So which will be the better video display technology? Nanotube displays or Organic Light Emitting Diodes?
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The 2 articles above each crow about the promise of these technologies, saying that each will lead to higher-resolution video displays which consume much less power.
But if they are in competition with each other, then which will prevail? Which is the better technology? Which will provide better performance? Which will be cheaper?
Do they have any complementarity with each other -- ie. can they be used together, to make an even better video display?
Right now the commercialization of OLEDs is much more advanced. Carbon nanotubes would have to have a considerable advantage to overtake OLED technology. Possible advantages include: lower power, brighter display, easier and cheaper processing.
The articles that you reference compare each of the technologies separately to LCDs and their well documented shortfalls. Current OLED display manufacturing already improves on many of LCDs shortfalls.
In reality OLED have already been made small enough so that overlap technology does not appear necessary for high resolution screens. By making the pixels small enough, say 2 microns, and placing them against each other your eye will not distinguish the difference. Higher resolution is important the closer the screen gets to your eyes. However, the distance is limited by how close you can focus your eyes. Emagin makes a microscreen for defense in-helmet applications. I do not believe their pixels are smaller than 5 microns and I am certain they are not smaller than 3 microns. The overlap technology you mention would have to have other benefits such as ease of manufacturing. This is unlikely though, since you would need to have about 3 times (or more) as many pixels to cover the same area.
Of course for any technology it seems there is always a small market for some sort of space, defense, medical application. Look at all the small chipmakers that are profitable. Making something that is designed to reliably explode generates a constant demand.
Separately, flexible screens have gotten much press. I'm not sure what I would use one for, but someone will think up something pretty nifty, but a what cost, when?
OLED technology is here, much as LCDs started. Even as LCD manufacturers increase output, their demise has been engineered as OLEDs.
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