Sony has its 11-inch XEL-1 OLED TV. Samsung and Panasonic are reportedly working on energy-efficient OLED displays. And according to research firm DisplaySearch, the market for the more energy-efficient OLED displays will grow 167-percent in the next eight years, far more than hot technologies such as LCD TVs, mini-note PCs and digital picture frames. 

Eight years may be the magic number. The Japanese government recently said it will support Sony, Sharp Corp., Matsushita and other domestic companies in joint development of OLED displays, with the plan to develop a 40-inch OLED display—sometime after 2015.

We almost can’t wait.

Steven Castle - Contributing Writer

Steven Castle is Electronic House's managing editor. he has been writing about consumer electronics, homes and energy efficiency topics for two decades. He is also the co-founder of GreenTech Advocates.