Sony Halts Sales and Production of OLED HDTVs

By Marcus Yam
published

Could this signal the beginning of the end for OLED TVs?

If I could have anything in the world, I would want a big-screen OLED HDTV. While technology (and the market) isn't ready to make large OLEDs yet, it seems that such devices in their smaller forms aren't doing so well.

News reports today say that Sony has pulled the plug on both production and sales of its $2,000 , XEL-1 11-inch set.

Sony said that it will continue to sell the OLED TV in Japan until inventory runs out; and it will continue R&D and supply to North America, Europe and other overseas markets.

"We will continue to consider new products and applications including OLED TVs," Sony spokesman Shigenori Yoshida said in a Reuters report.

According to Japanese source AV Watch (translation), part of Sony's reason to discontinue the TV in Japan is due to a new legislation for filtering controls of adult content for the protection of youth. Rather than re-tool the XEL-1 for the new filters, Sony likely found it to make more sense to just remove it from the market.

Marcus Yam

Marcus Yam is a technology evangelist for Intel Corporation, the latest in a long line of tech-focused roles spanning a more than 20-year career in the industry. As Executive Editor, News on Tom's Guide and Tom's Hardware, Marcus was responsible for shaping the sites' news output, and he also spent a period as Editor of Outdoors & Sports at Digital Trends.

21 Comments Comment from the forums
  • elel
    How come this kind of headline doesn't worry me anymore?
    Reply
  • sicpric
    What do they expect charging $2000 for an 11' TV...
    Reply
  • NoCaDrummer
    $2000 for an 11-inch TV? For that much money, it had better be able to do itself what the filters are set to filter out!
    Reply
  • touchdowntexas13
    11 in?

    Am I missing something here?
    Reply
  • Bert R
    So, to quote you, just to be sure I understand your article, this is how the article is supposed to read:

    Sony Halts Sales and Production of OLED HDTVs
    Could this signal the beginning of the end for OLED TVs?

    -and then-

    Sony's reason to discontinue the TV in Japan is due to a new legislation for filtering controls of adult content for the protection of youth.

    -and finally-

    Rather than re-tool the XEL-1 for the new filters, Sony likely found it to make more sense to just remove it from the market.

    Am I missing something here?
    Reply
  • TheDuke
    this isn't alarming for the future of OLED at all.
    especially when they will continue R&D
    misleading title
    Reply
  • doorspawn
    It'd be so nice if TVs and monitors displayed images and transmission decoder boxes sent them the raster data.

    Then TV manufacturers wouldn't have to worry about content filtering, which can vary country to country.

    Also, you wouldn't have to upgrade your screen when a new signal type arrived (eg fibre or digital), nor upgrade your decoder when you wanted a larger / clearer TV.

    Perhaps the cost would be duplicating the AC/DC transformer? Maybe make this separate too. (Perhaps later on you can get DC power all generated from one transformer per household).
    Reply
  • JohnnyLucky
    I bet they come out with a new line in the future.
    Reply
  • hakesterman
    It's a typo, it states that it is a Bigscreen, so that means that it is at least a 42" TV. That is still alot
    of money for a 42 inch TV, than again if you want the latest and Greatest your going to pay for it. I
    think it's all moveing too fast. Both my Bro and i have 120HZ Big screen TV's, we both have Bluray
    players and have Comcast and neither the cable stations or the bluray movies are useing 120HZ
    technology yet, and their selling 240 HZ already and were stuck wathing everything in 66HZ 1080I. Thanks Comcast and Thanks HollyWood for those slow picture refresh movies.
    Reply
  • porksmuggler
    hakestermanIt's a typo, it states that it is a Bigscreen, so that means that it is at least a 42" TV.
    um, not a typo, the XEL-1 is 11"
    Reply