(iTers News) - LG Electronics gains a head-start in the race for control of newly emerging, but hotly contested next generation of OLED and ultra-high definition, or 4K TV markets. Other rivals like Samsung, Toshiba and Sony Corp. have yet to sell 4K and OLED TVs, but LG has already started to sell three 4K TV models in the U.S market effective from January in a range of screen sizes from 55- to 65- to 84-inch and is about to sell 55-inch OLED TVs beginning with next March in the U.S. for US$12,000.

Especially when it comes to 55-inch OLED TVs, LG has become the world’s first consumer electronics company to roll out real commercial model of such big, mainstream size crystal-clear OLED TV.

“I know you have been impatiently waiting for this commercial launch of OLED TVs, and the wait is just over. LG stated global sales in early January, while other competitors are just only talking about it. At CES, we show new design to this graceful and slender stand that makes TV almost weightless,” Dr. Skott Ahn, CTO with LG Electronics at a press conference held here in Las Vegas on Jan 7.

“Next is LG’s Ultra-HD TV with this huge 84-inch screen and amazing resolution. LG is the first company to successfully commercialize the Ultra HD TV in more than 40 markets last year. We will continue to lead the market this year with new advanced triple XD engine and Resolution Upscale Plus chip which enhance quality of picture of even 2K content, ” added he.

OLED TVs and UHD TVs are the next generation of the most coveted TV markets that global top -tier TV makers are looking to as a next wave of growth engine. Yet, they are costlier to produce, because their respective manufacturing technologies are not yet matured enough to guarantee good yield – the ration of marketable items versus total production. Both of the two technologies are built around metal oxide TFT backplane that boasts faster electron mobility than normal amorphous silicon, or a-Si TFT, which is the most common TFT backplane of LCD TV.

Turning heads

The TFT backplane is a grid of thin film transistors in rows and columns that switch on and off pixels. The faster the electron moves, the smaller the pixel can get. The smaller pixel in a given space translates into more pixel density, or high resolution. The UHD TV is all about how to cram more than 8 million pixels into a given TV size.

The OLED and UHD markets are still far-fetched, and will take for a while until 2016 before they hit critical mass. Yet, the market potentials are too enormous to miss out. They are also the last resort that TV makers and LCD panel makers have no alternative but to turn to for their next wave of growth trajectory.

Shipments of OLED TVs are expected to grow to 7.2 million units by 2016, according to market research firm DisplaySearch.

LG’s OLED TVs are taking pre-orders for the first time in South Korea last week with deliveries scheduled to begin there in early February.

LG’s 55-inch OLED TVs come with a configuration of white LED cells and separate RGB color filters in what LG said is WRGB color alignment, boasting faster pixel switching , or response time, and infinite contrast ratio.

The 55-ich OLED TVs is only 0.16 inches, or 4 millimeters thin and weighs less than 22 pounds, or 10 kilograms. The WRGB color configuration, according to LG, produce astoundingly vivid and realistic pictures thanks to its superior WRGB technology, because its unique four-color pixel system features a white sub-pixel, which works in conjunction with the conventional red, blue, green setup to create the perfect color output.

Its built-in proprietary color refiner delivers even greater tonal enhancement, resulting in images that are more vibrant and natural than anything seen before.

Write channel number in the air   

The 55-inch OLED TV model also sports a full-fledged smart TV function with is flagship Magic Remote – a voice-and speed-activated smart TV remote controller device.

True enough, smart TV is LG ‘s another sure-bet. According to CTO Ahn, 70% of LG TV line-up for 2013 launch will deserve to be called s smart TV, completely featuring smart TV functionalities.

Built with a dual core CPU, LG’s smart TVs sport complete Internet connectivity and full browsing capabilities. Yet, connectivity is not everything about smartness.

Using its voice-and gesture-recognition Magic Remote, they can also understand what people speak and gesture. For example, users can simply write channel numbers with their fingers in the air to find their favorite broadcasting channels, or speak to the Magic Remote to turn up volume. The gesture-recognition algorithm is so sensitive that they even can sense a swipe of one finger.

“Others require big gesture of a whole hand to activate their smart TV gesture functionalities, but manly thanks to our built-in high-resolution vision camera, ours can detect even a single finger movement,’ emphasized Ahn.

All three UHD TV models will feature smart TV functions. Especially, the 84-inch UHD TV comes equipped with a built-in wireless connectivity technology to wirelessly share and mirror full HD video clips with users’ smart phones.

LG also introduced 100-inch laser-based full HD projection TV that connects with other peripherals like speakers wirelessly with no hassle of wires.

Reported by JH Bae & Edited by Jason Jang

Photos & Videos by JH Bae