Specs, Review and all Facts

From all the new HDTVs presented at this years consumer electronics how in Las Vegas, the new LG 55EM9600 was the biggest sensation and even managed to break Samsung’s supremacy when it comes to awards: It won the “Best of CES” award in the category televisions. Congratulations and a good reason to have a closer look at this really new HDTV technology.

An OLED is an organic light-emitting diode, similar to LED, but has a so-called emissive electroluminescent layer that consists of special organic compounds. The technology was already used for the famous AMOLED displays you find in many of todays smartphones and now it makes it to the big screen. The main advantage: The screen can be incredibly thin, the 55EM9600 for example is only 0.16-inch thick. No typo, zero dot sixteen inch only. it is so slim that connectivity and other features are integrated in a separate box that is hooked up to the TV via a cable.

The second strength is that OLEDs do not require any backlights any more, the main disadvantage LED screen had compared to plasmas so far. This basically means perfect, bright colors and real blacks. Once you first look at the 55-inch EM9600 you know that this technology is superior to anything you experienced in home entertainment before. It simply rocks and blows any competition out of the water.

Want more details? Here are the specs as known so far:

• 100.000.000:1 contrast ratio, the best displays so far barely reached 20,000,000:1
• Response time is 1000 times faster than regular LEDs, say goodbye to any ghost, artifact or blur effects
• RGB spectrum (red, green, blue) boosted with additional, forth, white pixel for brighter pictures
• 3D ready, including 2D to 3D Conversion
• LG Smart TV technology included, applications and internet browser
• Only 16.5 pounds of weight, this ultimate HDTV really lightweight, too
• More specs as soon as we know more details

Overall, this is certainly the best HDTV of 2012 and the best HDTV ever released. This isn’t an exaggeration, OLED technology is simply one step further, a game changing innovation we missed last year and makes LCD, LED and Plasma look really old already.

We will update you with the latest deals right after the announced release in March, but one thing is probably already obvious: Sit down before watching the price tag, we have no doubt it is worth what LG will as for it, but it’s not a TV for everybody. Owning the best of the best was never cheap.

Advantages of the new OLED technology

OLED seems to be the new buzzword for 2012, most manufacturers have presented new HDTVs with this technology, but what are the real advantages?

First of all, OLEDs are very slim, making them perfect for manufacturing huge but relatively light displays. Some prototypes are already thin as paper, although it will certainly take a few more years till we see televisions you can mount to the wall like a poster. When inactive, OLEDs do not use any power, so this technology is very interesting from the ecological point of view, too and will help to reduce energy costs to a recognizable extend. Even when active they use by far less power than any backlighting technologies like regular LED or CCFL for LCDs.

Since the pixels emit light directly, the viewing angle for perfect images is much higher, no more sitting right in front of the television necessary for best quality pictures. It’s like you were used from the good old CRT TVs, watch from any angle you like.

Last but not least, OLEDs have a refresh rate beyond anything known so far. While even the best and most expensive normal LCD or LED screens are limited to 480Hz with response times of about 2ms, OLED offers up to an unbelievable 100.000Hz at a neglectable response time of just 0.01ms. Perfect for motion pictures, sports and even the fastest action games.

A few words about the price: Like every new technology, prices are pretty high at the beginning, being a first mover comes at a cost, but long-term all experts expect prices way below those you are used to pay for HDTVs today.

OLED is here to stay, this technology will change the way we watch television, the way we are able to experience home entertainment. Welcome to the future!