OLED TVs may be big business for the likes of LG and Samsung at the moment, but Panasonic isn't completely convinced about the technology - especially the 1080p televisions that are on sale at the moment.
At its European conference in Amsterdam, Panasonic revealed to TechRadar that it was monitoring the market for OLED TVs but thought the current crop are "a strange compromise" for the general public.
"We have always said that when OLED comes it is all about 4K," Craig Cunningham, Viera Product Manager at Panasonic told TechRadar.
"The panels out at the moment are only 1080p. This means you are saying to the consumer: 'this is the best panel technology around but you have to accept last generation technology.' It seems like a strange compromise."
On the stand, Panasonic did show off its own 4K OLED panels, interestingly these were both concave and convex, but explained that it is more likely we will see the TVs in a business environment, rather than in people's homes - at least for the moment.
OLED astray
One of the reasons given is how quickly the panels lose their quality, with Cunningham noting: "I've seen OLED from other companies and six months after they have been bought the deterioration in the quality of the panel was phenomenal.
"If we brought that to the market and the consumer is paying the amount of money that OLED costs we just wouldn't be comfortable."
Cunningham did explain that if OLED does indeed become the next big home entertainment revolution, though, Panasonic would be ready.
"What is special about these panels on show is that these are made in Japan by Panasonic. People think that we don't make panels anymore but we have the tools to cut and curve OLED," he revealed.
"When they are ready they will come but we are sitting on the fence as to whether OLED and curves really works.
"If it really takes off we could do it but we are hearing really mixed reviews."
