Technology that empowers creators, a new generation of displays, and the promise and peril of artificial intelligence dominated CES 2024. After several years of incremental advances, market development built on maturing technology, and over-hyped trends, this year felt different with an energy that suggests the beginning of a new era. Among the highlights were next generation displays, including MicroLED and transparent technologies. If a consensus emerged, it is that AI may be everywhere but it isn’t everything. “People at the heart of creativity” was Sony’s CES slogan, yet its people-centered sentiment applied broadly across the show. Continue reading CES: AI Was Everywhere but Not the Only Thing in Las Vegas

LG Electronics will showcase its latest television technologies at CES in Las Vegas next week, including its 2024 lineup of QNED and QNED Mini LED TVs with models up to 98 inches, and the company’s top-line M4 and G4 OLED TVs (more on those sets in tomorrow’s ETCentric). LG says the advanced graphics capabilities of faster AI processing will provide viewers with a brighter picture, smoother motion and superior, vibrant colors. The company also announced an upcoming soundbar lineup, featuring premium surround-sound devices specifically designed for its new OLED and QNED TVs for what LG describes as an “elevated home cinema experience.” Continue reading LG Plans to Demo Its New OLED and QNED TV Tech at CES

The StanbyME Go from LG Electronics USA is a 27-inch portable smart touchscreen and LCD TV housed in a suitcase that runs for up to three hours on a full charge. Featuring four built-in speakers, screen mirroring (with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, iOS and Android) and voice controls, LG is touting its new mobile device as an “all-in-one entertainment option.” The 1080p display swivels, tilts and rotates in landscape or portrait orientation, and even includes a table mode for playing games. Priced at $1,000, it accommodates a full range of streaming apps courtesy of LG webOS. Continue reading StanbyME Go: LG Debuts a Portable, Multi-Purpose LCD TV

TiVo has indicated it will enter the North American smart television set market, announcing a “multi-year, multi-million-unit agreement” with Sharp that will see sets start to ship in 2024 beginning in Europe. The move to populate the TV ecosystem with hardware running Xperi’s TiVo OS pits the company against an entrenched group of smart TV competitors that includes Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Google TV, Roku, Samsung Tizen and LG Electronics’ webOS. Added to those is the Comcast and Charter Communications Xumo brand, and also Telly, which offers free TVs supported by ads. Continue reading Xperi Advances Its Plan for TiVo OS Smart TVs in Sharp Deal

LG Electronics has unveiled a plan to increase global revenue from 2022’s $51 billion to about $79 billion by 2030 as it transitions to a “smart life solution company.” A big part of that will be through subscriptions to add-on services for its TVs and home appliances. The South Korean tech giant’s CEO William Cho said the idea is to get the LG smart system, webOS, onto more third-party brands. Cho outlined plans for a “platform-based service business model that continuously generates profits, such as content and services, subscriptions and solutions” across all product categories. Continue reading LG Unveils Plans to Turn webOS into Media and Ad Platform

LG Electronics is introducing the LG Smart Cam, a Full HD video camera with built-in dual microphones and multi-view function. The LG Smart Cam is a 1080p camera system designed to seamlessly operate with any LG smart TV running webOS 22 or webOS 23, the company’s proprietary platform. Among the features of the model VC23GA Smart Cam are webOS’s multi-view, which displays two apps in a split-screen, and videoconferencing using LG’s web-based RemoteMeeting app. LG is also touting Smart Cam as a next-generation home fitness experience. Continue reading LG Smart Cam Provides HD Interactivity for Users of LG TVs

LG Electronics has launched a non-fungible token platform, LG Art Lab, available in the U.S. on the company’s smart TVs running webOS 5.0 or later. Accessible from the home screen, the LG Art Lab lets users buy, sell and enjoy digital artwork transacting as NFTs. Based on the enterprise-grade public Hedera network, the LG Art Lab uses onscreen QR codes and works via Wallypto, LG’s new cryptocurrency wallet for smartphones. The platform includes a discovery feature, LG Art Lab Drops, which profiles artists, previews upcoming works and includes a real-time Live Drops countdown clock to keep purchases on track. Continue reading LG Electronics Offers NFT Art Marketplace via Its Smart TVs

LG has unveiled two new 4K HDR projectors that the company says are its most advanced models to date. Both the LG CineBeam HU715Q and HU710P feature 2,000,000:1 contrast ratios. With a retail price of $2,500, the HU710P uses a hybrid laser-LED light source that doesn’t require a color wheel and can pump up to 2,000 lumens of brightness. The $3,000 HU715Q ultra short-throw (UST) relies only on laser light, producing up to 2,500 lumens. Both projectors are designed for indoors, but LG says they’ll also work outside after sundown. Continue reading New CineBeam Models Are Most Advanced LG 4K Projectors

In advance of CES 2020, LG has alluded to its new TV line-up of eight models, all of which will feature “Real 8K,” reportedly exceeding CTA’s 8K spec. More specifically, LG’s sets will surpass a minimum test for Contrast Modulation threshold requirements. The sets will be able to handle HEVC and VP9, 8K inputs from USB or HDMI, YouTube’s preferred AV1 codec, and 8K 60fps via streaming and HDMI. LG Display will also show off its latest flexible display, the 65-inch UHD OLED TV that unwinds from the ceiling. Continue reading LG to Launch 8K TVs, Rollable 65-Inch TV at CES This Week

After removing it in 2018, Hulu once again has 4K content available via its service. This time around, 4K content can be accessed through Xbox One devices (Hulu will soon add 4K support for Amazon Fire TV, LG webOS and others). Formerly, Hulu had only made 4K content available via Apple TV 4K and Chromecast Ultra, and the content selection had been somewhat limited compared to rivals like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Now, Hulu has more original content under its belt to offer in 4K, including hits like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The First,” “Castle Rock,” and others. 

Continue reading Hulu Joins the Streaming Competition in Offering 4K Video

In his CES pre-show keynote presentation, LG Electronics president and chief technology officer Dr. I.P. Park set the stage for an AI-infused vision of tomorrow by questioning if we are “making our lives better, how much better, and better how?” Park called on XPRIZE Foundation founder and executive chairman Peter Diamandis to illustrate what artificial intelligence enables and Landing AI founder and CEO Andrew Ng to explain how AI technologies will evolve. Open-source webOS and 5G were the cornerstone technologies for the product demonstrations by Luxoft and Qualcomm, respectively. Continue reading CES Keynote: LG Exec Asks if Life Is Better and By How Much

Netflix plans to support Dolby Atmos surround sound, adding a premium spatial audio format to its existing 4K and HDR technology for images. Dolby Atmos, which debuted in 2012, is not only featured in movie theaters around the world but has been adopted by home theater systems from Denon, Pioneer and others. Microsoft now supports Dolby Atmos with the Xbox One, as do many manufacturers of sound bars and headphones. Hundreds of 2016 LG OLED TV owners are also now clamoring for Dolby Atmos support. Continue reading Netflix to Support Dolby Atmos Surround Sound for Streaming

At CES 2017, LG stated that this year all of its home appliances will include “advanced Wi-Fi connectivity.” One flagship product is its Internet-connected Smart InstaView Refrigerator that supports Amazon’s Alexa; no price has been announced. Features of the webOS appliance include stickers and tags to be attached to items in the refrigerator, which will signal the consumer when a food item in question is about to expire, and the ability to remotely view the inside of the refrigerator via a camera mounted inside. Continue reading LG Goes Big on Wi-Fi-Connected Appliances, Robots at CES

LG is showcasing its new Signature 4K OLED W-series this week in Las Vegas with the tagline “Picture on Wall” (as a follow-up to its previous “Picture on Glass”). That’s because at 2.57-millimeters thin, the TVs are best mounted completely flat against a wall (the ‘W’ stands for ‘wallpaper’). To address the lack of ports with such a super-thin design, the W-series features companion soundbars connected via a thin cable. The Dolby Atmos capable soundbars are outfitted with four HDMI ports, three USB connections and an optical audio port. The two models are also exceptionally light; the 65-inch version weighs 18 pounds, and the 77-inch model is 27 pounds. Continue reading LG Wows the Vegas Crowds with Super-Thin 4K OLED Series

LG Electronics plans to unveil its new premium line of Super UHD 4K televisions at CES this week, including three series ranging from 49- to 86-inches. According to LG, the lineup features its “most advanced LCD/LED picture quality ever, with expanded color capabilities, advanced picture and sound-enhancing features including high dynamic range (HDR) and LG’s alluring Flat ULTRA Slim design.” The Super UHD models come with LG’s newest generation webOS Smart TV platform. The company will also unveil its first production-ready 98-inch 8K Super UHD model in Las Vegas. Continue reading LG Teases 4K Super UHD TV Lineup Plus 98-Inch 8K Model