Sony Suspends OLED Development

The electronics giant has reportedly pulled back from developing OLED displays. 

According to a report from Nikkei, Sony has put its commercial OLED development on hold. The company had previously announced the termination of a joint OLED partnership with Panasonic back in December. While Sony had originally intended to continue development on its own, it seems as if those plans have now changed.

OLED televisions offer many benefits over traditional LCD technology, including superior black levels, better contrast, and fast response times. Unfortunately, the display tech is prone to low yield rates, expensive manufacturing costs and lifespan challenges, and Sony does not currently see enough demand for the product to warrant continued development. Instead, the company will continue to focus on LCD Ultra HD TVs, where it is the industry leader in the global 4K market.

For now, LG remains the only major display company committed to OLED tech. The 55EA9800 curved-screen OLED and 55EA8800 flat-screen OLED are currently available and the company plans to release more models later this year. Meanwhile, Sony's 2014 lineup of LCD 4K displays are now up for pre-order, including the XBR49X850B, the XBR55X850B, the XBR65X850B, and the XBR70X850B.

Source: Nikkei via Engadget

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