At IFA 2013 in Berlin, the chief executive of LG’s Home Entertainment Company revealed that the company will expand the global rollout of its OLED TVs to several markets throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the CIS region before the end of the year. Moreover, the company’s 55″ and 65″ Ultra HD TVs, the first ever models to be equipped with HEVC decoders, will be launched in 50 countries this year and LG will expand its strategic co-operative efforts with broadcasters and other partners to accelerate the growth of UHD content.
“With the demand for OLED TV and Ultra HD TV expected to grow rapidly next year, the competition to gain supremacy in the next generation TV market will be fierce,” said Mr. Kwon, president and CEO of the LG Electronics’ Home Entertainment Company. “LG will leverage its strong position and further consolidate its global TV business by speeding up the launch dates of its OLED TVs in a number of core markets. We will also introduce an expanded lineup of Ultra HD TVs and deliver a comprehensive, differentiated smart TV user experience.”
LG also marked another milestone by unveiling the world’s largest Ultra HD OLED TV at IFA. Spanning 77″ diagonally, the screen’s curvature is designed to fill the viewer’s field of vision more completely than a flat-screen TV. The Ultra HD Curved OLED TV combines LG’s WRGB OLED and UHD technologies, enabling it to produce infinite contrast ratio and resolution four times greater than regular Full HD. LG will introduce its UHD OLED TV technology to consumers in 2014.
In order to quickly expand the OLED TV market, LG plans to sell its TVs not only in department stores and luxury retailers but also large consumer electronics chains with national networks. The company also intends to expand its OLED TV lineup, complementing its 55″ Curved OLED TV with the wall mountable Gallery OLED TV.
The new 55″ and 65″ Ultra HD TV series are scheduled to launch in 50 countries before the end of 2014.
LG’s Ultra HD TVs will feature HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) decoders. This makes it possible to view UHD content without an external decoding device, such as a set-top box. The built-in decoder also means that a USB drive or any other peripheral containing 4K content can be connected to a UHD TV to seamlessly plan Ultra HD movies and videos.
LG is also looking to expand the availability of Ultra HD content in close co-operation with broadcasters. It is also forming alliances with content distributors to expand the supply of UHD entertainment and collaborating with respected artists on multimedia projects.
With the aim to combine UHD picture quality with sound quality, LG also announced they will be increasing its R&D investments in audio technology as well as sourcing the best new sound solutions through its relationships with other companies.
