September 21, 2007

Portable DVD Player From The Future

Back in May, Sony unveiled a revolutionary new type of screen for electronic devices. Called organic electroluminescent display (OLED), the screen is paper-thin and is actually flexible as it is made of a malleable glass substrate. The screen, which uses TFT technology to maintain picture clarity and screen thickness when bent, has now been utilized by designer Yeon-shin Seung to create a rather futuristic looking portable DVD player.

Because the screen is flexible, the player is very thin and shaped more like a chocolate bar than the usual thicker, boxy designs typical of portable DVD players up until now. The DVD player is split into two halves much like the typical models, but rather than flipping the screen up you twist the top layer so the two halves are perpendicular to each other and the screen unfolds. The DVD slips into an open tray in the back and there you go. Hard to visualize I know, but take a look at the pictures below for some guidance.

While this product is a prototype at the moment, look for portable DVD players to be the next step in the utilization of OLED technology. There have been prototypes of OLED TVs for three or four years now, but screen life has been a major drawback to putting these products on the market. However, technologies with smaller screens such as MP3 players have been using OLED for awhile. Pay attention to this technology. As engineers learn more about it, look for it in the television screens of the future.

Via Yanko Design