LG Display showed off a proof-of-concept television, the 55-inch OLED display that weighs 1.9 kilograms and is less than a millimeter thick.
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The OLED TV was shown as a proof of concept at a press event in Korea. The 55-inch TV was a meagre 0.97mm thick and weighed just 1.9kg. Company's current flagship 55-inch OLED TV is 4.3mm thick. This new display is so thin that rather than mounting it to the wall with bulking brackets it can be held on with magnets. By mounting a thin magnet to the wall the TV can be attached like a fridge magnet.
To remove it you simply peel it off the wall. It also appears to be flexible making damaging it difficult and curving it easy. There are still some problems to be solved, like where is the input box with a signal, how to attach its background to the wall, where are loudspakers, but as a proof of concept this is really remarkable achievement.
LG Display said its display strategy will center on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. The high-definition era started years ago with LCD and plasma technologies but customers shifted increasingly toward LED technology.
OLED technology adds an organic compound layer that allows for very thin screens, curved displays and it emits its own light, so there is no need for a backlight. OLED is suitable for a whole range of products, from TVs to computer and phone displays to wearables.
The problem with OLED is that there is a lot of waste while producing OLED displays which in turn means high prices for customers. As an example, LG's 65-inch, 4K OLED TV costs $9,000. But the company said it has made significant breakthrough in developing OLEDs and that its yield has hit 80 percent.
Not so good as LCD technology but good for OLED. That in turns signals that cheaper devices are coming although it is expected that OLED displays will not be as widespread as LCDs for another five to 10 years.
LG Display plans to keep pushing OLED and will introduce a big 99-inch OLED screen this summer. ■