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Is the OLED Display in Sony’s XEL-1 OLED TV as Good as it Looks?

OLED displays may well be at the heart of flat-panel TVs in the future. Sony, which has not been an innovator in display technology since the days of the Trinitron CRT, has put a stake in the ground with the first commercially available OLED TV: the 11-inch, 960 × 540 pixel, Model XEL-1, which is selling in limited quantities for the equivalent of $1700 in Japan and for $2500 in the US.

At trade shows, the XEL-1’s OLED display has dazzled industry professionals. And in a recent article in the New York Times, technology editor David Pogue described what happened when he put the XEL-1 next to LCD- and PDP-TVs at a cooperative Best Buy store. Shoppers and employees were as dazzled as the pros, using exclamations such as “astonishing,” “astounding,” “incredible” and “amazing.”

But there are serious questions. Samsung SDI, the leading manufacturer of active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) displays, has stated the technology is not yet ready for commercialization in TV sets. Despite showing impressive prototypes of its own, SDI does not intend to sell OLED-TVs until well into 2009. CMEL and LG Display have announced similar roadmaps.

So, is the XEL-1, with its initially dazzling images, a serious product that puts Sony back in the forefront of television display technology? Or is it a primarily promotional vehicle that over-leverages a technology that’s not yet ready for prime time in TVs?

That’s the question DisplaySearch’s OLED Characterization Report: Sony XEL-1 sets out to answer with precise performance and lifetime measurements, and a painstaking breakdown analysis. It’s an excellent example of the careful investigation, deep industry knowledge, and independent analysis you expect from DisplaySearch.

Your definitive guide to the Sony XEL-1 OLED display
This report is the only independent information source detailing the structure and performance of the XEL-1 display.  Order today and receive this unique report, whose development was managed our premier OLED analyst Barry Young. 

To purchase the report or obtain more information, call us or fill out the form to the right.