Rohm brings super-bright OLED out of the shadows, literally
By Samuel Axon 
posted Oct 8th 2008 1:59PM
posted Oct 8th 2008 1:59PM
Kyoto-based company Rohm impressed us at last year's CEATEC with a mega-tiny OLED display but it didn't rest on its laurels. A larger prototype exhibited this year emitted ambient light at 3,000 to 4,000cd/m² and a brief flash at 100,000cd/m² -- that's respectively 10 and 250 times the brightness of a typical LCD display. But the impressive bit was this: nothing illuminated cast a shadow. Obviously a light like that is a poor match for a haunted house or romantic restaurant, but surgeons use shadowless lamps at the operating table, so there are applications. The short shelf life of OLED materials is still a nagging disadvantage, but as Dr. Eldon Tyrell would say: "the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very, very brightly." Then again, he was talking about cybernetic killing machines, so, maybe not such a great endorsement.[Thanks, Erik]
ha loved the reference
me too! I actually saw Blade Runner for the first time the other night...
Well... it's very important for ome jobs that it doesn't cast shadows. I like how OLED is slowly turning into a reality; a good looking one.
It really is the ideal display. DLP, LCD, and CRT are all... they're complicated. OLED is just, you get the light that you want, period.
..my room is lit by LED, 10W total.. it's nice.
Nerd nitpick alert:
Replicants aren't cybernetic killing machines.
They're genetically engineered killing machines.
Hm.. cool name
How the hell do "shadowless lamps work?
Are they redefining physics? I am actually quite curious... I want to see it for myself.
That's what she said.
Yeah, I'd like to know too.
By creating a very diffuse light source. Think of it as the opposite of a laser, which creates parallel light rays.
I believe these are more common than you may realize. Ever seen one of those large magnifyer-lamp combos? Sorta have a ring-shaped bulb/bulb arrangement in order to put light on/around/ your subject. Probably not perfectly "shadowless" but alot of them are billed as such. Just do a quick google for it. Most of what you'll run across are operating theater lamps, though (similar principle).
I think in operating theatres they simply shine from a large area, obliviating shadow (kind of). This is a panel, so shadow will be minimised. But all light casts a shadow, just soft or hard shadows.
More or less, yes. Panel = large area (compared to a standard single-bulb, anyway). This just puts out more indirect light from a smaller area than a typical op. theater setup would. At least, thats what it looks like.
is OLED a viable technology for onboard camera flashbulbs? if they can make them super thin, then you can have a flash source on multiple places on the camera, perhaps making harsh shadows less of a problem?
There are various methods for diffusing flash and eliminating or limiting shadows. Google up "ring flash" or "macro flash" and you'll see some examples. Flash can be used creatively, and shadows let you see detail. completely diffuse, flat lighting isn't what you want all the time.
From every experience I've had with LED lighting (which is quite a bit), I've found the problem of sustained brightness in fixtures like this. While it is true that the LED element may last 50,000 hours, if they overdrive the voltage to attain the high initial brightness, the fixture will suffer from dimming in a fairly short amount of time.
Just buy 2 'cheap' LED flashlights. Use one until its batteries die. Replace the batteries and compare it to the brightness of the second light (which you haven't used). You'll see the brightness is about 50% of the other, even though the batteries are both brand new.
So far there's only been 1 or 2 LED fixtures that I've found to maintain their lumens, and they're both made in the US. Cree lighting has some great lamps for recessed lighting - I've been running a number of them 24/7 for a bit over a year now. Just don't use them in your home theater area, as their ability to dim is less than ideal.
So YOU'RE the one responsible for the energy crisis. Good to know. :-D
I believe the 'shadowless' feature is because it's such a large area light source. Photographers use light boxes to provide the same effect. No physics violations involved.
There was absolutely nothing cybernetic about Roy Batty. He was a clone, not a robot. If you're going to drop obscure references, drop them with a clue.
Bonus points if it whispers "time to die" right before giving out.
Does anyone know if OLEDs allow for dimming or are they like regular LEDs?
I would guess they would need to be dimable to be usable in screens but maybe they sandwich some other material across them to allow for that which wouldn't make it to regular lighting fixtures.
☢
Well, they didn't mentioned about the OLED life vs. brightness though and the heat it will generates.
And if heats will affect their color/life... like the LED