In the future, commuters will be shuttled around in self-driving cars, and couch potatoes will be able to peel their TVs off of walls.
LG Display (LPL)showed off its newest, thinnest-ever TV panel at a press event in South Korea Tuesday. The 55-inch display is about as thin as a DVD and weighs less than a 13-inch MacBook Pro, which is 4.5 pounds, or 2 kilograms. It can be hung on a wall using a special magnetic mat.
Amazing as it is, the ultra thin TV is only a proof of concept for now -- you won't find it in a Best Buy near you anytime soon. But it shows the potential of OLED, the technology that makes it possible to make high definition displays flexible, thin and lightweight.
At the press event, the head of LG Display's OLED group told reporters the company would increase its OLED production this year.
OLED displays are made from sheets of organic (carbon-based) materials which emit their own light. As a result, manufacturers can eliminate the layer of fluorescent backlighting found in traditional displays, such as LCD screens.
LG and Samsung sell several OLED TV models already, but they cost thousands of dollars, and aren't nearly as thin. It might take another five years for the prices to come down in order for larger OLED displays to be commercially viable, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The real benefit of OLED technology will most likely be realized within wearables, digital cameras, smartwatches, tablets and mobile devices. The malleable technology provides more saturated colors, higher contrast and greater brightness than LCD displays.
