Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) might sound like something that would be part of a Star Wars super weapons system, but they’re actually harmless and produce exceptional images when employed in TV displays. The world’s first OLED TV available to consumers is the Sony XEL-1, which boasts a super-slim 3-millimeter panel and is now on display and for sale in the Sony Store at Abt. We are one of only seven retailers in the country to carry this ground-breaking TV.
Although the XEL-1’s screen is only 11 inches, the picture quality is amazing, with a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, exceptional brightness and color reproduction, and a rapid response time. OLED technology also delivers incredible dark-scene detail with its ability to completely turn off pixels when reproducing black.
The extremely energy-efficient XEL-1 also carries the latest connectivity options—including two HDMI inputs—as well as a digital tuner and a Memory Stick media slot for viewing high-resolution photos. A few sticking points for consumers may be the relatively high price ($2500) and shorter lifespan (30,000 hours, as compared with a typical 50,000 hours for an LCD TV).
Sony had a 25-inch OLED prototype on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, so big-screen OLED models should be coming out in the near future, when the technology becomes easier to produce at a larger scale. —by Graham W.
No Comments