The IFA Consumer Electronics Show kicks off at the end of this week in Berlin, and one of the biggest announcements has already been revealed: LG will be showing off its latest OLED TV prototype, and it’s possibly the most impressive television you’ve ever clapped eyes on.
OLED – Organic Light Emitting Diode – technology has long promised to be the next big thin in TV technology: offering low power draw, bright and colorful images, and black levels that we haven’t enjoyed since the days of CRT sets – but so far only small, expensive OLED displays have appeared. LG is looking to change all that with a ridiculously slim 31″ 3D-ready HDTV – the world’s thinnest – which it will unveil in the flesh at IFA, according to i4U News.
Although specifications are still under wraps, the 31″ display is thought to feature a 600Hz refresh rate – which halves to a still-impressive 300Hz in 3D mode – and a full-HD 1920×1080 resolution, alongside a raft of inputs as befits a premium set.
It’s the design, however, that makes this model stand out from the rest: at just 2.9mm thick, the TV almost disappears when viewed side-on – LG has quite literally created a cutting-edge set.
Sadly, the status of the display – thought to be a prototype – means that there’s no information on a firm launch schedule, and pricing is certainly out of the question. Given that existing, smaller, thicker OLED TV sets already cost several thousand dollars, however, you can expect to pay a significant premium for this up-and-coming technology.
If LG’s OLED TV launches at a sensible price level – unlikely, given its clearly premium design – it could herald the dawn of the OLED TV. Although the technology has been proven on a small scale – Samsung in particular is a big proponent of its use in smartphone displays, outfitting most of its handsets with its own Super AMOLED panels – large-format OLED screens are still mostly the stuff of myth and legend.
If a razor-thin 31″ OLED TV set is just a bit too small – and cheap – for you, another LG product due to launch at IFA is a 3D plasma display measuring an incredible 180″ diagonal – although that’s unlikely to be aimed at home users, with the company targeting the commercial and corporate markets.
It would appear that 3D is here to stay – but will LCD or OLED win the battle to power the next generation of HDTVs?
