Sony pull the plug on XEL-1 OLED TVs in Japan

Sony have today halted production of XEL-1 OLED TVs in Japan, citing "sluggish demand" as the reason.

Despite wowing tech-fans with its 3mm display and excellent picture, a combination of ridiculously high prices and the advent of 3D TV have meant that OLED's star has fallen of late.

"As flat panel TVs are getting bigger and cheaper, hurdles for OLED models have become higher, at least in the short term," said Hisakazu Torii, vice president of DisplaySearch.

"We will continue to consider new products and applications including OLED TVs," said Sony's spokesman Shigenori Yoshida.

Sony have meanwhile confirmed that it would continue to work with OLED TVs in Europe and North America. Paired with the recent OLED offerings from LG and Samsung, there may still be time yet for OLED to have its day.