LG to announce downward-rolling rollable TV, OLED panels at CES 2020

LG Display plans to show off a new version of its crazy rollable TV at CES 2020, according to a press announcement.

However, this time around, the rollable OLED will work differently. The prototypes shown off in 2018 and 2019 both rolled up out of the box — the 2020 version rolls down from the ceiling. While LG didn’t include any pictures with the announcement, presumably it’ll come down sort of like a projector screen, sans projector.

The concept is a rather intriguing one. Aside from the novelty of rolling, a rollable TV’s primary benefit over regular TVs is that users can easily put it away when not in use. Upward-rolling TVs still need a box to house the rolled screen as well as a TV stand, however. In other words, they still take up a decent amount of space when rolled. A downward-rolling TV wouldn’t need a stand, and the housing box would presumably be mounted to the ceiling or embedded into the ceiling so it’s not visible at all, saving significantly more space.

The release itself confirms that latter notion, saying the TV is “stored in the ceiling and can be pulled down when desired and rolled up when not in use.”

LG Display will show off smaller OLEDs, as well as panels for planes and cars

Alongside the new rollable TV, LG Display also announced it would show off a new, smaller 48-inch OLED TV at CES. Previously, LG Display’s smallest OLED panel was 55-inches, making it a little too impractical for small homes and apartments. LG Display will show off the 48-inch panel alongside its existing lineup of 55-, 65-, 77- and 88-inch OLED displays.

Unfortunately, it’s not clear when the smaller OLED will make its way into a commercially available TV, or how much it’ll cost. It’s important to note that LG Display is a distinct business within LG — it makes OLED panels and provides them to a range of TV companies, including Sony and Panasonic, as well as to its own parent company. Since LG tends to announce its OLED lineup at CES, we likely won’t have to wait much longer to learn about pricing.

LG Display will also show off a range of screens designed for cars and planes at CES, including a 55-inch transparent OLED designed for use as an aisle partition, along with a series of plastic OLED screens.

As for the rollable TV, there’s no pricing for that either. Last year, LG Display promised its rollable TV would go on sale in 2019. It didn’t happen, and LG Display’s press release doesn’t indicate if or when it expects the new rollable TV to go on sale. Likely, the release date isn’t anytime soon, and maybe not even this year.

Source: LG Display Via: The Verge