.com — which were announced today — Yahoo!, AOL, Crackle, CondéNet, Sports Illustrated, blip.tv, and Sony Pictures.

The XEL-1 OLED TV is now available for about $2,500. Initially, it will be in limited supply at Sony Style® retail stores nationwide.