Samsung's 50-inch OLED TV to debut at CES?

Next-gen OLED technology, like the Sony XEL-1, comes at a price
Next-gen OLED technology, like the Sony XEL-1, comes at a price

TechRadar is always excited by new and emerging technology, and our thoughts on OLED are no different.

The only problem we have with the flexible flat-panel tech is that screen sizes have been too small. That is, until now.

Samsung has announced that it may show off its 50-inch OLED TV at next year's Consumer Electronics Show in January.

While the telly is big in picture size, it's positively waif-like in build, utilising the super-skinny OLED technology.

Price problem

Just because the OLED TV may be getting an airing, however, doesn't mean that you will be able to have one for your living room any time soon.

Samsung is still very much dedicated to LCD technology, but the company is tentatively dipping its toes in next-gen waters.

Speaking about the flat-panel OLED, Samsung's Vice President of flat panel development, HS Kim, spoke to What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine about the problems the company is facing when it comes to pricing its OLED TVs: "We can make larger displays, and we may demonstrate a larger OLED TV at the CES show in January, though we haven't decided yet.

"I'm sure that if we marketed such a set at 10 times the price of current LCD TVs, which is what it would be now, no-one would buy it."

Er, in these credit-crunching times, we think he's got a bit of a point. Still, there's no harm in dreaming.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.