Imagine a TV that is paper-thin and so flexible that it can fit inside a tube for transportation. LG intends to showcase a prototype of such a TV this January at CES 2016, company officials said to Korea Times.
A rollable 55-inch OLED TV
LG is years ahead of its competitors and its arch rival Samsung. The company will cement that fact in a few months from now at the annual CES show in Las Vegas.
At CES, LG will reportedly showcase the world’s first rollable TV prototype. The company has previously demonstrated a rollable 18-inch display but the new display will be much bigger at 55 inches.
- "LG Electronics is working on developing a 55-inch rollable TV, which will be introduced at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2016," an official at LG's technology research center told Korea Times.
Another official at LG explained that unlike its curved OLED TVs, the rollable TV can potentially fit inside a tube for transportation purposes, allowing the user to bring it with him. LG’s battery unit, LG Chem, is apparently working on batteries for the new TV, and it has already been demonstrated how extremely thin OLED TVs can be attached to walls only by using magnets.
LG hopes to create an entirely new “form factor” with flexible displays, not just for TVs. In the future, OLED can take any shape, since they can be flexible and transparent. The company imagines that you can use them in windows, desks and even as wallpapers. The prototype that will be showcased at CES 2016 will likely be ready for mass-production in 3-4 years, according to one official.
- "There are still a lot of technological barriers to put the conceptual TV into the industry's mainstream; however, the key thing is that people's lives will be changed in good ways thanks to improvements in technology," an official said to Korea Times.
A spokesperson at LG added that, as always, plans can change. If LG indeed follows through we are even more excited for CES 2016. FlatpanelsHD will be in Las Vegas.
