Sony XEL-1 OLED TV

SONY XEL- 1 OLED TV

Sony's XEL-1 represents the first widely available OLED-based TV. OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode, and its benefits, according to the company, include improved contrast ratio, wider viewing angles, and better color reproduction. According to our tests on the Sony XEL-1, most of those claims have merit. Of course, this is an 11-inch TV for $2,500, and its 960x540 native resolution doesn't even qualify it as an HDTV, so its appeal as a product is limited to only the most profligate wastrels. Sony hasn't announced any plans to produce larger sizes in 2008, and we expect that bigger OLED sets, whether from Sony or another manufacturer--Panasonic, Hitachi, Samsung Electronics, at least, have made large investments in OLED--will cost a mint thanks to manufacturing difficulties and the usual high price of early-generation technology. Nevertheless, if the XEL-1 is any indication, OLED looks like the real (next big) thing. The first thing most people notice when they see the minuscule XEL-1 is the outsize base, and the second is the sliver-thin panel itself. These two design characteristics go hand-in-hand. OLED allows the XEL-1's panel to measure a vanishing 3mm deep, and thinner OLED prototypes have been demonstrated--even ones that can be rolled up like a parchment scroll.Faced with the need to actually plug things into the XEL-1, Sony slapped it atop a base that looks vaguely like a portable DVD player in its own right. It doesn't spin discs, but the base does include a string of inputs on the back panel, a row of buttons on the top front, and a single silver arm on the right side that supports the screen on a tilting hinge. Chrome along the back of the base and the backside of the panel match the arm, for an overall look that's as sleek and modern as any TV we've seen. The screen itself is coated with a mildly reflective surface that nonetheless collects less light than the glossy frame around the screen. For whatever reason, perhaps related to manufacturing difficulties, Sony decided to give the XEL-1 just 960x540 pixels, exactly half of 1,920x1,080 (aka 1080p) on both the horizontal and vertical axes. Paste together four XEL-1 screens, and you've got one 1080p displayTheThe XEL-1 has a fine selection of picture-affecting features, including three picture modes that can be independently adjusted per input; four color temperature presets; two flavors of noise reduction, and a few fancily named extras (Back Corrector, Clear White, Live Color) that should be turned off for best picture quality.he XEL-1 has a fine selection of picture-affecting features, including three picture mhe XEAs you'd expect from a TV with a paucity of back-panel space to devote to connections, the XEL-1's jack pack lacks its share of inputs. For standard AV sources, there are only two HDMI ports and an RF-style input for antenna or cable. The XEL-1 makes no provision for standard analog sources, but really, who's hooking a VCR up to this thing? The back panel also includes a slot for Memory Stick (Pro and Duo compatible) as well as another proprietary Sony item, the port for a Bravia Internet Video Link. The short story on performance is that the Sony XEL-1, thanks to all those fancy diodes, displayed the deepest black levels we've ever seen from a shipping TV.