105UB9
Latest
LG's 105-inch 4K TV is here, if you can afford it
Sure, Samsung just launched its 105-inch ultrawidescreen, Ultra HD TV, but if spending $120,000 on such a screen is probably out of reach there may be a solution. For the the budget minded-consumer, we'd recommend taking a look at LG's 105-inch 4K (they call it 5K, because of the expanded number of pixels horiontally) set. Beyond coming with an integrated speaker (value!), if we're reading this machine-translated Korean press release correctly, in Korea it's priced at 120 million won, or about $117,000 and will start shipping in just a few days. That way, you can buy one of these and a nice 65-inch TV for your kids instead of that college education they wanted. During CES we'd heard that the MSRP would be around $70,000 US so we're still hoping for even more savings on this side of the Pacific -- of course, as much as we like high-res TVs we're not sure any of them are worth two Teslas.
LG spills price, release details on its Ultra HD, OLED (flat or curved) and webOS TVs
As usual, LG has encouraged our speculation by slowly revealing details about many of the new TVs it's bringing to CES and today during its press conference we're finding out the rest, including prices and release windows. First up is its impossibly large 105-inch curved LCD, an ultrawide screen that may actually deliver on its promise of a cinema experience in the home. While this doesn't have a specific release period, LG is anticipating an MSRP of about $70K, so it won't come cheap, but its unique 5,120 x 2,160 resolution is impressive enough to merit consideration -- if you're not convinced don't worry, there are a number of other options. If you're looking for a new OLED TV instead, LG is also setting high-water marks there with its Ultra HD 77-inch curved model. It combines ultra-high resolution with the company's best display technology and high dynamic range algorithm for a picture that should be stunning. Of course, that comes with a similarly eye-popping price of $29,999 when it starts rolling out during the second quarter of this year, but delivering on the promise of one of our favorite displays from last year isn't cheap. For those that want the latest in TV technology, but prefer a flat viewing surface, LG is also almost ready to deliver its conventionally shaped Gallery OLED TV in the US. The 55-inch EA8800 doesn't have the all the pixels of its predecessors above, but with an MSRP of $8,999, it's a bit closer to our price range and hopefully, new production plants will make the price fall even faster. Of course, there's a possibility that our favorite part of the announcement is the most easily obtained, as LG has revealed that webOS is coming to most of its new Smart TVs this year. Purchased from HP and adapted to work on TV, the experience begins with a user-friendly tutorial and setup process, and moves on to a connected-TV system that could surpass the others in the field right out of the box. The webOS Launcher is built for multitasking with apps and live TV, all built around the concept of past, present and future. This platform is LG's first compatible with apps built on HTML standards, which should hopefully attract more developers to the platform. We'll have to get our hands on it to verify the company's pledge that it's "Making TV Simple Again," but so far it appears to have a good start -- check after the break for a few more screenshots.
LG's 105-inch, 21:9 curved UHD TV is wide enough to be a tanning bed
LG already has a big 77-inch curved Ultra HD OLED TV, but why stop there? The Korean company has just announced that it will be unveiling a 105-inch version at CES next month, but with a twist: this one uses LCD instead of the more expensive OLED, courtesy of improved TFT technology for an even backlighting across the curved surface. Furthermore, this 105UB9 model has a wider-than-usual 21:9 "CinemaScope" aspect ratio, thus providing a 5,120 x 2,160 UHD resolution (but technically not 5K). While we likely won't find out about the pricing of this monstrosity until CES, this milestone for LG Display's LCD technology could signify a wave of more affordable curved TVs next year -- much like what Sony's attempting with its S990A. Stay tuned for our eyes-on report once we hit the show floor.
