LG announces start of sales 8K Oled TV

LG Electronics (LG) announced today the start of sales of the world’s first 8K OLED TV (model 88Z9) with pre-orders for the 88-inch set starting this week in South Korea. Availability in key markets of North America and Europe will follow in the third quarter of the year.

LG starts this week in South Korea with the presale of the world's first 8K resolution OLED television. The 88Z9 costs the equivalent of 38,000 euros, but pre-orderers have to pay "just" just over 30,000 euros. After Europe and North America, the TV should come to the third quarter of the year. HDMI 2.1 comes from the factory. The world's first OLED TV with the consumer 8K resolution of 7,680 × 4,320 pixels is ready for the market launch, after LG had first announced the TV to the CES in January with its final name . At the IFA in September 2018, the television had been shown as a nameless prototype with no date for the market launch .

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As LG’s largest OLED TV to date, the 8K OLED TV is innovation made possible by LG’s unrivaled display technology. This awe inspiring new model highlights the superiority of OLED over conventional LED displays and provides a viewing experience that is second to none. The TV employs an advanced panel with over 33 million self-emitting pixels to deliver LG OLED TV’s iconic picture quality, ensuring the most lifelike colors in a wide viewing angle, an infinite contrast ratio and true blacks. Images are exceptionally sharp on the 88-inch TV thanks to 8K Ultra HD resolution (7,680 x 4,320) equivalent to 16 times the number of pixels in full HD and four times that of UHD.

The superior performance of LG’s 8K OLED panel is enhanced by the company’s second- generation α (Alpha) 9 Gen 2 8K intelligent processor. The processor elevates picture and sound quality with deep learning technology and access to an extensive database of visual information. This allows the chip to optimize content by recognizing source quality and implementing the best algorithm guaranteeing stunningly real images. With the α9 Gen 2 8K processor, LG’s 8K 88-inch 8K OLED TV boasts enhanced processing capabilities with effective 8K upscaling and improved noise reduction to 6-steps from 4-steps in the 4K version, resulting in the most life-like 8K picture when upgrading from 4K (3,840 x 2,160) or 2K (1,920 x 1,080) content. The processor also analyzes ambient conditions to achieve the perfect level of screen brightness.

The LG 88Z9 increases viewer immersion with its impressive audio performance. Sound quality is boosted by an intelligent algorithm that can up-mix two-channel audio to deliver convincing virtual 5.1 surround sound. Deep learning significantly improves output by analyzing source content to produce enhanced sound effects in movies, deeper bass in music and clearer voices in sporting events. Users can adjust the sound to suit viewing conditions or let the TV set the best sound levels based on the environment.

To ensure an outstanding HDR experience the LG 8K OLED TV comes with Dolby Atmos for incredibly realistic sound and intelligently fine-tunes content compatible with Dolby Vision. The TV supports HDMI 2.1, allowing viewers the opportunity to enjoy 8K content at a fast 60 frames per second. The TV also supports automatic low latency mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR) and enhanced audio return channel (eARC).

In some markets the LG 8K OLED TV will offer built-in versions of both the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for maximum flexibility, convenience and control of the TV and connected smart devices.

“Being the first to market with the world’s first and largest 8K OLED TV shows our commitment to leading the ultra-premium TV segment and delivering the ultimate viewing experience,” said Brian Kwon, president of the Mobile Communications and Home Entertainment companies at LG. “LG was a pioneer in bringing OLED to market and we will continue to introduce state-of-art TV technologies that push the boundaries of what’s possible in home entertainment.”

The 88Z9 costs the equivalent of 38,000 euros, but pre-orderers have to pay "just" just over 30,000 euros.