LG has unveiled what could be a fascinating new innovation in television technology with its Bendable Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO) TV. On showcase at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the display, at first glance, does not appear too much different to other high-end televisions currently on the market. But what makes the Bendable CSO TV different and what potential benefits does it offer?
LG's newest TV features a curved OLED display, which is nothing new but tends to only be found on more expensive televisions. OLED displays, for example, are quite popular with smartphones. Many of the major smartphone companies, including Samsung, Apple, and LG itself, use the technology on some of their phones. But OLED TVs are less common due to their expense. Compared to what are billed as LED TVs, which are actually LCD displays that use LEDs behind the panel for backlight, each diode in an OLED TV provides its own 'organic' light. As a result, an OLED display offers richer colors, sharper contrasts, and deeper blacks as only the parts of the screen that need to be are lit up. Curved displays have also gained popularity in the last few years. The curved edges create a better viewing angle if the viewer is sitting directly in front of it. The screens tend to be on the larger side as the effect works better that way. Granted, if the person is sitting off-center, the image can appear distorted.
But LG Display, which is also showcasing transparent OLED TVs at CES 2021, takes the concept one step further with the Bendable CSO TV. As the name implies, the 48-inch TV can actually bend. In other words, it can switch from a flat-screen to a curved display of up to 1,000R (a radius of 1,000mm), giving it a uniform viewing distance from the middle of its screen to its edge. So when watching television, the screen can operate as a traditional flat-screen TV and when the owner wants to start gaming, they can convert it into a curved display for a richer experience. But what's even more fascinating is that it uses a film exciter that vibrates the display, allowing it to produce its own sound, without the use of speakers. LG says it creates a "vivid sense of reality" as it makes it look like the characters on the TV are speaking directly to the viewer. This film exciter is also quite thin (0.6mm to 9mm) leaving the television still "paper-thin."
LG Bendable CSO TV: What Are The Benefits?
LG Display bills the Bendable CSO TV as optimized for gaming for these reasons. Gamers can have an immersive experience, assuming they are sitting in the TV's sweet spot. The display has a response time of 0.1ms and a variable refresh rate of 40Hz to 120Hz, making it a good choice here as well. LG also advertises that its OLED displays are easy on the eyes. Like its other OLED displays, LG's Bendable CSO TV emits low levels of blue light and is flicker-free, which means people can watch it for long periods of time without straining their eyes. And the simple fact that the curved display is adjustable is appealing. Switching it to a flat-screen would likely be desirable when more than one person is watching, as not everyone can sit directly in front of the TV at the same time.
The press release makes no mention of resolution, so it's unclear whether this TV is full HD, 4K, or 8K — well, it's probably not that last one, or LG would definitely have highlighted it. But even full HD OLED TVs offer better-quality images than some 4K LED TVs — and it's possible that it's not mentioned as LG plans to offer different resolutions at different price points. Other sizes would likely become available too, assuming the product actually makes it to market. At 48 inches, the Bendable CSO TV would be suitable for most consumers, although some would possibly want to go larger. The all-digital CES 2021 runs from January 11 to 14.
Source: LG Display