By I-Hsien Sherwood (i.sherwood@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Apr 29, 2013 03:32 PM EDT
Tags LG Electronics, HDTV, Curved OLED, Curved Display


LG has officially announced the launch of the 55-inch curved OLED HDTV that was first unveiled back in January at CES 2013.

The 55EA9800 has a huge, gently-curved screen, and it's available for pre-order now in LG's home country of South Korea, with the first units shipping in June. Worldwide sales begin in the next few months. It'll set consumers back a whopping $13,500.

At least it will be easy to move; a carbon-fiber frame means the whole display only weighs 37.5 pounds, and it's only 4.3mm thick.

The screen wraps slightly to give viewers a more immersive experience, like an IMAX theater screen, though that means viewers need to be positioned relatively close to the display; the effect won't work nearly as well if the television is mounted on a wall on the opposite side of the room.

"The announcement makes LG the first and only company to commercialize both the flat screen OLED TV, which began shipping to Korean customers in February, and the Curved OLED TV, giving LG a significant lead in the OLED segment that is expected to grow to 7 million units by 2016, according to DisplaySearch," said LG in a press release.

But perhaps more interesting to fans of LG's mobile phones is the advance in OLED tech. Curvature is one of the issues phone manufacturers have been trying to deal with in the next generation of devices. There are already rumors that LG has a flexible OLED display in testing, which is much more useful in tech like phones that has to be able to handle more abuse.

Of course, the technology is often applicable in the other direction, as well. Plastic-coated flexible displays that don't use glass are thinner and lighter than traditional OLED displays, which would make devices like televisions even more portable. Imagine a huge television screen that can be rolled up and put away when not in use. Or a phone that curves around your wrist like a watch when you're not using it.

Check back for the latest on LG's new HDTV sets and OLED technology.

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