LG's new OLEDs will all come rocking Dolby Vision HDR
This year's OLED TVs from LG are going to be tough to beat
LG is going all-out for HDR support this year and has just announced that all of its 2016 OLED 4K TVs are going to straight out of the blocks supporting the advanced Dolby Vision HDR technology.
LG's current range of Ultra HD OLEDs already support the HDR10 standard used by Amazon Prime Instant Video's HDR streams, and which is likely to be used when Netflix flicks the switch on its own HDR distribution.
The addition of Dolby Vision, already making a splash in Dolby Cinemas, will make LG's 2016 OLED lineup the first to support both formats when they go on sale this year.
The new range represents an improvement over the already excellent OLEDs LG put out last year, with a focus on improving both colour and processing power. The new ColorPrime Pro technology is going to allow for a wider colour gamut to be displayed on these new panels, offering around 99% of the Digital Cinema Initiative's (DCI) colour standard.
Last year's OLEDs only measured some 88% and the new IPS-based 8K screen LG has also unveiled only just tips over 90% of the DCI standard. And to help deliver the best visual experience all of LG's OLED TVs are set to include 10-bit panels, with 10-bit processing power.
Premium
LG also expects its range to be the first to get the Ultra HD Alliance's new gold seal of quality - the Ultra HD Premium badge.
The UHD Alliance yesterday announced the new standard, a collaborative effort between film studios, electronics manufacturers, content distributors and tech companies which is designed to make it as simple as possible for the consumer to tell they are getting all the high-end technology they want.
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The Ultra HD Premium badge is only going to be applied to devices and services that match stringent, independently verified, performance metrics for resolution, HDR support, luminance, black levels and wide colour gamut. The UHD Alliance is designating independent testing centres around the world to ensure the testing can be done effectively and reliably.
The idea is to show that it's not just about resolution for the best experience - it's not about more pixels, it's about better pixels.
It does all smack slightly of the frustrating Full HD / HD Ready times of old, but hopefully that Ultra HD Premium stamp will stop folk being saddled with a 4K TV that doesn't do all the things they were hoping it would.
Not all about the curves
There are four new OLED series of TVs, with each sporting a 65- and 55-inch variation to make eight new OLED models in total. Interestingly though only the C6 series will come with the divisive curved panel.
There will also be a flat-panel B6 series, with the top-of-the-line G6 and E6 series sporting a brand new Picture-On-Glass design with an ultra-thin translucent design measuring just 2.57mm thick. These high-end TVs will come rocking with a flat-panel aspect too.
As well as the slick, glassy design the luxury OLEDs will also come with a forward-firing Harmon/Kardon soundbar speaker system on them too.
LG placed a marker down last year with some excellent OLED displays, and by producing more flat-panel versions, and giving us Dolby Vision support to boot, the other TV manufacturers have got their work cut out for them.