The Korean company LG Electronics has recently unveiled two new high-definition plasma TVs which offer unprecedented contrast ratio of 1-billion-to-one. In addition, the new models feature an innovative design that seamlessly integrates the speakers and the display panel, giving the TV-sets a sleek look.
The two HDTV models offered, 50PQ60D and 42PQ60D, are 50-inch and 42-inch diagonals, respectively. Both have four HDMI inputs and a USB port, giving users the ability to connect a TV tuner, a DVD player, a gaming console, or a memory stick. The new models can play audio, image, and video files (WMV and DivX) from the connected removable media.
The new LG design is relatively thin with a thickness of 76.8mm. However, the main features that make these models unique are the incredibly high contrast and response rates; 1,000,000,000:1 and an unprecedented 600MHz.
The contrast rate describes the relative luminosity difference between black and white, which is especially important for the ability of the screen to display deep blacks. However, so far many manufacturers have been promoting exceptionally high contrast ratios, which, according to more objective testing, did not reflect the actual performance of their display. It remains to be seen how the new LG display will perform in such tests.
The exceptional specifications of the new LG displays were achieved thanks to a new technology, called Color Decanting, which makes images more vivid; in addition, two video engines were installed, providing better picture quality adjustment. Another interesting feature (although one which also exists in other TV models), installed in the 50PQ60D is an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness, thus reducing power consumption by as much as 60%.
According to LG, the 42-inch 42PQ60D will be priced at 1,400,000 Won (approximately $1,022), while the 50-inch 50PQ60D, nicknamed “xCanvas Bobos,” will be priced at 2,000,000 Won (approximately $1,460).
TFOT has covered other HDTVs and advanced displays, including the Holographic HDTV Screen, a glass rear projection screen that hangs in the middle of a room giving the illusion of a 3D image, Sharp’s 108-Inch LCD, the world’s largest LCD display, and HP’s One Billion Colors Display, developed with DreamWorks Animation. Other related TFOT stories include Sony’s launch of the 11-inch OLED-based TV, released in December of 2007, and the World’s Largest Digital Picture Frame unveiled by Smartparts in January of 2008.
For more information on LG’s new HDTVs, see the company’s press release (Google Translate from Korean).
