LG to launch a 65-inch rollable OLED TV in 2019

Greg S

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Forward-looking: Could TVs that disappear into surfaces and ceilings be the next trend in consumer electronics? LG is launching a 65-inch OLED TV that can be rolled up and hidden away when its not in use.

Dating back to CES 2016, LG was proud to show off an 18-inch OLED display that could be rolled up like a scroll. Often times early prototypes like this one never make it to market, but that is not the case here. Last year at CES, LG unveiled a 65-inch OLED TV that can roll up much like a motorized projector screen.

Moving forward to present day, it is expected that rollable TVs will go on sale at some point in 2019 as real products that may actually be purchased. Although this is far from the first time we are hearing of flexible and rollable displays, LG is almost ready to bring them to the consumer market.

OLED TVs only accounted for around 1.1 percent of the units sold to consumers this year, but sales are expected to increase nearly 70 percent next year. This is an increase from 2.35 million sold to a projected 4 million units.

As pricing on 4K TVs continues to fall and the picture is so good on inexpensive displays that it makes it hard to justify paying a significant premium for OLED, LG is placing bets on the niche desire for flexible displays.

Rival Samsung is working on stretchable and rollable displays for smartphones. However, LG does not show an interest in competing against Samsung with its own new technologies intended for mobile displays. LG also does not have plans to release a foldable smartphone due to doubts of demand.

Pricing for a 65-inch rollable TV is not yet available, but needless to say if you need to ask about the price, this is probably not a product for you. A standard current generation 65-inch OLED will set you back nearly $2,600, so a rollable option will certainly be north of that.

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Have just picked up a 55" 2018 OLED. In two minds whether to keep it due to the 'burn in' stigma.
Apparently it varies panel to panel and which software is bundled with it. The new Sony OLEDs apparently have a dimming feature that will automatically dim your display if it has fixed graphics for a certain period of time - like the ticker on a sports station for example. Kind of like a screensaver on old PCs....

I have a Sony 65” OLED and have not experienced any burn in...yet...

I don’t really understand the “need” to have a rolling TV though... in today’s home, it’s kind of just assumed that there will be a display (or more than 1) somewhere on a wall or tabletop. “Hiding” them serves no real purpose - unless you are desperate for wall space.... but if that’s the case, I doubt that purchasing a $5,000+ TV really helps....
 
Apparently it varies panel to panel and which software is bundled with it. The new Sony OLEDs apparently have a dimming feature that will automatically dim your display if it has fixed graphics for a certain period of time - like the ticker on a sports station for example. Kind of like a screensaver on old PCs....

I have a Sony 65” OLED and have not experienced any burn in...yet...

I don’t really understand the “need” to have a rolling TV though... in today’s home, it’s kind of just assumed that there will be a display (or more than 1) somewhere on a wall or tabletop. “Hiding” them serves no real purpose - unless you are desperate for wall space.... but if that’s the case, I doubt that purchasing a $5,000+ TV really helps....

Good to know.

It's an LG B7. Hopefully it has a similar feature but I watch a variety of content so any retained images shouldn't become permanent burn in.
Don't want TV at all really. Mostly YouTube and Plex.

I seldom have time for gaming nowadays and when I do it'll be for a couple of hours at most so that shouldn't be an issue.

The only thing that might be an issue is music on YouTube if the uploaded has used a static image for the entirety of a long compilation. I'll just have to remember to switch off the screen when doing that or use another device entirely.
 
If it can be shipped and stored in rolled up form and the economics aren't fundamentally different vs. the traditional rigid shape, I imagine there's going to be considerable incentive from retailers to make this the mass produced display regardless of consumer preference.
 
If it can be shipped and stored in rolled up form and the economics aren't fundamentally different vs. the traditional rigid shape, I imagine there's going to be considerable incentive from retailers to make this the mass produced display regardless of consumer preference.
Didn’t think of that - assuming quality and price are comparable, compactness and shipping would be very good reasons to have this... for now though, the quality will probably be less than similar OLEDs and pricier.
 
I don’t really understand the “need” to have a rolling TV though... in today’s home, it’s kind of just assumed that there will be a display (or more than 1) somewhere on a wall or tabletop. “Hiding” them serves no real purpose - unless you are desperate for wall space.... but if that’s the case, I doubt that purchasing a $5,000+ TV really helps....
I am not sure if this model will have this feature, but there is the possibility with a rollable display like this to automatically adjust the aspect ratio of the viewable region so that the entire visible portion of the display is used.
 
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