In what will be the largest OLED flat panel to actually see the market, LG will launch a 55″ OLED display next week at the CES show in Las Vegas. In addition to being big, it’s expected to be less than 3.5 mm thick. Yes, that’s right, that would be less than 2/10ths of an inch! It will apparently weigh in the 18-pound range.

With a contrast ratio of over 100,000:1, OLED is the closest in colorimetry to any CRT-based display — making the blacks the best we’ve seen in years for displays. However, since OLED is a new technology, it’s not proven yet – so no one really knows the likely MTBF or what the life-cycle will be. However, OLED is widely considered a technology of the future in flat panel displays since they can be produced amorphously – meaning of many shapes and sizes.

Pricing? Well with any new technology, it’s starting high. This display’s expected to be in the $30,000 range, right in line with the first 55″ Plasmas and LCDs – and both of those are in the $1,500 range now. So, expect pricing to fall over the next decade.