LG's PenTouch range lets you sketch on TVs

LG's new PenTouch range lets you sketch on TVs
Touch your TV. But with a pen

LG has announced a new PenTouch range of Plasma TVs which allow users to draw and sketch straight onto the screen and will be on show at IFA 2011.

The plasma TVs are being released in 55- and 60-inch screen sizes for the PZ8590T range, and feature active 3D technology with a single pair of glasses thrown in to boot.

Check out the PenTouch in action with our video hands on below:

It features built-in Freeview HD, plus 'the world's slimmest bezel in plasma TV' - although LG has decided against revealing how thin this really is.

There's also a 2D to 3D conversion engine should you want to watch everything pop out of the screen, and THX 3D and a 3D XD platform for initialism fans.

The 2D to 3D conversion is actually pretty advanced: with 20 scales of 3D available, so the fact that Eastenders won't look anywhere near as good as 'proper 3D' will be somewhat mitigated.

Sketchy touchy sketch

But it's the writing on the screen that's the interesting part here: using a connection to a PC you can draw and sketch and organise photos using the dedicated pen (with two in the box).

You can print out the rubbish drawings your kids do on the big screens, or edit photos of the little scamps should you want to know how they'd look with a pair of glasses or a moustache in later life.

We're surprised LG is aiming this range at the consumer rather than the corporate or retail sectors, but it seems touching the TV is something we're all looking to do in the future - although predictably LG has given us no UK release date or pricing for the PenTouch series.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.