While other manufacturers may be hedging their bets with OLED TV or ignoring the technology entirely, LG appears to be diving into OLED head-first. The company has several models on display at the IFA show in Berlin this week, including a 65-inch Ultra HD OLED TV (65EC9700) that is expected to be available for purchase in the United States later this year. The price of that model was leaked by our friends at HD Guru as $6999.99 but LG reps in Berlin said the final price when the unit goes on sale may actually be lower.
LG also had a 77-inch Ultra HD OLED TV on display (77EG9700) which the company also intends to bring to market but they did not offer firm delivery dates or pricing for that model.
Both the 65-inch and 77-inch Ultra HD OLED models offer curved screens. LG claims this improves the immersiveness of viewing and while some consumers are buying into the concept of the curve, I and many others am not convinced it's really an improvement over traditional flat panel TVs. LG currently offers its 55-inch OLED TV in both a flat and a curved option but so far has not announced any flat OLED TVs in larger screen sizes.
One other interesting OLED TV that LG is showing at IFA is a 77-inch Ultra HD model with a flexible, motorized screen. This set, which is still a prototype, offers an adjustable level of curvature at the press of a button. It can go from flat to curved and back again to accomodate the number of viewers in the room or viewing preference of the owner. LG reps did not have any details as to when (or if) this set would make it into production. It is more of a statement piece to show just how remarkable (and flexible) OLED technology can be.
The 65-inch Ultra HD OLED TV is likely to appeal to well-heeled consumers who want the very highest level of picture detail - four times the resolution of 1080p HD - combined with OLED's distinct picture quality advantages over traditional LED/LCD TVs. Because OLED pixels are self-emissive (each pixel can be on, off, or anywhere in between), OLED TVs offer black levels and contrast that are significantly better than backlit technologies such as LED/LCD TVs. Also, the self-emissive nature of OLED minimizes the issue of off-axis viewing. Whether you look at it straight on or from the side, an OLED TV produces deep blacks and nicely saturated colors.
Also on display at the LG booth was a massive 98-inch 8K display. This was not OLED but standard LED-lit LCD technology. The native 8K test content certainly looked detailed, but personally, I preferred the overall picture on the lower resolution OLED sets. Like the flexible OLED, this 8K display may never see production but is more of a statement about what the future may hold.
We expect LG will have more to say about the details of the upcoming OLED models for the U.S. market next week at CEDIA Expo, so stay tuned.
