Televisions have come a long way and the next generation is here. Last week, LG invited a small group to their Silicon Valley lab in  Santa Clara, CA to see a live demonstration of their new LG OLED TV. I wasn’t able to make it so Frans attended as my eyes and ears 🙂 What is an OLED and how is it different than an LCD or LED screen?
LCD Vs OLED
The main different has to do with light. LCD televisions require a backlight at all times. So, even when you have an area that is supposed to be black (like the horizontal bars for widescreen), it ultimately ends up just being a darker area instead of a true black since there’s still light shining behind it.
You’ll also notice that sometimes there’s a ring of light shining around the edges of the screen. That’s called leakage and results in a lower quality picture when viewed from a different angle. Again, that’s caused by the backlight and is worse on curved screens. LED televisions suffer from the same issues as it also uses a constant backlight.
OLED technology solves all of this by eliminating that backlight and replacing it with individual bulbs. Each of these bulbs create their own light. For true blacks and infinite contrast, certain bulbs can simply be turned off. With less “stuff”, a thinner screen can be achieved. It’s also super fast with a response time of 0.001 milliseconds (not really sure how fast that is but current LCDs are at 5ms).
LG OLED TV Features – Width, Speed, Contrast, Viewing Angle
Of course, it’s much easier to see the difference in person. LG showed us a side-by-side comparison of a standard LCD television and one of their new OLED screens. The difference in width is VERY obvious.
You also get a better view at wider angle (160° vs the 100° at half the brightness that an LCD offers).
One thing that works extremely well for these new LG OLED televisions is the acquisition of the WebOS user interface, which means the onscreen menus and such. These televisions have simple yet intuitive menus that can be moved around according to personal preference. Another feature that most will appreciate is that you can rename the numerous HDMI ports in the menu. No more questions like: Which port was the Blu-ray player? Was it HDMI 1 or HDMI 2? What about the XBox?
At this time, the options are slim with only the LG Electronics 55-in 3DÂ OLED TVÂ available for purchase. More screen sizes and 4K versions will be coming though. I’m pretty excited about this new technology but we’ll probably wait until it’s a little less “new” and a little more affordable.
Impressed by the LG 55-in OLED or will you wait to see the 4K OLED?
Frans (in my place) attended a media preview event with LG. All opinions are my/his own.
38 comments
I can’t believe how thin that is. And the picture looks so clear. Wow.
Wow that is an impressive TV. I know Hubs is going to want it!
Oh my heck, I can’t believe it’s so thin! I’ve never heard of OLED before, but that’s probably because I’m not very tech savvy. 🙂 Maybe I better not show the hubs this post…
My husband was ooh’ing and ahh’ing over these TVs last weekend. I had never seen one but they are really nice!
That is so thin I would want to hang it on my wall to protect it from falling over. We will need a new TV in our home soon.
I love the modern look. I am also amazed at how thin it is!
Looks like a fabulous new tv. We may need a new tv for the new home so we’ll check this out.
I had no idea what either was until this post! Shows you how electronically ignorant I am. Now my husband knows!
I haven’t ever seen an OLED TV before. They certainly seem to have a lot of benefits.
I am so super-impressed… I remember when TV’s used to be huge… now they are so thin… and so bright… thanks for the info
I can’t see myself paying that much for a TV since I hardly watch TV, but I must say that the picture quality is remarkably clear! 🙂
This tv looks amazing! No one show my husband please 🙂
My husband really wants to upgrade the tv in our family room. Since it’ll have to be mounted above the fireplace, I want it to be as flush to the wall (and therefore less noticeable???) as possible.
I am most definitely impressed! I don’t know that I’ll be running out right away to get it, but I’ll sure be keeping that in mind as TVs need replacing.
Wow, the width is a big difference. I like that you can rename the HDMI ports, it can be a pain flipping through them trying to remember which is which.
That’s really amazing. I can’t believe how fast technology changes. I remember when a three inch deep HDTV was considered slim.
That is so awesome! I love that picture quality! I can see my video games on that screen. Oh yeah.
That’s amazing. I love how thin it is, and that picture is incredible.
That’s amazing. I can’t believe you can still see the picture on such a steep angle!
That’s incredible. I love that you can see the picture on such a deep angle.
Technology is amazing. I can remember when those enormous big screen televisions that used projectors were considered cutting edge. They seem like dinosaurs now.
Wow, what a difference! It’s amazing how far TVs have come from how they were when I was younger.
And now… I MUST have one!! I am such a tech-y! Especially TV’s and tablets! LG always has such quality stuff!
Wow… now that’s an awesome TV! My husband will be all over this!
I cannot justify paying $4K for a tv at this time. However, I am quite impressed with the new OLED. I LOVE that I can rename the ports. HDMI-1, HDMI-2 – huh? I hate those.
I wouldn’t mind having that in my home. I think it would make a beautiful addition in any room. 🙂
Man, tv’s have certainly come a long way since I was a kid! These are so thin!
As a family that loves entertainment, I’m liking this! We still have just standard HiDef but would love to upgrade soon!
Wow! That is a huge difference!
They can come demonstrate in my house if they leave the TV behind LOL! It is amazing how technology has grown and changed.
Wow. I’ve had my eye on the Smart TV, but now you have me eyeing the tar out of this one. My TV in my living room is going to go out on me any day now. I’ve been in the market for a new one for a while.
That tv is so clear and the picture is amazing.
My husband would be all over this as he loves buying TV’s.
I’m very impressed. We recently bought a new TV, we really had to, we had an ancient console TV. Loving our new technology.
This is such great info. When we purchased a new TV last year, it seemed so overwhelming. So many choices and crazy amounts of information. Love all the new technology!
Wow. Technology has certainly come a long way. That t.v. is so thin!
Wow, this technology is impressive. There is always something new and better coming out.
We are BIG LG fans! Our LG television lives in our living room (where we watch TV most often) and has been going strong for over 7yrs now. Combine that success with our LG washer and dryer and I can not see us ever purchasing another brand!
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