Sony OLED TV could land in US in 2007

Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV could be available in the US before 2008 depending on how well it fares in Japan, company electronics president Stan Glasgow has told journalists at a press gathering. While the 11-inch set is only officially slated to launch in Japan on December 1st, a relatively modest reception in the country or a favorable supply of OLED panels could lead to an early US release, possibly reaching stores by the holidays.

The set would require a change to the format of its analog and digital TV tuners to accommodate American signals but could remain unchanged from its original design, which sports HDMI, Ethernet, and USB connections and generates an unprecedented 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio.

Pricing for the US version of the XEL-1 was not discussed; the TV is comparatively expensive at the equivalent of roughly $1,800 in Japan after taxes but may decrease in price for its transition to the US. Sony plans to release larger OLED TVs in the future but does not expect these for the next one to two years.