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LG's 2020 TVs: Massive 8K screens and the first 48-inch 4K OLED
Prior to LG's CES 2020 press conference this morning, the company had already revealed a slew of "Real 8K" televisions, and announced that the rollable 4K OLED TV we saw at last year's show will be ready to go on sale later this year. Both of those were present in its demo area, and looked impressive. 8K is sharp on LCD "NanoCell" screens, but the 8K OLED really popped, even if it was only playing demo content and hard to compare directly to what we've seen before from 4K OLED screens. Meanwhile, the rollable screen LG is planning on selling still only rolls one way, and won't have some of the features other new TVs have (like ATSC 3.0 compatibility to receive 4K via antenna) when it finally ships. Of course, those aren't the only TVs that LG will put on the market in 2020, and now the company is ready to talk about more of the lineup.
LG delivers 'Real 8K' in 2020 with eight new OLED and LCD TVs
With CES about to start, LG has unveiled some hints about its new top of the line TVs for 2020 without mentioning prices or release dates. In this era that means jumping from 4K to 8K, and the company will have eight new models that it says promise "Real 8K" performance that "exceeds" the CTA's spec for 8K. The way LG sees things, even though Samsung's QLED tech may be certified as 8K, that doesn't make it "real" without surpassing a minimum test for contrast modulation (CM) threshold requirements. Those eight 8K models include two LG Signature OLED sets in 88- and 77-inch sizes (88/77 OLED ZX) as well as six of its NanoCell-branded LCD televisions (75/65 Nano99, 75/65 Nano97, 75/65 Nano95) in 75- and 65-inch sizes. In terms of getting 8K content (whenever and wherever that's available), they can handle YouTube's preferred AV1 codec as well as HEVC and VP9, 8K inputs from USB or HDMI, and finally, 8K 60FPS via streaming as well as 8K 60P via HDMI.
LG's high-end 4K TVs get AirPlay 2 and HomeKit first in the US
You don't have to wonder when LG will roll out AirPlay 2 and HomeKit to its TVs in the US -- it's here. The Apple ecosystem support is now available to higher-end 2019 LG TVs in the country through a firmware update. The features are currently ready for OLED and NanoCell 4K LCD sets with ThinQ capabilities, excluding the SM8100 series. Other 4K sets will get their updates later in the year.
LG's 2019 TVs add HDMI 2.1 and 8K
CES 2019 hasn't started yet, but LG is already drip-feeding information about this year's OLED and LCD TVs. While it didn't mention the rollable OLED we're expecting, it did list model numbers for two 8K sets, with an 88-inch Z9 OLED and SM99 8K LCD TV on the way. There's no word on price yet, but the big confirmation is that thanks to HDMI 2.1 ports, all of its 2019 OLED TVs and "selected" NanoCell LCD TVs will support high frame rate (HFR) 120fps video inputs. Other features in the new standard include an enhanced audio return channel (eARC) as well as variable refresh rate (VRR) and automatic low latency mode (ALLM) to keep gamers happy. If you're snagging one of the new 8K TVs, you'll just be pleased to know you won't have to plug in four HDMI cables to get everything connected. The NanoCell name is a new brand for LG's high-end LCD TVs (SM9X and SM8X) with enhanced color, viewing angles and thin bezels. As usual, LG is also talking up its AI capabilities with Thinq technology, and a new Prime Video button on its Magic Remote that ties in directly to Amazon's Alexa routines.
LG's latest 4K TVs deliver better color through 'nano cells'
If your TV line already has 4K, HDR and all the other buzzwords that promise top-tier image quality, what do you do next? For LG, the answer is simple: make sure everyone sees those colors. It just unveiled its Super UHD TV line for 2017, and all three models (the SJ8000, SJ8500 and SJ9500) revolve around Nano Cell LCDs whose uniformly-sized particles promise more accurate and consistent colors, even when you're watching from an off-center position. The technology absorbs excess light wavelengths, preventing unwanted color bleeding (such as from green to blue or yellow), fading and other effects that reduce the vibrancy of the picture.
