I was inspired to do a quick check after speaking to a salesperson a Sony Style location in Toronto. I asked if the XEL-1 was still available and he replied that it was not.

Online, it seems that those of us in North America looking for the first OLED TV may be out of luck.

Sony USA – Add to Wishlist (for the last few months)

Sony Canada – The product you are looking for could not be located, please check the name and try again.

However, outside North America , your chances are better.

Sony Australia – Still in stock, for $7,000

Sony U.K. – May be available at your local Sony Center

If anyone else has anything to add to this quick survey, please leave a comment below. Thanks.

They say that overseas sales will continue, but having tried to order one of these, there doesn’t seem to be too much inventory available. Full story exerpts below from Reuters.

“Sony said it had stopped production of ultra-thin TVs using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology for Japan, just a little over 2 years since it launched its first set. It plans to keep selling the TVs in overseas markets, a spokesman said.

OLED displays use organic, or carbon-containing compounds that emit light when electricity is applied. They produce crisp images and do not need backlighting, making them slimmer and more energy-efficient than LCDs, the most popular type of flat TV.

Sony has aimed to become a leader in the technology and positioned the product as crucial in its drive to regain its reputation as an innovator after losing out to Apple Inc in portable music and Nintendo in video games.

“I want this world’s first OLED TV to be the symbol of the revival of Sony’s technological prowess. I want this to be the flag under which we charge forwards to turn the fortunes around,” then president Ryoji Chubachi told a briefing in October 2007.

It is still technologically difficult to make large OLED panels and to produce them cheaply, limiting their potential as a mass-market product. Sony’s only model is an 11-inch set sold for 200,000 yen ($2,222) in Japan, considerably smaller and more expensive than other flat TVs.

“As flat panel TVs are getting bigger and cheaper, hurdles for OLED models have become higher, at least in the short term,” said Hisakazu Torii, vice president of Japanese TV market research at DisplaySearch.

Torii said the next big trend in the market will be 3D TVs and LCD TVs using light emitting diode backlights, and that mass adoption of TVs with OLED panels is some time off.

Sony said it would end sales of OLED TV in Japan when inventory runs out. It plans to continue putting money into research and development and production for North America, Europe and other overseas markets.

“We will continue to consider new products and applications including OLED TVs,” Sony spokesman Shigenori Yoshida said.”

Today I have an interview with Erich Strasser from OLED Web-Company. His company owns and operates the leading OLED technology websites. He just got back from CES 2010 and I thought I’d ask him about his trip.

Admin: Can you please introduce yourself and tell us about your websites?
Erich: Our websites http://www.oled.at (german) and http://www.oled-display.net are the leading OLED information websites. Our goal is to inform our visitors about the newest products, findings, forecasts about and with OLED Display technology.

Admin:  How long have you been involved in OLED TV technology?

Erich: We started www.oled.at and www.oled-display.net about 7 years ago.

Admin:  Do you think OLED TV will eventually take over from plasma and LCD technology?

Erich: Yes I am sure about this. OLED is the future in the HDTV technology. OLED TV promises Superior picture Quality, High Efficiency, very thin and in future also cost effective. The first OLED TV XEL-1 and the LG 15 inch hitting the market today are very expensive, but those prices will fall dramatically as the technology matures and volume ramps up. OLEDs will prove more cost effective because they require fewer materials and fewer processing steps than LCD and Plasma Tvs.

Admin:  What are your thoughts on the emergence of LED backlit TV? Can OLED compete against it anytime soon?

Erich: Not soon because the companies must build more OLED fabrication labs.

Admin:  Can you please tell us what impressed you most at CES 2010?

Erich: Sonys 24.5 inch 3D OLED, and the 14 inch transparent AMOLED Notebook from Samsung mobile Display.

Admin: Who, in your opinion, will first produce a consumer ready OLED TV with a decent screen size?

Erich: Sony is in some financial troubles, LG Display introduced the 15 inch AMOLED TV and have big plans. Samsung wants to bring out larger Displays only if they compete with LCD and Plasma at the price segment. So my opinion is LG Display will be the first with larger sizes.

Thanks to Erich for this interview on the latest OLED TV news. You can see more at his site, just click on this link: OLED Television

He and three others recently received the  55th Okochi Memorial Award for major contributions to the field of production engineering, including the development of production technology, and the implementation of advanced production methods. This was of course for their work on the development of the Sony XEL-1 OLED TV.

Some of the topics covered are:

• Creating an OLED Suitable for Television Use
• Successful Development of 13-inch OLED Display in 2001
• Challenges in Establishing Mass-production Technology
• Enhancing Japan’s Competitiveness with OLED

This interview is a must read for all OLED TV enthusiasts. Check it out at the link above.

Sony announced that they are putting off introducing a larger OLED TV than the current XEL-1. A 27″ model was expected soon from Sony but with the current econnomic situation and losses at Sony, it may take a while longer.

On the other hand, the LG OLED TV news is much better. A 15″ OLED TV will be out shortly.

“LG, the world’s second-biggest TV brand, said in a statement that it would be unveiling a 15-inch AM-OLED TV at the IFA 2009 consumer electric show in Berlin in September.

The TV set would be commercialized in Korea in November and offered overseas next year, it said.

Research firm DisplaySearch expects the market for OLED TV to reach 2.33 million units in 2013 compared with estimated 320,000 units in 2011, according to data provided by LG.

“We are planning to unveil a 40-inch grade (OLED) product in a not too distant future,” LG quoted an executive as saying.”

Full story at Reuters.

Sony XEL-1 OLED TV

There’s an interesting analysis comparing LCD TV manufacturing to OLED TV manufacturing.

There is currently a short supply of LCD panels and manufacturers are expected to increase production to meet demand for improved LCD technology and demand from China.

However, the analysis reveals that this may serve to slow down the manufacturing and production of large sized OLED TV models.

“Meanwhile there are announcements on OLED panel for TV. Samsung announced that their 31″ OLED TV is ready for production. LG announced their 15″ OLED TV will be sold in Korea in Dec 2009. Sony repeatedly announced on the release of 21″, 27″ OLED TV. All these OLED TVs will require OLED panels. LCD manufacturers are also OLED manufacturers. These companies may adopt certain financial and technical strategies. Building 7 gen or 8 gen plants for OLED manufacturing is capital intensive like LCD Gens. In the past the backplane for OLED was trivialized as a simple modification of the LCD backplane. Later it was found that was not the case. ”

More information on this analysis at: www.glgroup.com

Here’s Jan Ergen, a Sony Australia product manager:

“It’s technically feasible [making large screen OLEDs], the problem is the cost of production. There’s no point making a large screen OLED that nobody can afford.

“So that’s where development needs to be put into the technology, which is happening behind the scenes, to reduce the cost of production to bring it down to an achievable level for consumers.”

Ergen was clear to point out, however, that his desire for large screen OLEDs in time for the World Cup will not be enough to make it happen. What he does know is that OLED is set to be big for Sony.

“The picture quality is stunning…It’s a big part of the future, whether or not we can see new models in the next 12 months. I just don’t know.”

Full story at current.com.au

“LG is set to steal Sony’s OLED advantage with Company insiders in Korea telling SmartHouse that the Korean Company will have a 15″ for sale by Xmas and a 32″ in mid 2010.”

This is in addition to LG producing 15″ OLED displays for a new Apple notebook this year.

Pricing is expected to start a 2-3x the price of an equivalent size LCD TV. Even so, it appears that LG will have a 32″ OLED TV out before Sony has anything in that range.

However, the only OLED TV available is still the amazing but tiny Sony XEL-1. It is definitely a pioneer in OLED TV technology but is not a realistic option for most consumers.

Here’s a video clip of the OLED TV portion of the Sony press conference at CES 2009.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s another showing the Sony 27″ OLED TV.

Click here to view the embedded video.

However, many observers expected Sony to release the 27″ model this year. Apparently that’s not going to happen now. I expect that the current economic climate and the still high production costs are going to prevent any new models except for the 15″ LG OLED TV from appearing in stores this year.

Visitors to the Sony booth will be able to see more Sony OLED TV prototypes on display. I’m guessing these will be thinner and even more impressive than what was shown last year.

However, no news yet on a new consumer ready OLED TV from Sony. There are predictions and rumors of a 27″ Sony XEL-2 OLED TV but that remains to be seen.

Stan Glasgow, president and COO of Sony Electronics “moved on to organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) TVs, noting that the company was the first to market with an OLED TV last year. “And we will remain the only company with an OLED TV on the market” this year, he added. He mentioned Sony would be showing off more extremely thin prototype OLED displays in the booth this week, and that Stringer will make a big announcement about OLED during his keynote.”

Could be some big news in the next few days on the next Sony OLED TV. Hopefully we’ll see some new OLED TV reviews by the weekend.

More Sony CES 2009 news at techtraderdaily