Sony, Panasonic join forces on OEL TVs

Japan’s Sony and Panasonic are in talks on a partnership to produce large organic electroluminescence (OEL) televisions to vie with their South Korean rivals, a report said yesterday.

Through the tie-up, they hope to accelerate the development of large OEL televisions, which consume less power and offer a sharper picture than conventional flat panels, the Nikkei Daily said.

OEL is widely expected to be the dominant technology in the next generation of televisions.

Both firms aim to commercialize OEL TVs by fiscal 2015, and their tie-up could eventually lead to joint production, the report said without citing sources.

The partnership would mark the first time that the rivals have joined hands in a core business, in a major turning point for the struggling Japanese electronics industry. Korean firms Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics plan to release 55-inch OEL TVs this year.

Sony and Panasonic hope to devise a low-cost, high-yield manufacturing technique by bringing their technologies together, the Nikkei said. AFP