Consumer Reports: OLED TV's will change the picture of the television industry

NEW YORK (WABC) -- TV manufacturers are phasing out plasma television, so we're left mainly with LCD television.

They're very popular, but Consumer Reports says an emerging technology called OLED is really going to shake up the television industry.

The head of TV testing for Consumer Reports says it's the best display technology out there, combining the best features of plasmas and LCD's.

"What we like about OLED is that it delivers on the deep black levels and unlimited viewing angles that we've come to expect from the best plasmas. At the same time it delivers on the power efficiency, super-thin bezel design and also the bright picture that we've come to expect from LCD TVs," said Claudio Ciacci of Consumer Reports.

OLED stands for organic light emitting diodes. Organic refers to the layer of carbon film, which emits light when hit with an electric current.

"We're running the LG through our usual battery of tests and so far it's delivering on the core performance we're really expecting from this technology. But we're also looking at color accuracy, the reproduction of fine detail and the ability to reproduce shades of grey, especially the near black ones. And there we're seeing some subtle issues. But overall the picture is really terrific," said Ciacci.

OLED TV's started out very expensive. For example, a Samsung was $10,000 last year. Others were even more. But prices are coming down. The LG now in Consumer Reports lab is $3,500.

"We expect to see continued improvements in OLED technology, more manufacturers to enter the OLED TV business in the next year or so and prices to continue to fall," said Jim Willcox of Consumer Reports.

Also coming soon, the marriage of OLED and ultra high-def television that Consumer Reports expects will make a great picture even better.