By Grant Shepherd

SYDNEY: Sony Australia has just announced the arrival of the world’s first OLED TV in Australia, Sony are claiming it is the next development in television technology.

Set for a mid-April release the XEL-1, is by far one of the most advanced televisions to ever hit the market.

The XEL-1 features an astonishing 3 millimetre organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel that delivers contrast ratios of 1,000,000:1, high peak brightness, enhanced colour reproduction and rapid response times.

The first thing you notice about this new technology is how thin it is. The reason OLED displays can achieve this is due to the fact that they don’t need a light source, such as a backlight system. The Sony XEL-1 takes advantage of this by placing two thin glass panels on either side of the organic layer of material, resulting in a panel that measures only 3 millimetres.

Paul Colley, Sony technology communications manager, told Current.com.au that this television was a completely new technology and something which will really take off in the future.

With a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio the Sony XEL-1 does not boast the highest figures compared to rival competitors, but Colley expressed that you won’t find a screen with better picture quality on the market.

“If a manufacturer is quoting an aspect ratio of more than 1,000,000:1 they are making an approximation, it is impossible to accurately determine contrast ratios,” he said.

Another important aspect of OLED that Colley outlined was the fact that it uses very low power consumption.

“OLED does not use a light source, due to its light-emitting structure, therefore the unit uses very low voltage,” said Colley.

The addition of ‘Super Top Emission’ technology is another clear advantage for Sony’s XEL-1 OLED display, due to the fact that it enables the display to achieve a high peak brightness.

With its light-emitting structure, the OLED display can completely prevent light emissions when reproducing shades of black, therefore this means black levels are very deep and natural colours stand out more effectively.

The Sony XEL-1 will come in at $6,999 and be available from Sony Centre Stores in major capital cities and online at www.sony.com.au.