OLED TV represents the future of TV sets as we know them, and this is the reason why Sony has created quite a stir when it launched its first product of this type, the already famous XEL-1, back in the second half of 2007. Although it was more of a “proof of concept” rather than an actual consumer product, the device went on sale (albeit in limited numbers), allowing customers to take a glimpse at what the future has to offer.

Although the actual resolution is not particularly impressive (960 x 540), the real difference from any other product of this type existing on the market is made by the absolutely amazing contrast ratio, which reaches 1,000,000:1. The size ain't exactly very impressive, either, namely 11 inches, but as mentioned earlier, this thing is not exactly designed for the center of a high-end home cinema system, but rather to present users the advantages offered by OLED technology.

The XEL-1 also delivers quite a wide range of image adjustment options, namely Mode, Reset, Picture, Brightness, Color, Hue/Color, Temperature, Sharpness, Noise Reduction, MPEG Noise Reduction, Advanced Settings: Black Corrector, Gamma, Clear White, Color Space, Live Color.

The sound options are also very impressive, since Sony equipped the OLED TV with a Dolby Digital decoder (AC3 for ATSC), a MTS Stereo Decoder, a Sound Booster unit, a Steady Sound Automatic Volume Control System, as well as S-Force Front surround system. Moreover, the TV supports Closed Captions and ID1 Detection.

Sony's OLED TV offers relatively few connectivity options, but they're all next-gen. Thus, the XEL-1 features 2 x 1080p/60, CEC capable HDMI interfaces, 1 Memory Stick Media slot, 1 RF connection input and one Digital Audio/Headphones Output. Unfortunately, no S-Video, Component or Composite interfaces are available.

Pretty much since its launch, the Sony XEL-1 sells for the same amount, namely around 2,500 US dollars, which is a bit much to pay for such a product, but, then again, early adopters will most likely cough up this sum for a device that might actually become a collector's item at some point in the future.