Sony XEL-1 OLED TV – More money than sense?
Do not get me wrong, this is gorgeous. It is a very desirable piece of kit and gives us an insight into an interesting couple of years. The Sony XEL-1 was the first OLED TV on the consumer market as of September 2008. Other manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon, but Sony is the one I am keeping an eye on at the moment. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode, it has the benefit of being environmentally friendly and uses less energy.
I decided to take a peek on their website, you can get your hands on one for the not so bargain basement price of £3,489.00. There are numerous ways to spend that money, but putting it towards an 11 inch TV would be a bad financial decision. Unless of course, you are stinking rich and can afford such luxuries.
When looking at its profile, it is seriously thin. At the current size, it does not matter too much. However, if new models arrive at 32+ inches, this will look good when mounted on a wall. In terms of specifications, picture quality is astounding. I mentioned this technology back at the CES 2009 show, with a contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1 (yes that is 1 million to 1!) this is truly impressive. You have to see this with your own eyes to experience just how good it is. In addition, it will come with the now standard HDMI connections, USB 2.0 and optical output.
Of course, being new technology the price does not surprise me too much. You can compare this to when LCD and plasma TVs were first introduced to consumers. The price of those has plummeted; you can pick up a 42 inch LCD TV for around £500 or less. Having said that, I think Sony has put a heavy premium on this model even though it is new tech. I currently own a 42 inch LG and it has been a trusty work horse for 5 years now. My better half discussed about upgrading as we have a dead pixel, but I have managed to stave off his temptation as OLED could be the way to go.
The downside with OLED is that it is difficult to manufacture in large sizes, but it is possible. Samsung was able to manufacture a 40 inch OLED TV, apparently the largest size possible. Secondly, the lifespan of an OLED screen is debatable. Initially, the stated lifespan was 30,000 hours while compared to LCD, which is typically 50,000 hours. Toshiba have increased this to make it on par with LCD, so it may not be an issue anymore. Either way, I am not buying anything until I see how the market pans out. Right now, it is not financially viable and screen size still needs development.
Sony XEL-1
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