DisplaySearch, a display-market research firm, has a report out on characterization of the active matrix OLED (AMOLED) technology in the Sony set and the news is not encouraging.

It turns out that the RGB architecture is very sensitive to the image, and it has a 5,000-hour lifetime for white and a 17,000-hour lifetime for the typical video image--well below the Sony's published specifications, according to the report.

Moreover the panel suffers from differential aging: After 1,000 hours the blue luminance degraded by 12 percent, the red by 7 percent and the green by 8 percent, said the report.

Other key findings include:

The sub-pixel architecture includes two TFTs and two capacitors. The pixel architecture does not use a common support layer, as the materials and thickness are different. The micro cavity structure results in multiple reflection interference. The brightness is severely reduced in high-ambient conditions. The black levels are less than 0.01 cd/m, lower than any other display (PDP or LCD) currently on the market. The top emission design includes a color filter and a circular polarizer. The cathode is semi transparent. The design includes a unique approach to cooling the OLED.

DisplaySearch analysts claim that the Sony display is significantly inferior in many ways to other current AMOLED designs.

A "Teardown" of the Sony OLED TV can be found here; click here to watch the video.