When you first see LG’s new high-design rollable television, the word “couture” might pop into your head. Followed by, “Would someone really pay that much for TV? Seriously?”
LG’s Signature Series OLED R television is a luxurious thing of beauty, with a screen that unrolls up when you want to watch and rolls down into a sleek, silver rectangular box when you don’t want to see it in your living room. It’s a TV dream for devotees of minimalist interior design.
It also costs $100,000.
After its unveiling at CES 2019, the set was expected to hit the market last year for a cool $60,000. But with its still-experimental technology, production issues pushed back the timeline and boosted manufacturing costs, according to Tech Radar. It’s currently available only in South Korea, but LG plans to add markets in the future.
If now you’re thinking, “What would I rather spend $100,000 on than a TV?”, Ranker has some inspiration. Buy your own top-of-line jet pack. Hire an ABBA cover band (featuring two members of the original rhythm section!) to play your birthday party. Order 10 of the world’s most expensive pizzas. (Drinks included!)
But there are some nice features on this model. LG says deep learning algorithms in its 9 Gen3 AI Processors analyze and adjust the picture and sound to provide a spectacular viewer experience. You can also let the screen peek up just a bit – called Line View – when you want to use it just to play music, which should sound brilliant with its Dolby Atmos system. Or you can turn the screen into mood lighting or a very, very high-tech clock.
It’s OLED – Organic Light Emitting Diode – technology is a step above LED-LCD other kinds of TV panel technologies. According to Tech Radar, “OLED TVs bring you much better image quality (think blacker blacks and brighter whites), as well as faster response times and reduced power consumption.”
Fun fact, the LG Signature Series OLED R is a budget deal next to the world’s most expensive TV: The hilariously priced Stuart Hughes Prestige HD Supreme Rose Edition TV, which rolled out in 2010 at a cost of $2.5 million. The British luxury brand essentially threw some gold, diamonds and hand-sewn alligator skin on a 55” TV. Sadly, it’s currently not listed on their website, so maybe check eBay if you want one.
As cool as it would be to roll up and put away your TV, LG’s new set could also be like couture fashion: Something wildly expensive that’s more about drawing attention to a brand than anything even wealthy consumers are likely to buy.
Lisa Wyatt Roe is an Austin writer and editor whose work has been featured on CNN.com/Travel, in Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine and in the book “Seduced by Sound: Austin; 100 Musicians on Why They Make Music.” Travel and live music feed her soul. Volunteering with refugees feeds her sense of purpose. And making friends laugh feeds her deep (yet possibly sad) need to get all the laughing emojis on Facebook.
