That's definitely the biggest OLED screen I've heard of. Of course, the individual panels are a bit of a cheat—and mean you only see a red, green and blue matrix until you're at least 2 feet away—but Mitsubishi imagines the tech being curved around buildings, trains and buses in Japan.

OLED screens are capable of much higher resolutions than regular stadium-style LED displays, but have two fatal flaws. They're super expensive, and OLED degrades. The expected life of an OLED panel is only about 20,000 hours (roughly 2.5 years for a 24/7 advertisement). Gorgeous as they are, that expense is why you're not reading this on an OLED screen right now. [OLED-Display.Net and Network World]

Things, with dollars! It's a story, in two parts: enjoy.

From March, here:

[M]anufacturers are being faced with two equally unattractive (read: expensive) options for building TV-sized OLED TVs, like the one Samsung showed off last year: either devise an entirely new manufacturing process, which would require the invention of new techniques and machines for fabrication, or pursue a different type of OLED panel. Both options would circumvent the current size restrictions, but both options are extremely expensive.

The investments necessary to manufacters a legitimately "next-gen," i.e. either reasonably priced or reasonably sized, OLED, are extremely high, and difficult to muster capital for in this economy. This alone could've explained Sony's delay, but then we have this, today, from the WSJ:

Sony will delay the launch of its next organic light emitting diode, or OLED, television because mass producing the new displays would exacerbate losses at its TV division, according to people familiar with the matter.

It's not just that developing the fabrication processes to build larger OLED TVs is too expensive—it's that so far, and probably for some time into the future, OLED TVs are and will be money-losing prestige products. And right now, Sony can't afford prestige products.

The WSJ points to Samsung and LG as the companies to fill the OLED void, but neither company has been overly enthusiastic about the technology, at least on a TV scale, for the last few months. Idealistic vision of the future, circa 2007? Deeeeee—layed. [WSJ]

According to Aving.net, the company will begin mass production of the sheets later next year. Each sheet is expected to retail for $212. It's kind of expensive, especially if that price is just for the sheet in the picture, but that's par for the course with new tech – I'm just excited OLED sheets are finally stepping out of the research lab. [OLED Display]

Many skin cancers are currently treated by a combo of light and drugs (called photodynamic therapy), but current light sources are large and the therapy requires lengthy hospital visits. Lumicure Ltd. Is looking to use OLEDs in the treatment instead.

The OLEDs would be attached to sticking plaster that can be placed on the diseased skin. Not only will it be more comfortable, the patient could possibly do the therapy from home. Lumicure says it'll have the device out by Q4 of 2009, and that they're working on something similar to treat acne as well. [Printed Electronics via OLED info]

The researchers said they were able to get better lifetime ratings after identifying a flexible, highly impermeable barrier layer, which helps keep the OLED screen from degrading because of oxygen and water. Flexible, amazingly thin and with a very decent lifespan? It sounds like we're two steps closer to handing out Young Lady's Illustrated Primers. [AVS Symposium via Slashgear]

The panel comes with 2GB of built-in internal memory, but includes an additional built-in memory card reader and a USB port. In case that's not enough, the panel can also link up to internet content from Kodak Gallery, Flickr and FrameChannel. If you've got about $1000 to spare, look out for it in the "cool gadgets for rich people" section of your neighborhood electronics store this holiday season.

Unmatched Image Quality from Any Viewing Angle Delivered by Kodak-invented OLED Technology

ROCHESTER, NY, September 17, 2008 – Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) today introduced the world's first consumer-available wireless picture frame featuring innovative Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology, a Kodak invention that produces exceptionally sharp and vivid image quality. The frame will be on display at the Kodak booth (Hall 5.2) at Photokina.

OLED technology generates greater color depth and saturation than other displays, viewed on panels that are substantially thinner, resulting in a sleek, low-profile design.

The new KODAK OLED Wireless Frame also features built-in Wi-Fi technology that expands the user's experience by enabling access to pictures, videos and music stored on PCs in other rooms, as well as connectivity to online photo and video sharing sites and Internet content portals for news, weather, sports and more.

At the heart of the new KODAK OLED Wireless Frame is an ultra-thin, 7.6-inch diagonal digital panel that produces stunning image detail, when viewed from any angle. The viewing experience is further enhanced by Kodak Perfect Touch technology, which automatically processes images to improve exposure, brightness and color, and KODAK Image Science, which optimizes image quality for display on OLED panels.

"We're tremendously proud to introduce this exciting new picture frame," says Pete Jameson, General Manager, Digital Devices Group, Eastman Kodak Company. "Kodak is a worldwide market and technology leader in digital picture frames, and OLED technology was created by Kodak, making us uniquely positioned to bring the benefits of OLED to consumers."

Kodak's extensive achievements in OLED development and innovation were recently recognized by a 2008 Technology Leadership Award from business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

"In addition to spectacular image quality, the new frame's Wi-Fi connectivity delivers rich experiences that clearly demonstrate Kodak's commitment to help people unleash the power of their personal content," Jameson adds.

The KODAK OLED Wireless Frame requires no backlighting, and incorporates an ambient light sensor that optimizes the viewing experience by adjusting display brightness based on the surrounding light. Kodak has also designed a premium audio system into the frame, providing outstanding sound reproduction when enjoying videos, digital music and online content.

"Experiencing your memories easily and vibrantly is what KODAK Digital Frames are all about – people want their images to look their best," says Jameson. "Our new OLED frame represents a broad and dynamic future for an exciting new generation of KODAK products that deliver unsurpassed image quality and unprecedented clarity and color in capturing and reliving life's moments."

Benefits delivered by the KODAK OLED Wireless Frame:

· Enjoy spectacularly crisp images and videos on a 7.6-inch diagonal OLED screen, with 180° viewing angle.
· Experience extraordinary color, rich details and vivid image depth from the high-contrast luminous display (white to black ratio = >30,000:1)
· Experience high quality, lifelike video playback with sharp, seamless motion
· Upload images and videos to the frame from a digital camera, memory cards, USB drives, or wirelessly from personal computers and the Internet via built-in Wi-Fi capability.
· Transfer pictures from a PC to a KODAK OLED Wireless Frame even more effortlessly with the new KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Display Software. In addition to organizing and editing pictures, this software makes it easy to move favorite pictures, slideshows, videos and music wirelessly from a computer directly onto the frame. Digital Display Software also enables access to exciting Internet content available at KODAK Gallery, and Kodak partners Flickr and FrameChannel.
· Store up to 10,000 images* on the frame's 2 GB of built-in internal memory (actual storage capacity will vary based on image content).
· Enjoy pictures and videos from many sources with built-in memory card reader and USB port.
· Wide screen display with 16:9 aspect ratio and 800x480 resolution.

Pricing and Availability

The KODAK OLED Wireless Frame will retail for US $999 (MSRP) and will be available at kodak.com beginning in the 2008 holiday season, with additional online and retail distribution to be announced.