LG Electronics announced this week that it will begin accepting pre-orders for its eagerly-awaited 55” class (54.6”diagonal) WRGB OLED TV (Model 55EM9700) in South Korea this month with deliveries scheduled to begin next month. Other markets where the LG OLED (organic light emitting diode) TV will be available will be announced over the next several weeks along with their respective prices.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to make this announcement at the start of the new year because we believe that OLED will usher in a whole new era of home entertainment,” said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s home entertainment company.

Only 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) thin and weighing less than 10 kilograms (22 pounds), LG’s OLED TVs produce vivid and realistic pictures in full-HD resolution (1920*1080) thanks to its WRGB technology. LG’s four-color pixel system features a white sub-pixel, which works in conjunction with the conventional red, blue, green setup to create the perfect color output. LG’s exclusive color refiner delivers even greater tonal enhancement, resulting in images that are more vibrant and natural than anything seen before. The 55” OLED TV also offers an infinite contrast ratio, which maintains optimal contrast levels regardless of ambient brightness or viewing angle.

More than 1400 LG retail stores in South Korea will begin accepting orders from consumers for KRW 11 million (approximately $10 000) TVs starting Jan. 3 with delivery to commence the first week of February. As the first and only company to announce availability of the next-generation TV technology, LG is prepared to ramp up quickly to take the lead in the OLED segment that is expected to grow to 7.2 million units by 2016, according to Display Search.

“Not since color TV was first introduced 60 years ago has there been a more transformational moment. When high definition TV was first introduced 15 years ago, the public’s reaction was ‘wow!’ but when customers see our razor-thin OLED TV for the first time, they’re left speechless. That’s a clear indicator as any that OLED TV is much more than just an incremental improvement to current television technology,” added Mr. Kwon.

Tags: LG, LG Electronics, OLED, HDTV