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LG announces seven 4K OLED TVs, thinks OLED is cool when no one else does

LG announces seven 4K OLED TVs, thinks OLED is cool when no one else does

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The tech world has moved on to talking about quantum dots, but LG isn't ready to abandon OLEDs just yet. Despite high image quality and a lot of buzz over the past few years, OLEDs have proved prohibitively expensive for home use. That's not stopping LG at CES 2015, though: it's got no fewer than seven models to show off.

LG's offerings span the gamut from basic flatscreens to more experimental stuff, including three that won CES awards last year: a 55-inch flat model with a "floating" base, a 65-inch curved version, and a frankly gigantic 77-inch 4K OLED with a flexible display. Beyond that, there are curved versions of the 55-inch and 77-inch TVs and two flat versions of the 65-inch one, which means that you can probably find any permutation of giant, super-high-end TV you desire. The emphasis there is on "super-high-end," because the smaller of LG's (and the world's) very first 4K OLEDs was launched for nearly $12,000 in Korea in 2014. You have to go all the way down to 1080p resolution before you can get to the somewhat more reasonable price of $3,500. While the hardware is obviously the selling point for LG's TVs, the company is also showing off its webOS 2.0 smart TV platform, and it's announced content partnerships with GoPro, DirecTV, and other companies.

While LG has pushed forward with commercial OLEDs alongside other technology, other companies have shown reservations. A Samsung executive said last year that the technology still wasn't ready for the mainstream, and Sony reportedly gave up on them a few months before that, choosing to focus on better-selling LCD TV sets. They're undeniably beautiful, with their super-thin design and rich colors. But for now, most people will only see them on a show floor — if they see them at all.

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