OLED technology in TV applications allows displays to be thinner, more energy efficient and provide brighter colors than existing LCD and plasma displays. Global demand for OLED TVs is estimated to grow by 1400 percent, to 2.8 million units, by 2012, compared to a 40 percent growth in the same time period for LCD TVs, though their total by 2012 is pegged at 178.9 million.

Sony already offers an OLED TV in Japan and North America with the $2,500, 11-inch XEL-1, though its small size and high price tag does not make it a viable alternative to larger plasma or LCD displays. At 3mm thick, the display is nonetheless thinner than the equivalent from either existing technology.

With Europe and North America as the top two largest markets for Sony LCD TVs, the new OLED TVs would be expected in the US and Canada not far behind the European launch.