Sony XEL-1: Large OLED displays now a reality

If you had problems sorting through the different kinds of display technologies in the past, here’s news that may discourage some of you even further.

Sony announced yesterday that in early December, they will launch a new television featuring organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. This technology is already being used in many products that have a short life span, such has cell phones, but this will be a first in the world of large displays.

The greatest part about OLED technology? It allows manufacturers to produce screens that are only about 3mm thick, barely more than a sheet of paper. In addition, the contrast rate tops everything currently on the market: 1,000,000:1.

But Sony’s new TV, the XEL-1, also has a few bad sides. If you’re interested in getting one, you’ll have to shell out $1740 for the 11-inch version, and at that price, Sony is apparently losing money! This is almost as much as what you would pay right now for a 40-inch LCD! In addition, the lifespan of each screen is of only 30,000 hours, about half of what you can get out of a regular LCD TV.

These television sets will be released exclusively in Japan in December 2007. No word is out yet as to when the technology will be offered in Europe or America.