CES '16: LG Intros UHD Alliance-Certified Ultra-Slim OLED TVs
UHD is the talk of CES 2016, but the conversation has moved beyond resolution. Last night, the UHD Alliance, an organization of over 30 major players that span the industry, announced the Ultra HD Premium certification program, which will allow content and TVs that meet expanded color and high dynamic range measurements to display a special logo. The idea is that consumers will easily be able to find visually superior UHD products and programming.
Today, LG (which is a board member on the UHD Alliance) picked up that theme at its CES press conference. The star of its show was its new OLED TV line, which features an ultra-thin screen (2.57mm, or the thickness of 4 credit cards), the ability to display over a billion colors, and HDR that offers darker shadows and brighter brights.
LG announced two lines—G6 and E6—with eight models total. They're led by the 77/65-inch G6 and 65/55-inch E6. The OLED lines will be among the first to carry the UHD Alliance's Ultra HD Premium certification, as well as Dolby Vision certification. The sets are part of LG's new LG Signature line, which also includes an elegantly designed refrigerator, air purifier, and washer/dryer.
"It's designed with one principle in mind, and that is eliminate the unnecessary," said David VanderWaal, LG's vice president of marketing. The OLED line has "an elegant glass body" and is "stunningly slim," he added.
LG also announced four lines of LCD "Super HD TVs," as the company calls them. The UH9500, UH8500, and UH7700 lines include only large screens (from 46- to 86-inches), and come with improved black display (with LG's True Black Panel) and better contrast with its Contrast Maximizer. Both are proprietary, with the True Black Panel minimizing reflection and the Contrast Maximizer separating prominent on-screen objects from the background.
The UF9500 and UF8500 lines also include LG's Color Prime Plus, which delivers an expanded range of on-screen colors. The top UH9500 line is especially thin, using a new design process that produces a 6.6mm screen depth.
Viewers can access online content with the latest generation of LG's WebOS platform, version 3.0. This version focuses on discoverability, letting people find programs easier and quickly switch between broadcast, streaming, and external devices. LG didn't mention WebOS 3.0 in its press conference, which says something about the appeal of connected TVs to consumers. It did, however, plug its upcoming 60-second Super Bowl commercial. This will be the first time LG has run a Super Bowl ad, and it will be directed by Jake Scott and executive produced by his father Ridley Scott.
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