LG To Launch 55 & 65-Inch Ultra HD 4K TVs + Lighter OLED TV At CES

MW
Mike Wheatley

It’s looking more and more likely that LG Electronics will steal the show at next month’s CES in Las Vegas, with the company announcing plans to unveil two new sizes of Ultra HD (4K) LCD televisions at the trade show, together with some tantalising ‘improvements’ to its much-vaunted OLED TV technology.

LG OLED TV
LG to launch 55 & 65-inch ultra HD 4K TVs + lighter OLED TV at CES

We’ve already reported on a swathe of announcements by LG this month as it looks to build up excitement ahead of CES 2013, including its plans to show off devices like its new Google Smart TVs and the “Hecto” 100-inch laser TV projector for the first time. These are exciting developments in their own right, but nothing is generating quite so much buzz in the industry at the moment as 4K TV which boasts four times the pixel resolution of regular 1080p HDTV.

LG had already made it clear that it would be using the CES to showcase its new 84-inch ultra high-definition television, but now it can be revealed that the Korean manufacturer is also planning to add two smaller UHDTV models – a 55-inch and a 65-inch display – to its CES lineup.

LG didn’t give away too many details about the new 4K TVs in its press release, although it did reveal that each of these sets will come integrated with its widely acclaimed FPR (film-type patterned retarder) passive 3D technology that offers outstanding extra-dimensional viewing experience.

LG Display’s president and CEO Dr Sang-Beom Han said that the company is relentlessly pursuing what it sees as the two key factors that represent the display industry’s future – design and resolution.

“The products we’ll exhibit at the CES next month will underline not just our status as the leading innovator in display technology, but also our ability to deliver industry-leading solutions to both businesses and consumers,” added Mr. Han.

What isn’t clear is what other television makers are planning on bringing to next year’s CES. While Samsung revealed details about its new Smart Hub internet-connected platform for the first time earlier this week, most other manufacturers have been pretty tight-lipped over their plans for CES 2013. However, given the fact that LG Display also supplies LCD TV panels to the likes of Toshiba and Sony, among others, it could well be that some of its rivals end up launching 55-inch and 65-inch 4K TVs, if not next month, then certainly later in the year.

One final tidbit from LG brought some good news for those consumers who have been eagerly awaiting developments on the OLED television front. While mass production of large-sized OLED panels continues to be a problem, LG hasn’t let that fact stop them from innovating, with the company promising to show off a new ‘ultra-thin’ version of the display measuring an impossibly svelte 4mm and weighing just 3.5kg (more than 50% lighter than the preceding 55EM960V/ 55EM970V which came in at 10kg).