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Television manufacturer LG says that by 2016, its organic light-emitting diode, or OLED, televisions will cost the same as an LCD TV. In the second half of 2012, the company will take its first step toward that goal with the 55-inch 55EM9600.
The LG 55EM9600 won CNET's highest honor at the Consumer Electronics Show in January with the promise of revolutionary picture quality in an incredibly slim design. It and Samsung's ES9500 will be the first big-screen OLED-based televisions to enter mass production.
Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but reports vary between "astronomical" and "holy $&#!" One Korean paper said the LG will retail for approximately $8,000 U.S. in Korea, while CNET Asia's Philip Wong was told it could command up to $10,000 U.S. Samsung's OLED has similar unofficial reported pricing.
LG also has not stated a definitive launch date, saying only to expect a launch sometime in second half of 2012.
At only 0.157 inch thick, the 55EM9600 is the thinnest TV we've ever heard of, and about half as thick as Samsung's OLED. LG integrates carbon fiber-reinforced plastics into the rear of the television, which provides reinforcement and keeps the weight down to a feathery 22 pounds.
Beyond its striking thinness, OLED has the potential to outperform any current flat-panel display technology. Wong got a hands-on look at the EM9600 and said it had the "deepest blacks we've seen among flat-screen TVs."
