It wasn’t that long ago that LCD and plasma TVs looked incredibly thin. But now there’s an even thinner kind of TV called an OLED. Consumer Reports’ television testers checked out the first to hit the stores. It’s Sony’s XEL-1. The screen is just 11 inches, but it delivers a beautiful picture. Even when the lights are on, the picture stays bright. And Consumer Reports’ tests show the black levels are really black--better than even the best plasma television.

The picture stays bright, even when seen from the side, unlike many LCD TVs. But OLEDs do have some downsides. The manual says to treat the screen carefully because it’s easy to damage. And because OLEDs are made with organic materials, there’s concern they may not last as long as other TVs. And that’s not all. The biggest downside is the price. The 11-inch Sony costs $2,500. Still, OLEDs could be the wave of the future. Samsung and Sony showed off big-screen prototypes at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

Consumer Reports says OLEDs could be at the same stage today as LCD TVs were in the early nineties. Back then the LCD TVs Consumer Reports tested were just 3 to 4 inches across. And those early LCDs actually looked a lot less promising than this first OLED. And Consumer Reports says OLED TVs have another advantage over other kinds of televisions--they use a lot less energy.