The Korean manufacturer has a few tricks up its sleeve, as it debuts the world’s largest OLED, pushes FPR 3D, and high resolution smartphone displays.
Although LG may not have quite the name recognition as some of the biggest TV makers in the world, the Korean manufacturer is at the front of the pack when it comes to television innovation, and is responsible for some of the most significant advances to television in recent years, even if they license the technology out and it is sold under other names.
At this year’s CES, we have seen all the new types of TVs we are likely to see for a while. Even though many are still years away from production, the technology has been introduced and displayed. And yet, still LG has found a way to surprise and delight videophiles.
This week at CES, LG will display a handful of new innovations that have the potential to set the standard for television technology for years to come. The most mainstream product LG will have is the world’s largest OLED TV, a 55” set that uses a White Organic Light-Emitting Diode (WOLED), and will be available almost immediately, plus the technology will be used by several other manufacturers.
Most would agree that OLED is a superior technology to LCD TVs, but the manufacturing costs have been high enough to slow the adoption of the new technology. LG thinks that it has found a way around that, and so has begun mass production on the world’s largest OLED set.
Most OLED sets use a Red Green Blue (RGB OLED) design, which can offer an amazing image, but it is not without its problems–especially cost. The image is also a bit weaker, as the RGB sets horizontally accumulate the diodes, which can make it more difficult to expand the image and find pitch. The switch to WOLED means that the diodes accumulate vertically, which improves the pitch and expansion. It also uses an Oxide-TFT base panel, which can significantly cut the costs associated with manufacturing.
All of that simply means that the sets will display deeper blacks, more vibrant colors, and cost less to manufacture—the sets will likely be able to compete with LCD pricing soon. In all likelihood, this technology has the potential to become the standard for OLED TVs. The set also features a contrast ratio of over 100,000:1, and is just 5mm thick, roughly the same size as a pen. It, along with most new LG sets, will also feature almost no bezel at all.
Along with the 55” OLED, which is in production, LG has showed of a handful of Ultra Definition (UD) 4K sets with a resolution of 3480 x 2160. The models being shown are still prototypes, but LG is showing off a 60”, a 72”, and an incredible 84”. Expect to hear more about those in the next year or two.
Along with the new sets, LG continues to refine its Film-type Patterned Retarder 3D technology. The display uses passive 3D, which means that you just need a pair of polarized glasses rather than the bulky active glasses that feature shutter technology. It also has the advantage of offering brighter images, less ghosting, no flickering, and the glasses are much less expensive. The resolution still can’t quite match active 3D, but it is steadily improving. As the resolution of the sets increases, the movement towards passive should continue to grow, and LG will be at the front of that movement.
LG also showed off its AH-IPS panels for smartphones that can give a 4.5” display a 720 x 1280, 329ppi image. Where OLED is a good choice for indoors, the AH-IPS is better suited for outdoors, which makes it perfect for smartphones. The display also beats out typical LCD screens, and offers 1.5 to 2 times the resolution.
LG had a few other products to show off as well, including a handful of displays that will help to make the ultra book push more of a reality, as the displays are as good as ever, yet thinner than ever before.
In the world of TVs, LG may not have quite the impact in America that some manufacturers like Sony and Samsung have, but scratch under the surface, and the odds are you will find LG’s influence.
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