LG unveils its 2021 TV line-up for Australia

A $130,000 rollable TV that’s personally made for you leads LG’s 2021 TV range rolling out in Australia.

LG Signature R1 rollable OLED TV

A $130,000 rollable TV that is personally made for you leads LG’s 2021 TV range rolling out in Australia. You might have the money for a $130K LG Signature 65-inch TV or maybe it will be a case of selling the Tesla, BMW and Porsche to afford it.

LG displayed the Signature R1 rollable OLED TV at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) just before the pandemic, and it rolls up somewhat like a projector screen does to save you space. It can even roll itself to create a sound system which features the company’s self-lit pixel technology.

The rollable is made to order and is for an exclusive market. It takes 6 to 8 weeks for LG’s factory in Korea to produce it. It will roll out (pardon the pun) in July, so order a piggy bank forthwith from your favourite financial institution and get saving.

For those of us with a different view about how to save a little space at a more pedestrian price, there’s the rest of LG’s 2021 TV range to ponder over.

This comprises TVs using three different types of screen technology: OLED or organic LED TVs which remain its premium screen technology. There are UHD or ultrahigh definition LCD/LED models.

There is a new category of LG QNED Mini LED TVs with quantum dot technology. It takes a different approach to implementing LEDs. Instead of standard TV LEDs on the back of the screen, you have thousands of tiny LEDs that can be controlled individually. Samsung recently demonstrated viewing a wafer with these LEDs through a microscope. It was the way you could see the LEDs separately.

Manufacturers are claiming this technology offers extremely precise control of lighting on the TV panel, with no bleeding of colour, deep blacks and very bright whites, the experience offered with OLED.

Many TV makers including Samsung and Hisense have announced a similar move using their own tiny LEDs technologies. Expect more of this technology to come to market this year.

LG Signature R1 rollable OLED TV

LG says 15 new LG TVs are coming to market in 2021 from 48 to 88 inches, with the company promising competitive pricing. You can buy a small LG OLED set for just over $3000.

LG head of home entertainment marketing Tony Brown says the company is overwhelmingly sticking with 4K models in 2021; there are only a smattering of 8K sets of various technologies in its range and they have big screens: 65, 75, 77, 86 and 88 inches.

This is a deliberate strategy by LG which says the Australian market isn’t ready for big sales of 8K sets. While there is a big take-up of sets offering 4K HDR quality, it says only 2 to 3 per cent are interested in 8K sets for the next couple of years.

That means LG will stick mainly with 4K. It’s seeing a market move from 4K to 4K HDR at present.

LG mostly confines 8K sets to the larger sizes. In my experience, there is zero benefit in having 8K resolution on smaller sets; you just won’t notice a difference in resolution.

LG A1 OLED smart TV

However 8K will have its day even with broadcast. We spent time in 2019 with Japan’s NHK in Tokyo who took us through its use of 8K. Test satellite TV broadcasts had already occurred in Japan and the broadcaster was preparing to cover some Olympics content in 8K for local consumers.

Interestingly, NHK said the company had made the deliberate choice in the 1990s to bypass 4K altogether and develop its technologies for an 8K future which it regards as the long term goal.

NHK said they would have no problem technically streaming an 8K feed to Australia for the Olympics, however this wouldn’t be occurring for contractual reasons. Olympic television rights are negotiated individually.

Nevertheless don’t discount 8K telecasts in Australia in the long term; it’s a question of a perceived need for it.

LG’s offering also has been shaped by demand for content and more entertainment-based apps with movies, sport and games the most popular content during the pandemic. Consumers see screen quality and size as the most important attributes when choosing a new set.

LG G1 Gallery OLED smart TV

That’s seen LG up its screen sizes. A few years ago it seemed 55-inches was the sweet spot, then it was 65 inches. LG is punting on users buying big 83-inch 4K OLED sets which it says are as wide as a kingsize bed.

LG sets let you use voice commands to control their operation, however the company says voice commands will be deleted after 30 days to safeguard privacy.

LG also showcased the 65-inch Gallery TV which you mount on the wall. It looks like a piece of art and uses LG’s “OLED evo” panel technology for increased brightness.

It showed off a 48-inch A1 OLED TV which targets gaming and includes special gaming features. A C1 48-inch model includes support for fast gaming at 120 frames per second and a games optimiser.

The company also released sound bars with Dolby Atmos support.

We’ll have more to say about 2021 LG TVs during the review period.