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LG starts pre-order for very high-resolution TV [Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)]
[August 10, 2014]

LG starts pre-order for very high-resolution TV [Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)]


(Gulf News (United Arab Emirates) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dubai: When ultra high-definition TV (UHD), also known as 4K, market is slowly gaining traction globally, manufactures have already upscaled to newer technology, which is 5K.

4K TVs boast a pixel format of 3840 x 2160 resolution, four times that of the current 1920 x 1080p Full HD TVs, while 5K TVs boast a pixel format of 5120 x 2160 resolution.

The world's second-largest TV manufacturer, LG, is showcasing its 105-inch curved 5K TV with 8MP built-in camera at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai for the next few days.

"The TV runs on WebOS operating system with an aspect ratio of CinemaScope 21:9 as most of the movies are shot in this ratio. The IPS panel display uses 11 million pixels to bring out its true colours and clarity. More pixels allow makers to make bigger screens without compromising sharpness," Duk Young Kim, president of LG Electronics Gulf, said in an exclusive to Gulf News.



4K TVs have 8.3 million pixels while Full HD TVs have two million pixels.

LG acquired webOS operating system technology from HP to power its next-generation Smart TV technology in February 2013. HP acquired webOS from Palm in 2010 for $1.2 billion.


Kim said that webOS platform has a simple user interface than Google's Android and all its smart TV models will run this operating system. The menus are card based on the home screen instead of going into multiple folders.

Normally, all other TV operating systems are Linux based.

Pre-booking Both Samsung and Toshiba have launched 5K TVs in Korea and Japan but Toshiba uses a flat panel.

Kim said that LG has started pre bookings for the device but the product will be shipped only by December.

The TV comes with a price tag of Dh400,000.

According to a research firm IHS, overall TV sales in the Middle East and Africa this year are expected to be 17.7 million units compared to 16.8 million units last year, registering a growth of over five per cent.

Globally, around 41,000 OLED (organic-light-emitting display) TVs are likely to be sold this year compared to 3,000 last year. In the MEA, only 8,000 are expected to be sold this year compared to 100 last year.

4K TV sales in MEA will grow by 440 per cent to 108,000 units this year compared to 20,000 last year.

"We are seeing a big shift towards 4K TV acceptance this year. Some of the brands have reduced the prices of 4K TVs in the second half," said Sweta Dash, senior director for display research at IHS.

Even though 4K and 5K TVs are out in the market, there is no native 4K or 5K content in the market, apart from the upscaling facility.

Upscale content "We are in plans to talk to broadcasters and telco operators to upscale the content to 4K," she said.

Sony has been pushing the 4K recording since last year and has produced three full Fifa World Cup matches in 4K this year to further promote the growth of 4K content.

"We will have exclusive channels like OSN, Icflix and beIN sports from September," he said.

He said the price gap between UHD and a normal TV is not that much when compared to more than two times last year. Right now, UHD TVs are only 20 per cent higher than the normal LED TVs and customers are willing to pay a premium for UHD TVs.

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