LG 4K OLED TV 77EG9700 Preview

LG debuted two new TVs at the 2014 CEDIA Expo that were particularly impressive. The largest was the 77-inch EG9700 Curved OLED Ultra HD 4K television and there is also a smaller 65-inch model, the 65EC9700. Both LG 4K OLED televisions put two of the biggest-deal technologies the company is promoting into a single product: OLED and 4K resolution. OLED is impressive because it delivers an almost hyper-real contrast ratio due to the emissive nature of the pixels. Light is actually produced by the pixel (much like in a plasma display) as opposed to having to use a backlight and pass light through a pixel. This gives you the deepest black levels possible in a flat panel display. This particular LG 4K OLED television also uses two million more sub-pixels than a conventional HDTV because it reproduces 4K resolution—four times the resolution of 1080p HD (8.3 million pixels…that’s like over 2,200 Apple watches!).

The picture on the LG 77EG9700 was incredible in terms of resolution. Unfortunately, they had frame interpolation maxed out, and there was quite a bit of artifacting going on with motion scenes as well—but that can be disabled without losing the beauty of this set. LG uses their Tru-Ultra HD Engine to take 1080p (or lower) content and upconvert it to 4K with some processing to adjust for detail and scaling. In terms of color, it’s outstanding, and LG’s use of WRGB pixel technology (there is literally a “white” subpixel) leads to some impressive color output.

LG’s WebOS interface gives you access to Netflix, Hulu Plus, VUDU, Amazon, YouTube, a web browser, and more…

LG 4K OLED TV Features and Specs

• Resolution: Ultra HD (3840 x 2160)
• Tru Ultra HD Engine Pro (4K Resolution Upscaler)
• Tru Color Generator
• “Magic” Remote Control
• LG Store (App Store)
• Search/Recommendations
• Web Browser
• Media Share, MHL support
• Screen Share
• Wi-Fi Built-in
• Inputs: 4 HDMI, 3 USB Connections, 1 Component, 1 Shared Composite in (AV) AUDIO
• Audio: 4 Ch 40W Speaker System
• Sound Sync

Physically, the 77EG9700 uses an eye-catching curved design with an edge that tapers down to just 0.17″—literally pencil-thin. The retail price on this set is $24,999 so don’t expect it for Christmas unless your last name is Trump. This is exciting technology, and LG expects over 1 million OLED TVs (not all theirs) to ship this year. That would pretty much break OLED into the mainstream for the first time and, as a result, we should start seeing those numbers increase further over time.

There’s more CEDIA 2014 show coverage and you can also stay tuned to #CEDIAgurus for real-time updates.