The OLED TV era has arrived! The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the start of 4K/8K broadcasting will accelerate the replacement of OLED TVs.

＜prologue＞

I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.

So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.

It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.

It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.

If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.

I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.

my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています

my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49）さん / X

There are three types of “flat-panel TV” image display methods. Plasma TVs,” which first appeared on the market, are the ”originators of large-screen flat-panel TVs. Subsequently, as LCD panels became larger and cheaper by leaps and bounds, “liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs” came to dominate the market. LCD technology has also advanced in the direction of higher resolution, and with the advent of the 4K era, plasma has disappeared, and LCD has become the mainstream.

Recently, however, new “OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)” TVs have started to replace “LCD” TVs. With the arrival of the “4K” and “8K” TV era (satellite broadcasting will start in December 2018) with its ultra-clear picture quality, the times seem to have changed from “LCD” to “OLED”. OLED TVs” should be called ”the third flat-panel TV.”

With the Tokyo Olympics coming up next year, replacement purchases of “ultra-large screen” OLED TVs such as 55v, 65v, and 77v models are expected to accelerate.

The number of 4K/8K TV shipments reached 1.5 million units in the January-July period of 2019, and the rush demand before the consumption tax hike seems to be providing a tailwind, and we expect the increase in purchases to continue until the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

In this article, I would like to explain the differences between OLED TVs and LCD TVs, and also introduce “OLED TVs from various companies.

１．OLED TVs and LCD TVs

(1) Differences between OLED TVs and LCD TVs

Conventional “LCD TVs” use a “backlight” (light illuminating the LCD from the back) to project images onto the display (screen). When the TV is turned on, light emitted from behind the display illuminates the screen through various filters, including color filters, to project images.

In contrast, “OLED TVs” have a completely different structure.

OLED TVs are devices that utilize the same physical phenomenon that causes fireflies to glow on summer nights, called electro-luminescence (OLED). Light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are made of organic compounds, each of which is an independent element that glows.

In other words, it features “self-luminescence” in which “sub-pixels” (sub-pixels) of “RGB” (R for red, G for green, and B for blue) glow independently.

Therefore, it can achieve “jet black,” which is completely real black, whereas LCD TVs cannot completely block light leakage from the backlight, resulting in faded colors or a dimmer, brighter display of areas that should be black and a loss of contrast.

(2) Merits and demerits of OLED TVs

(1) Merit

In addition to its superior “picture quality,” OLED TVs are attractive for their “ultra-thin, cool appearance” that allows them to be affixed to walls.

(2) Disadvantages

① Relatively expensive” and ”few choices, including screen sizes.

② OLED TVs are suitable if the room lighting is dark enough and “visual beauty is a priority,” but LCD TVs are suitable if you want to see bright and clear images in a bright living room with direct sunlight.

２．OLED TVs from various companies

(1) LG

South Korea’s “LG” took the lead in the development and production of OLED panels within the group, and was the first to launch LG-branded TVs in Japan. Although expensive at first, the price has become comparable to that of high-end type LCD TVs due to technological improvements and expansion of production scale. Sizes include 55V, 65V, and 77V models.

LG also sells OLED panels externally, and Japanese manufacturers such as Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba have adopted them.

（２）Sony (BRAVIA)

The “4K” models come in 55V, 65V, and 77V sizes.

（３）Panasonic

The “4K” models come in 55V and 65V sizes.

（４）Toshiba (REGZA)

The “4K” models come in 55V and 65V sizes.

３．What are “4K” and “8K”?

By the way, “4K” has become the norm for “OLED TVs,” but let us explain what these “4K” and “8K” are in simple terms.

(1) Number of pixels

Conventional TV broadcasting (digital full high definition) is called “2K.

The number of pixels in “2K” is approximately 2.07 million (1,920 horizontal × 1,080 vertical). It is called “2K” because the number of pixels in the horizontal direction is 1,920 (approximately 2,000 pixels).

4K” has approximately 8.29 million pixels (38,440 horizontal × 2,160 vertical). (about 4 times as many as “2K”)

8K” has approximately 33.18 million pixels (7,680 horizontal × 4,320 vertical). (Approximately 16 times that of “2K”)

(2) Features of 4K and 8K

Wide color gamut: The range of colors that can be expressed is greatly expanded.

High-speed display of images: Enables “blur-free” and “smooth” expression of fast-moving images.

Multi-gradation: Smoother changes in color and brightness for more natural expression.

Brightness: Greatly expands the range of brightness that can be expressed in images.

4K/8K” is also called ‘Ultra High Definition Television’ (Super Hi-Vision) broadcasting, with more pixels for higher density and ‘HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology’ for a much more beautiful image than 2K.

In addition, 8K broadcasts will have 22.2 multi-channels, which will allow viewers to experience realistic sound as if they were in the same place.

Now you can easily experience the vividness, definition, and beauty of the “4K” “OLED TV” images when you visit an electronics retail store, and we encourage everyone to experience and see it.

<Note added on 11/1/2019: The issue of many complaints about “dark 4K TVs”.

There was a shocking report in Toyo Keizai ONLINE dated 11/1/2019, “The outrageous impact of that 4K TV being ‘dark’ Many products are being shipped with insufficient brightness.

The 4K8K satellite broadcasting started in December 2018, but many 4K TV buyers have complained that the screen is too dark and that it is too dark to tell if it is even clear.

Shiro Matsuda, who wrote this article, compared 4K broadcasting with 2K broadcasting and interviewed dozens of engineers and experts from manufacturers and BS broadcasters, and found that the primary cause is that “a significant number of 4K TVs sold so far are not sufficiently capable of accurately representing the brightness and vividness of 4K images. Simply put, “the maximum brightness is insufficient, resulting in a dark and unclear screen.

The question is how much “luminance” (unit: nit <nit>) is necessary. In video editing for programs, a “master monitor” with a maximum luminance of 1,000 nits is used. However, the majority of 4K TVs that receive images produced by broadcasters via satellite have a maximum brightness of much less than 1,000 nits.

Of the five major Japanese manufacturers (Toshiba, Panasonic, Sony, Sharp, and Mitsubishi Electric), only Toshiba (500-800 nits) has announced its maximum brightness, while the other four companies have not.

According to interviews with several TV engineers and others, the maximum brightness of major 4K TVs sold so far is around 300-800 nits, with many models actually being around 500 nits.

The second cause is that many 4K broadcast programs on the five commercial TV stations are shot with “2K cameras,” and when video shot with 2K cameras is “up-converted” to 4K video, “it tends to be a less bright 4K image.

The third cause is that “conventional 2K TVs are too bright. Regular 2K TV broadcast screens are said to appear much brighter than during the video production stage.

The combination of these factors seems to have resulted in the complaint that “4K TVs are ‘too dark.

We hope that the major manufacturers will quickly improve the technology to increase the maximum brightness and make the price more affordable.

LGエレクトロニクス OLED55E9PJA 55V型 4K対応 BS・CS 4Kチューナー内蔵有機ELテレビ