World's First Curved 4K OLED TV from LG

LG has been shining in the Curved TV department.  And LG Electronics today announced it is now
selling the world's first OLED TV with 4K (3840 x 2160-pixel)
resolution.
The sets, available in 77-in. and 65-in. screen sizes, will come in
a curved panel form factor. The 65-in model will retail for about
$11,700. Pricing for the 77-in has not yet been released.
LG will begin taking pre-orders for the two models starting in
Korea this week, with availability in North America and Europe
to follow soon after.
The company plans on demonstrating the technology at the IFA
consumer electronics show in Berlin from September 5-10.

OLED, which stands for organic light-emitting diodes, promises
larger, lighter screens with the ability to retain consistent color
from even the widest of viewing angles.
According to IHS Technology, there are several advantages that
OLED TVs have over traditional LED-backlight LCD TVs. For
example, the sets have superior contrast ratio because self-
emitting pixels allow for deeper blacks; the displays are
extremely thing; and they have better and more "real life colors"
because of a wider range over LCD TVs.
LG's OLED TVs use a proprietary four-color pixel WRGB (white,
red, green, blue) technology, with 33 million sub-pixels working
to produce the LG's contrast ratio. Typically, high-definition TVs
have an RGB-color pixel scheme.
OLED TVs were first launched in the US market during the
second half of 2013, with a 55-inch 1080p resolution, curved
model from LG priced at $10K. According to IHS Technology,
however, fewer than 500 units were shipped in the US for that
year.
"Since its then, the retail price for this television has decreased
sharply and its now sold for as low as $3,500. Nevertheless, this
price is still significantly higher than of a comparable 55-inch
UHD TV, which sells for around $2,000," said Veronica Gonzalez-
Thayer, an analyst for IHS's Consumer Electronics group.
As more screen sizes and brands become available, according
to Gonzalez-Thayer, prices will continue to decrease, becoming
more accessible, and therefore increasing sales.
However, OLED TVs will always have a high premium price
against LED TVs, even those in ultra-high definition. And,
advancements in LED technology are producing TVs with
improved contrast ratio, colors, etc., making it more difficult for
OLED TVs to differentiate and justify their premium price,
Gonzalez-Thayer added.
IHS predicts that around 14,000 OLED TV units will be shipped
in the US during 2014, and that number will increase to close to
1.2 million units in 2018.
LG's OLED products are also "smart TVs" in that they can
connect to the Internet for content streaming. The TVs will run
WebOS, the platform created by Palm, which LG acquired last
year.
"LG 4K OLED TV is the pinnacle of technological achievement
and a new paradigm that will change the dynamics of the next-
generation TV market," Hyun-hwoi Ha, CEO of LG's Home
Entertainment division, said in a statement. "As the next
evolutionary step in display technology, OLED will play a major
role in reshaping our industry. I feel confident when I say that 4K
OLED is a bona fide game changer."

-LG