LG To Debut 65-Inch OLED TV That Rolls Up Like A Poster In 2019
Big screen televisions are fairly common now, and even though they have slimmed down considerably since the days of rear projection TVs, they can still take up a lot of space in the living room. LG is attempting to make them less of a dominating presence. How so? The company apparently has plans to launch a 65-inch rollable OLED TV sometime next year.
LG actually showed this off at the Consumer Electronics Show at the beginning of 2018. At the time, LG said its rollable TV highlighted the "distinctive technological edges and unlimited potential of OLEDs." While a bit hyperbolic (and it seems something may have been lost in translation), it's an interesting concept all the same.
"It can be rolled up and hidden when not in use, and the small size of the rolled-up screen means that it can be more easily moved and stored, allowing for better space utilization, something existing displays can’t deliver. With this unparalleled portability, the 65-inch rollable display ensures that users can enjoy bright, high-resolution content anytime, anywhere," LG explained at the time.
LG didn't mention a release date, and now nearly a year later, it hasn't become a consumer product. However, a person who is supposedly familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that LG will look to bolster its big screen TV business by releasing it in 2019. As with most modern TVs, it will be a 4K resolution TV.
The way it's conceived, a user can touch a button to have the rollable TV retract automatically, sort of like a garage door. LG's reason for going with an OLED solution is two-fold: images look better compared to LCD screens, and OLED panels are easier to fold.
From our vantage point, it's an interesting concept, though it could be marred by high costs. As a first-run technology, we have little doubt it will carry a premium over other OLED TVs, which are already comparatively expensive. There's also the concern of moving parts breaking down, and specifically the motor that retracts and unrolls the TV. We'll have to wait and see what kind of lifespan LG estimates, as well as the price.
