It's been a good run, XEL-1, but you knew this day would come. After wowing just about everyone with your 3mm thickness and stunning base back in late 2007, we suspect that most normal humans decided to pass right on by after the drooling process was complete. After all, it's not like too many Earthlings have nearly $2,000 to drop on an 11-inch set. Since the display's debut, few other OLED TVs have made it to the commercial market in any size, and there's no question that cost is largely to blame. Today, Sony announced that it was pulling the plug on XEL-1 sales and production in Japan, citing "sluggish demand" as the cause. For now, the outfit will continue to hawk the miniaturized wonder in other nations, but we get the feeling that's only to dry up remaining inventory. Oh, and if you're one of those "collector" types, snapping one up right now might not be the worst idea.

[Thanks, Trevor]

Update: It's worth pointing out that a Japanese report from AV Watch notes that the discontinuation is going down for another reason. Reportedly, Japan is forcing TV makers to integrate a "youth control filter" into their wares, presumably in an effort to shield those precious eyes from the evils of the content world. Sony's obviously not interested in complying, but this could just be a great excuse to nix a product that's already collecting too must dust on retail shelves.

Sony kills XEL-1 OLED TV production in Japan, cites 'sluggish demand' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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