Sony and Panasonic OLED TV Partnership?

A very brief Reuters article popped up this week which dropped a huge bomb on the television industry. Well, at least to those of us following the progress of OLED TV technology. Sony and Panasonic are both rivals... and both located in Japan, which means that when the two of them get together, world domination cannot be far behind (OK, maybe that was a bit overdramatic). But still, it's now being reported that the companies will announce an agreement next week to mass produce next-gen OLED (organic light emitting diode) televisions. The article cited two "sources" that were not disclosed, for obvious reasons.

Apparently, both Sony and Panasonic are working together on a way to jointly develop the OLED technology at a price point that will be affordable to consumers. Based on Sony's experience with their first two OLED televisions - they need all the help they can get. This is particularly important since Korean-based Samsung and LG Electronics are working on their own solutions and they have, in the past, proved that price-slashing in order to get into the market is a viable business model. For those with a short memory, Samsung only (more or less) entered the flat panel TV market with gusto in 2006 - and is now one the companies that constantly vies for the top spot in US sales. 

Both Sony and Panasonic have been working hard to aggressively produce technology that could produce reliable high-quality OLED screens using sprays or inkjet printer technology. Panasonic has already invested nearly $400 million on a test production line in Japan. If this is a race, the stakes just got higher - but so did the likelihood of OLED becoming an affordable technology in the near future.