LG Electronics has unveiled its new lineup of OLED TVs at the CES 2017 consumer electronics trade show in Las Vegas this week, and unfortunately for any remaining fans of 3D movies, the South Korean manufacturer has joined most other TV brands in culling 3D from their 2017 OLEDs.
That’s right: none of LG’s new W7, G7, E7, C7 or B7 OLED models will support 3D, even though we’ve been informed that the cost to implement 3D capability is incremental at best. It’s such a big shame, because LG 4K OLED televisions had provided by far and away the most stunning and immersive tri-dimensional viewing experience we’ve witnessed from a direct-view display to date.
On LG’s 2015 and 2016 UHD (ultra high-definition) OLEDs, the onboard passive 3D technology not only worked with flicker-free polarized 3-D glasses which – unlike its active-shutter counterpart – did not require synchronisation or battery power, it also allowed for a sufficiently bright extra-dimensional image: we routinely measured 110 cd/m2 peak white from the critically-acclaimed LG E6 after 3-D calibration. To put this figure into perspective, in 3D mode we’ve never extracted more than 50 cd/m2 from any active 3D TV including the brightest LED LCDs such as the Sony ZD9 or the Panasonic DX900/ DX902.
Now, polarized 3D filter normally halves the vertical resolution, but on a 4K OLED this merely means that 2160p is downres-ed to 1080p which is the native resolution of 3D Blu-rays anyway. Throw in OLED’s true blacks, rich colours and absence of crosstalk (as long as you sit within 13° of eye level to the screen), and watching 3D Blu-ray films on an LG Ultra HD OLED TV is truly a sight to behold.
As much as we enjoy 3D on LG 4K OLEDs, we understand why the company has decided to abandon the format. Going forward, not many film studios are going to bundle 4K HDR and 3D Blu-rays in one package, so most consumers will have to choose between an Ultra HD Blu-ray and a 3D Blu-ray unless they are enthusiastic enough to double-dip. And since HDR itself delivers a profound sense of depth due to light directionality, and HDR’s benefits are easily visible without the need to wear extra goggles, most buyers will pick up the 4K UHD version, giving movie studios even less incentive to release 3D Blu-rays in the future.
Nevertheless, we do think that had LG persisted with 3D this year, it could become a unique selling point (USP) especially among 3D enthusiasts who have amassed stacks of 3D Blu-ray discs, but alas, that’s not the case. As of today, the best three-dimensional picture quality can be found on the outgoing LG C6, E6 and G6 OLED televisions, so if 3D is important to you, we suggest you snag one before stock runs out.
Also gone from LG’s 2017 OLED ranges are curved screens (even the C7 will have a flat panel), though we suspect very few will shed a tear over this omission. After all, even Samsung – undoubtedly the fiercest advocate of curved TVs – has decided to position the flat-screen Q9F as its flagship QLED TV for the year ahead.
Thanks for the information.
So the question becomes ‘why should I buy LG?’.
I love their 3D.
@Christopher Sedman: No 2017 TV will offer 3D.
Warmest regards
Vincent
Disappointed curved screens are gone completely, I sit less than a meter from a 48″ set and I find it quite nice. In a happy coincidence it was also great for mitigating the distortion from my glasses, now I’m going to have to get contacts for a distortion-free experience!
Well this sucks I guess I won’t be buying a new tv in the next couple of years until they change their mind and my last buy will be a LG C6 been waiting for the last needed price drop but now I am getting a bit worried it might run out before that :/
I was very close to getting the C6 during black friday but eventually decided to wait and see what the 2017 models would bring. With curved screens gone though I might have to reconsider if another good deal pops up.
There just real farkheads these clowns. Why would you not implant it ? , this is what use have done, idiots you’ve actually going to lose sales, because I wont be buying one nor will ether of any other blu ray 3d owners , way to go for a television that accounts for a very small percentage of worldwide sales.
Just wow, and I planned on buying my first OLED this year too!!! Looks like I will not be buying one now, just gonna stick with my 3D TV I have now. What a freaking GIMMICK this 4K crap is! Yes, Dolby Vision looks amazing on my TV, but the leap from 1080p to 4K was not big enough to take 3D away! We finally, FINALLY start getting perfect 3D TV’s, and these A-Holes like LG just give up on it!!! Screw them, gonna look else-where now.
I also have to wonder why on earth they need five models after these decisions. From what I could gather the four 2016 models were already extremely close in terms of quality and performance, with the biggest differences being curved and 3D support. Now they’ve removed both of those and still added yet another model. Just why?
I’m looking to buy a 65inch LG OLED. Currently the C6V (£2800) is £900 cheaper than the E6V (£3700).
Is it worth spending the extra £900 and going for the E6V or saving the £900 and going for the C6V?
Or should I just wait and get one of the 2017 range if it’s much brighter and has better HDR performance?
Thanks for you’re feedback in advance.
For what it’s worth, I’ve gone for a C6 which will serve me well until 3D comes round again (possibly via VR). I like 3D and have not intention of buying another TV without it. It will be interesting to see in projector manufacturers keep 3D
It’s a big shame they’re all dropping 3D. There are still a lot of people who love this immersive option. I just purchased an E6 and the 3D is fantastic. I obviously won’t be looking to buy a new tv for a few years but it upsets me that when I do have to change it I’ll have 180 3D titles and nothing to watch them on. I don’t see why they couldn’t include it on at least one of their TVs guaranteeing I’d look at (LG) next time around.
I bet, they saw the numbers of the B6 and the C6 and concluded, that people wouldn’t want 3D anymore. Hello there, you people at LG, the B6 outsold the C6 because of the awful curve, NOT because of the lack of 3D!
I wonder if there is a connection between dropping 3D and gaining brightness. I imagine that removing the polarizing filters from the display lets more light through. LG may have decided that HDR performance is more important than 3D.
This is quite worrisome as I have quite a lot of 3D content (films and games) now so any future TV purchases would have to support 3D as a minimum requirement, in fact I’m currently looking for another TV for another room and verifying whether the models actually have 3D support is quite difficult, mostly I’ve just seen vague broad comments about 3D capability which could just be disclaimers on the tech specs and not confirmation that the model actually supports it
I feared this was going to happen and two weeks ago I bought the 2016 model. I have a bunch of great 3D movies.
Thanks for adding the details on the 4k vs 3D discs bundling being an issue. My followup question: there were some studios that seemed committed to 3D releases (Disney owned studios for example) but if there is no manufacturer producing the TVs does this mean the format is dead completely?
From what I understood, 3D was a great way for studios to increase the price of DVDs (which have been steadily dropping) at essentially no increase in cost to them. 4K clearly is that new price increase.
3D at the box office still sells upcharged tickets so I have a hard time believing they’ll ditch 3d entirely from theaters. Other than IMAX larger screens (which remains the minority) what else do they have?
Is there a general conspiracy to destroy 3D among studios, theaters, producers, or just the tv manufacturers?
Thanks to Aiden on AV forums:
https://www.change.org/p/lg-electronics-lg-electronics-please-revive-3d-on-a-2018-oled-tv-model?recruiter=624990977&utm_source=share_petition
What a shame, I’ve been waiting to buy an OLED in 2017 but I now have to decide if to wait or buy a 2016 model which includes 3D.
3D is very important to me and I’m happy to sacrifice brightness.
Does any one know if the Sony OLED will be supporting 3D?
Was waiting to see if the 2017 OLED 3D TVs were a bit more affordable, so this is not good news. I have a LG 49UB850V but my goal was always a OLED at some point. Will probably have to look at the 2016 models.
I have added the petition link to my blog and the 3D MVC Kodi Forums
I’ve been following OLED and 4K HDR for a while now and I can’t say there is anything that is yet dragging me away from my Panasonic 55VT65 that I got just before they stopped making plasma sets. I calibrated it with an i1 Pro and a profiled i1D3 and it is still absolutely incredible, short of it exploding and having to spend the next few years picking those bits of television out of my face, I can’t yet see a reason to move away from it. Getting the 0.004 black level down to 0.000 with an OLED set just isn’t a strong enough pull.