LG stole the show at CES 2019 with an incredible OLED TV concept that retracted into a piece of furniture when it wasn’t in use. The LG Signature Series OLED TV R wasn’t just retreating into a larger cubbyhole that housed it; instead, the 65-inch screen rolled into a structure the height of a Doberman. But even that was too space-consuming for LG. Its solution? A (concept) roll-down OLED TV that unfurls from the ceiling — and it is set to be showcased at CES 2020.
The announcement, made in a press release from the LG Display division, is intended as a teaser of what’s to come. The manufacturer hasn’t shared any specifics about how it works, in other words, other than this sentence: “The 65-inch UHD roll-down OLED TV, which can be installed naturally as part of the space and can only be used down when needed, is expected to increase the level of smart home interior by increasing space utilization.” One thing is for certain: LG definitely had its work cut out. There’s a minefield of problems to overcome in order to achieve what LG says it has. For starters, it would first need to think of a functional approach that caters to ceilings of all heights. You want the screen to be eye-level for the most comfortable viewing experience, and there’s no universal measurement for that — it’s relative to each home and viewer.
The drop-down OLED is just the tip of the iceberg. LG has plenty of other intriguing hardware in store for CES 2020, like an 88-inch 8K Cinematic Sound TV with a built-in 11.2-channel home theater setup, and a wafer-thin 77-inch 4K Wallpaper OLED variant. It has also been working on equipment for aircraft, headlined by a 55-inch Full HD transparent OLED that acts as an aisle partition and a 65-inch 4K bendable OLED that’s flexible at both ends for first class. It is even bringing along plastic OLEDs, designed for use in cars.
As if that wasn’t enough, the manufacturer has said that it has some shiny new commercial products up its sleeve too, with the main being an 86-inch in-TOUCH LCD screen that acts as an electronic whiteboard, with the ability to read four pens simultaneously. There’s also a chance we could see mainstream 4K TVs and 8K TVs aimed at the average viewer. These won’t be important enough to be the main act, but they are something we mere mortals shopping on a budget can look forward to.
Plus LG has announced that it will unveil three new LG Gram laptops: A refreshed LG Gram 14, LG Gram 15, and LG Gram 17, each of which will feature the latest 10th-generation Intel Core (Ice Lake) CPU and a maximum of 24GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM. There will be one 2-in-1 too, as well as soundbars with AI Room Calibration — an innovative feature that adjusts the sonic properties of the higher-end models to better match the acoustics of the room. Watch for it all at the LG press conference at CES 2020 on Monday, January 6.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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