LG 55EM9600 (55-inch OLED)

Organic LED (OLED) TVs have always been touted as the holy grail among flat-screen panels. They were previously available only in 11- and 15-inch screen sizes until the Consumer Electronics Show earlier in January where Samsung and LG both unveiled new 55-inch models.

These displays are highly sought-after for two reasons. Like plasma TVs, OLED panels have pixels that are self-illuminating. This eliminates the need for backlighting that is required in LED TVs to deliver a very high contrast and deep blacks. Without an extra backlight unit, OLEDs are also much slimmer and lighter than other similar-size TVs in the market.

To help differentiate the 55EM9600 from its competitors, LG has developed a new White OLED (WOLED) technology. WOLED introduces discrete white on top of the standard red, green and blue (RGB) primary colors, as well as a Color Refiner filter. These enhancements supposedly produce more accurate hues compared with conventional RGB OLED panels

We were able to get a short hands-on session with LG's OLED TV at a convention in Monaco. Here're our early impressions.

Design

Paper Slim design

The 55EM9600 is, possibly, the thinnest 55-inch TV in the world. It features a new Paper Slim design that combines an attractive 4mm-thin chassis with a 1mm-wide bezel. Just how thin is this panel? Here's a quick comparison with a pen.

Floating effect

The LG OLED TV features a minimalistic design with a brushed-metal frame and illuminated LG logo. A thick translucent chunk of plastic sandwiched between the panel and table-top stand creates a unique floating effect, too.

Reinforced carbon fiber plastics

Notice the carbon fiber texture? According to LG, this is the first time carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) have been used for a TV. This is a material that is more commonly used in the aircraft and car manufacturing industries. CFPR not only strengthens the panel, but also reduces its weight to just 10kg, or half the weight of an LED TV of the same size.

Flexible installation options

Three installation options are available. There is the typical fixed table-top stand, a floor-standing version with additional swivel and height-adjustment functions, as well as a wall mounting option.

External media hub

The TV tuners, A/V inputs and other auxiliary electronics have been offloaded to an external media hub housed in the base of the table-top and floor stands. A compact settop box equivalent is also available to cater for wall-mounted sets. The hub also doubles as a media player and digital video recorder.

Connectivity options

Four HDMI inputs, three USB ports, an Ethernet jack and onboard Wi-Fi are available on the panel. Also included is Intel's Wireless Display (WiDi) for users to wirelessly stream A/V signals from selected Intel laptops to the panel. Note that the layout of these sockets hasn't been finalized and the commercial unit may differ from the above photo.

Transparent optical cable

The media hub is connected to the panel utilizing a new slim and transparent optical cable. The wire transmits both audio and video signals and is quite inconspicuous from afar. Note that only one cable is required when the 55EM9600 hits the market.

Premium 3D glasses

LG will be bundling its premium 3D glasses with the 55EM9600, though the company has not decided on how many pairs it will be including for each package. The swanky eyewear could easily pass for a pair of expensive sunglasses with its stylish design and soft nose pads.

Features

Feature-wise, you can expect the 55EM9600 to offer all the bells and whistles found in the 55LM9600 3D LED TV. Here are some notable examples:

• Cinema 3D technology based on passive 3D glasses for delivering bright and flicker-free 3D visuals
• A dual-core processor to improve the overall responsiveness of the smart TV platform
• An enhanced smart TV platform offering more user customizations and a new Web browser compatible with the latest version of Flash
• A new Magic Remote featuring a scroll wheel as well as voice- and gesture-recognition capabilities
• A Second Display function for streaming TV shows, movies and recorded programs from the panel to mobile devices.

Performance

Inky blacks

With self-illuminating pixels, the 55EM9600 outputs some of the deepest blacks we've seen among flat-screen TVs. The image above illustrates this point by displaying a scene without compromising the shadow detail around the church and bright lights.

Strong color reproduction

This LG also boasts a 120-percent NTSC color gamut. What it means is the 55EM9600 can faithfully reproduce all the hues of broadcasts and movies, just as the director intended. Videophiles can also tap on the extensive color settings and support for Imaging Science Foundation (ISF) professional calibration.

Very wide viewing angles

A unique proposition of OLED panels is their extended viewing angles. There was negligible color shift when viewing a scene directly in front of the panel compared with viewing it from the sides. Unfortunately, we weren't able to test motion reproduction, though this model has a high 120Hz refresh rate that should minimize judder.

Conclusion

In many ways, the 55EM9600 is the "spiritual successor" to the lengendary Pioneer Kuro. Until we have a chance to check out the Samsung OLED panel, this LG easily sets the new benchmark in terms TV picture quality and slim design. However, a drawback of this 55-incher is its estimated US$10,000 price, making it appealing only to discerning movie buffs and fashionistas with deep pockets.

This 55-incher will be available in the second half of the year in the US, as well as selected countries in Europe and Asia.