OK people, it's been a while since I was this excited about technology :)

The reason is, I was passing the Sony display and store on Madison Ave in NYC, and - what's that in the showcase?

Extremely high quality, beautiful colors, super thin displays.

Yes, they are commercially available right now in 11" screen size, with base containing TV receiver.

Despite relatively small size, they virtually jumped out of the showcase, beating any other Sony display around them (there were many top models) in picture quality, which is simply outstanding.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentDisplayView?cmsId=content/SilverBullets/HDNA/index_bluray&hideHeaderFooter=false&storeId=10151&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&XID=O:oled:corp_hpdoled08_gglsrch#/oled/overview/

Model number XEL-1. Very pricey for a 11" TV at $2,400 retail (but not so comparing to the professional HD monitors.)

HDMI input, but no HD-SDI yet (which will set you what, another $500 down for the converter?)

But realistically, I don't want it as-is. I want a stripped down model as monitor only (no TV tuner etc.) with HD-SDI in/out.

Think about it: no backlight needed with OLED - so the monitor is super thin and very lightweight (read: easily mountable on camera); energy consumption is about half of the LCD equivalent (twice the battery life!); 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio (this is not a typo... you really should SEE the picture... that's why I'm so excited about this new technology! reproduces true colors, no more guesswork of what the video actually looks like. Or so I think.)

All Sony (or others?) have to do, is make a HD-SDI, battery-powered monitor version of it.

XEL-1 is currently too heavy (for on-cam use) due to its overpacked tuner base, I think it's about 5Lb, although the monitor part is super light.

In the interim... ManhattanLCD seems like the best choice :) (I own and like one.)

OLED's are indeed beautiful. Kodak has announced a 7.6" picture frame (http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/17/kodak-stuns-with-worlds-first-7-6-inch-oled-picture-frame/) which I had read would have a video input of some sort, but the Kodak specs don't list this. Like the Sony, it aims to impress with the ultra-thin screen and a fat base but it is quite a bit cheaper at $999 retail, so if it did have an HDMI input it could be a great piece of gear to adapt (don't think I'm not thinking of these for a Steadicam monitor).

We will obviously be seeing more OLED's in this size range in the next year and it will be great to see them packaged into a field monitor case.

No shots of it on with the EX3 but ya might find this interesting.

SONY XEL-1 OLED on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/1620943)

- Ray

Yes, this is indeed exciting, and certainly the future. However, the current 960x540 11" screen retails at $2,400 - and this is a consumer model. Strip it of TV functionality, add HD-SDI, and label it a "Pro" field monitor for videomaker, and you will see a price tag closer to $5,000 just because it's intended for making money, not leisure.

While the MAnhattanLCD is 1366x768 at just about 10% of that price. So it's quite a far future, at least for me :)

Sony did have a prototype OLed studio style viewfinder on one of the PDW-700s at IBC. It had Hd-Sdi and looked very nice indeed.

Here also. 0.9mm OLED by sony.

PC World - Business Center: Sony's Latest OLED TV Prototype Is 1 Millimeter Thin (http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/151894/sonys_latest_oled_tv_prototype_is_1_millimeter_thin.html)

Paul.

No shots of it on with the EX3 but ya might find this interesting.

SONY XEL-1 OLED on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/1620943)

- Ray

"... 3 em em." :)

Bill, yup :)