CES 2017: For LG TVs, W Is for Wallpaper, Window, and Wow
TV makers won't be happy until their products are as thin as a piece of paper, and LG is doing its best to get us there. Kicking off Press Day at CES 2017, the Korean tech giant introduced its W-series led by a 77-inch model. The W, suggested David VanderWaal, vice president of marketing, stands for "wallpaper, window, wow." The line includes 10 models in all.
The 65-inch W-series set measures 2.57mm thick, so it "gives a unified look on the wall," VanderWaal said. Attached with magnetic brackets, it's only 4mm off the wall and doesn't cast a shadow. That oneness with the wall is crucial in providing an immersive TV viewing experience, LG believes.
LG spent much of the TV portion of its press conference talking about color enhancements in its three Super UHD TV models. Using a new Nano Cell display technology that helps absorb surplus wavelengths of light, the sets will provide better luminance and deeper backs. The technology can produce one billion colors and reduce onscreen glow.
Noting that 90 percent of TV viewers don't sit directly in front of their sets when watching, LG is providing a wider viewing angle. The same Nano Cell technology helps with color consistency at wider viewing angles,
"We don’t think our competitors pay enough attention to how viewers usually watch their TVs," VanderWaal said, noting that some sets lose half of their color vibrancy when viewed at an angle.
In another color improvement move, LG is working with Technicolor which will bring an Expert Mode for advanced color calibration to 2017 LG sets, as well as better color rendering. LG is also working with Dolby, which is bringing Dolby Atmos surround sound to LG 2017 OLED sets. Dolby Atmos debuted in theaters four years ago with the movie Brave. Since then, over 500 movies have been mixed in Dolby Atmos and over 100 films using Atmos are ready for home viewing.
The LG W7 series and other 2017 OLED sets are gaining Active HDR technology which uses a proprietary technology to look at video frame-by-frame and provide custom HDR processing even when there's no metadata. A related feature called HDR Effect does a similar feat for SD content, processing it frame-by-frame to improve key onscreen areas and sharpen detail. All of LG's 2017 OLED TVs will use Ultra Luminance technology, which VanderWaal says will deliver 25 percent better brightness over last year's models.
LG's Web OS 3.5 is coming this year, but was barely mentioned in the press conference. It will provide access to 360° videos and photos, with viewers panning around by dragging the remote.
LG's latest flagship TV becomes one with the wall, the company says.