Sony’s Uber-Thin-Screened XEL-1 OLED TV to Bow in the USA

• December 11th, 2007 | General

Remember the amazingly designed Sony XEL-1 OLED flat-screen TV that we blogged on not too long ago? Remember how expensive it was for Japanese buyers? Yeah–the XEL-1 prices in at $1800 in Japanese stores. You remember how we said it was an amazingly little TV with an 11 inch screen that was an astonishing 3 millimeters-thick? You may recall that OLED stands for “Organic Light Emitting Diode” and what that means is that the screen does not need to be backlit and is, therefore, going to pull less power from your wall socket. The only catch is, the organic compounds tend to break down sooner than the inorganic compounds in other screens.

Still, the XEL-1 is an engineering and design marvel. The thing that worried most fans of this OLED TV, at least the ones outside Japan, was whether they’d even have a chance to see this thing in person, let alone buy it. Well,Engadget is reporting that Sony CEO Howard Stringer has let slip plans to make this impressive little TV available in the good old US of A. No word on pricing or availability, but one must assume that since only 2000 were made for Japanese consumers, American consumers will meet with a similarly hobbled stock. So, if you see theXEL -1 at your local Best Buy and you’ve got a stack of cash or a big empty credit card, don’t hesitate if you want to get a hold of its 11 inches-diagonal, 3mm-thick OLED magic.