Sony announced that it will start selling next-gen OLED TVs this December for an estimated price of 200,000 yen ($1,740), but for now only in Japan.

OLED displays have several advantages, including low-energy consumption and crisper image, but are also very thin. Because pixels inside OLED displays emit their own light they don’t need an additional light source- as required by actual LCD panels. The OLED technology (organic light emitting diode) shows promise for future development of flexible screens, with Sony also in the lead in this domain (a 2.5 inch flexible screen, with a resolution of 160x120 pixels). OLED can be used as display technology or as light source.

An organic light-emitting diode is a special type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive layer comprises a thin-film of certain organic compounds. The emissive electroluminescent layer can include a polymeric substance that allows the deposition of very suitable organic compounds, for example, in rows and columns on a flat carrier by using a simple "printing" method to create a matrix of pixels which can emit different colored light.

Beyond the aforementioned advantages, the OLED displays are also easier to manufacture compared to the classic LCD screens, but the relatively quick degradation of OLED materials has hindered the expansion of this lucrative market. For example, Sony estimates that its revolutionary OLED TV will last for approximately 10 years (30,000 hours) considering an average use of 8 hours/day, but an LCD equivalent also manufactured by the Japanese electronics behemoth is expected to resist twice that much.

Producers like Sony, Sharp or Toshiba are not giving up though, considering that the high image contrast, the low operating voltages and power consumption, the wide viewing angle (from all directions) or the wide operating temperature range are features promising enough to continue working at improving the OLED technology.

Sony’s obstinacy for example will translate into the introduction of XEL-1, a very thin OLED TV (not to be confused with OLED panel) that will cost approximately $1,740. With its introduction, Sony hopes to regain not only its profitability and lost market share, but also the status of “innovative-company” that has characterized it since the beginning.

"The world's first OLED TV is a symbol of the rebirth of Sony with its superb technology," Sony President Ryoji Chubachi told reporters at the company’s Tokyo headquarters, during a rare appearance related to the upcoming launch of a product.

The XEL-1 is an 11 inch display that is only 3mm thin. The measurements of the XEL-1 are 287×253×140mm.

Sony has added to the ultra-thin display a shiny pedestal with a flexible arm, making it look very stylish.

According to Sony, the latest OLED TV (XEL-1), which weighs two kilograms and is about 3mm thin, features a resolution of 940×540 and contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1.

The XEL-1 will be exhibited at the Sony exhibition booth at Ceatec Japan 2007 starting from October 2. "Going forward, Sony will progressively develop its OLED TV business" alongside its existing line of 'BRAVIA' televisions, according to a company statement.

The Sony XEL-1 has an integrated digital TV tuner for Japan. Other features of the Sony OLED TV include USB, LAN interface, 1x HDMI port, headphone plug and S-Force sound.

Sony plans to begin with the production of 2,000 units per month, but has declined to offer any details about sales in other parts of the world. However, the company said, through the voice of Sony Executive Deputy President Katsumi Ihara, that other products ready to take advantage of the OLED technology are in the works.

Ihara also added that the launch of the XEL-1 is more about corporate image than it is about profits, since the hefty price for the ultra-thin device is likely to make a lot of customers think twice before buying it. Also, he is convinced that OLED panels are not yet a threat to the classic LCD screens on the market, considering not only the price tag, but also the yet reduced size of the OLEDs.

Toshiba had also announced plans to ship OLED displays in 2009. Their target size will be 30 inches screens, which beats most manufacturers’, including Sony’s XEL-1 or other prototypes.