OLEDs.

Unless there's a big change in my finances for the better though, I suspect its a few years off for me. More here.

[Via Instapundit, who has me very envious this week, as he gets to go to the CES for Pop Mechanics]

I went to the 2007 CES and the sony prototype Oled displays were truly stunning. You just can't imagine how good they look. A year later that is the only thing that still stands out from the show.

The new TV technology is marvelous. It's the content that's a problem.

That 11" screen for $2500 is right in line with the 46" LCD screens just 4 years ago. They were $10K remember! Those are now $1400 with a HDTV tuner on board the set.

If the OLED technology comes down accordingly, it will also push the LCD and plasma stuff lower. That won't be a bad thing. Personally I'm not buying a new TV until the HD broadcast actually begins.

Personally I'm not buying a new TV until the HD broadcast actually begins.

That happened in Palm Beach County a couple years ago.

The TVs may be nice but I'm looking forward more to OLED displays on laptops and portable devices. OLEDs are more energy efficient than backlit LCDs (the only light that's generated is the light that comes off the screen, instead of having much of the light be absorbed by the LCD elements) so that should lead to much better battery life. They are also thinner and lighter than LCDs as well.

Does anyone know what the OLEDs are like in bright sunlight?

I'm thinking cockpit displays.

Rand,
I live under the umbrella of WRAL in NC. They were the first to broadcast HD. But they still have SD.

Until it's ALL in HD, I'm keeping my own old trusty rusty TV sets.

Agreed. I just got a hand-me-down that was itself replaced by a LCD set. As much as I like LCD monitors (the prices are close enough that I doubt I'll ever buy a heavy, clunky CRT again), I'll probably wait on the TV until they shut off analog transmissions (that's scheduled for what, 2005? :).

I've had my eye on OLED since 1999 and is really the technology I've have been holding out for. This is the tech that can potentially provide for paper thin displays. Neat stuff.

This being the first I've heard of OLED (my idea of being an "early adopter" is to get one before it's made obsolete by the next great leap), could someone kindly condescend to fill me in on what the letters stand for, or at least the initial one if "LED" means what it always has?

Organic Light Emitting Diode.

Personally I'm waiting for FED (Field Emission Display) screens. I couldn't remember the name but my Google-fu was strong enough to find it courtesy of Samsung (lots of info on display technologies there).

I first heard about OLEDs about a decade ago in Scientific American so I guess FEDs might be a decade away.

Thanks, HH. Organic, huh? Do they come with carbon-offset coupons?

Doubt it ^_^