AMOLED Screens Explained

AMOLED or Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode is yet another technology adopted in the consumer electronic industry to provide quality display screens. It is a combination of cathode, anode and organic compounds. The organic light emitting diodes are self luminous. The plastic based material used for the screen will be sprayed with layers of organic compounds. By virtue of this process, Amoled screens are cheaper than CRT, LCD and PDP categories. These screens are much thinner than the above mentioned conventional screens. The system is now widely used in all devices like television, computer, cell phones and PDAs apart from general purpose illumination, advertisements and more.

Amoled screens have many advantages over other categories of display screens. Unlike Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens, these screens do not require backlight because of the self luminous diodes. And for that reason it consumes almost fifty percent less power than its counterparts. As such it is well suited for portable devices which operate on battery power. Amoled screens are comparatively cheaper and are ideal medium for large sized display screens. Further they are environment friendly as well. And there is no problem like burn-in^*1 as in the case of plasma screens.

Other remarkable advantages of Amoled screens are the superb colour reproduction and brightness that are qualitatively superior to LCD and Plasma screens. Its exceptionally good contrast ratio and wider viewing angles are attributed to the self emitting light of the diodes. Enhanced refresh rates of Amoled screens is a positive factor to point out. These screens do not develop motion lag because of the faster response rate provided.

However, there is a lacuna that is casting aspersion on the reputation of the Amoled screens. Its longevity is considerably lower than LCD and Plasma screens. When LCD and Plasma screens are having life spans of 60,000 hours, Amoled screens have only 14,000 hours of longevity. Another anomaly is that the product will aggravate ophthalmic ailments of viewers. Leading manufacturers like Toshiba and Panasonic have worked out solutions to the longevity problems of the Amoled screens. The trouble shooters have identified suitable technology to enhance the lifespan of the new product on par with LCD and Plasma. Other market leaders like Sony and Samsung have also introduced improved versions of the product. More corrective measures are being undertaken by the manufacturers to make Amoled screen more consumer friendly. As a cheaper alternative to other technologies adopted in the display screens, its market potential in the future scenario will be remarkable. In the case of compact mobile devices Amoled screens will be able to reign supreme because of the cost effectiveness as well as the eco friendly characteristics.

burn-in^*1 – Though AMOLED is said to not suffer from image retention, some experts do mention that AMOLED screens are NOT totally free from the issue of image sticking. However, certain technologies have been developed in the recent past, which promise to eliminate screen burn-in. IGNIS’ MaxLife(TM) solution is an example.