Berlin — LG used IFA 2013 here to issue an aggressive new mission statement on the global rollout of next generation TVs.
LG said it plans “to quickly expand the OLED TV market,” by selling its sets not only in department stores and luxury retailers but also large consumer electronics chains with national networks.
The company will also continue the roll out of OLED TVs — already available in the U.S., Europe and South Korea — to several markets throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the CIS region before the end of the year.
LG also said that it will launch 55- and 65-inch Ultra High-Definition TVs equipped with HEVC decoders to 50 countries this year, as LG expands its strategic cooperative efforts with broadcasters and other partners to accelerate the growth of Ultra HD content.
In a statement announcing the directive, Havis Kwon, LG Electronics Home Entertainment CEO, said: “With the demand for OLED TV and Ultra HD TV expected to grow rapidly next year, the competition to gain supremacy in the next generation TV market will be fierce. LG will leverage its strong position and further consolidate its global TV business by speeding up the launch dates of its OLED TVs in a number of core markets. We will also introduce an expanded lineup of Ultra HD TVs and deliver a comprehensive, differentiated smart-TV user experience.”
LG last week unveiled “the world’s largest Ultra HD OLED TV,” measuring 77 inches. The curved-screen OLED Ultra HDTV, which is slated for a 2014 U.S. market introduction, combines LG’s WRGB OLED and Ultra HD technologies to produce infinite contrast ratio and resolution four times greater than regular Full HD.
LG said it plans “to quickly expand the OLED TV market,” by selling its sets not only in department stores and luxury retailers but also large consumer electronics chains with national networks.
The company said it intends to expand OLED TV lineup, complementing its 55-inch curved OLED TV with the wall-mountable Gallery OLED TV.
LG said that “by introducing a comprehensive range of Ultra HD TVs, LG will give consumers more choice and invigorate the global next generation TV market. The new premium and affordably priced 55- and 65-inch Ultra HD TV series are scheduled to launch in 50 countries before the end of 2014.”
LG reminded that its UHD TVs are the first to feature High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) decoders. This makes it possible to view Ultra HD content without any external decoding device, such as a set-top box.
The built-in decoder also means that a USB drive or any other peripheral containing 4K content can be connected to an LG Ultra HD TV to seamlessly play Ultra HD movies and videos.
LG said it is also stepping up efforts to expand the availability of Ultra HD content in close cooperation with broadcasters, and is forming alliances with content distributors to expand the supply of high-quality Ultra HD entertainment and collaborating with artists on cutting-edge multimedia projects.
LG said it is “increasing its R&D investments in audio technology as well as sourcing the best new sound solutions through its relationships with other leading companies.”
The company will increase the market share of its smart TVs by expanding compatibility with web-based applications and by strengthening LG’s involvement in the Smart TV Alliance.
LG’s smart-TV platform is designed around the S2R2 strategy, which focuses on the four components of LG’s smart-TV user experience: search, sharing, recommending and recording.
LG said it will give users access to an expanding array of content via strategic partnerships with content providers and broadcasters, including major European players, RAI and BSkyB.
LG also plans to bolster its smart-TV game offerings with titles from noted publishers including Activision, Disney and even Cloud-based gaming services, the company said.
