Ah, CES. The world's biggest technology show and, from my numerous years of experiencing it – my first was back in 2011, so CES 2024 is my 'lucky 13th' – you can guarantee there'll be the weird, the whacky and the wonderful on display. And as a show synonymous with launching the best TVs from the biggest brands, this year it's the turn of LG to take the crown for the most stunning TV demonstration.
Tucked away in a private suite in a famous Las Vegas hotel, LG showed me its full range of new OLED TVs for 2024. But it was the final product in the company's presentation – and I can actually call it a real product, as it will go on sale this year – the pièce de résistance if you will, in the LG OLED T, that made me not quite believe my eyes.
Not only is the LG OLED T a wireless television – much like the also-announced LG OLED M4 – it's also a completely transparent panel. I could put my hand 'behind' the display and see it clear as day. Even so the 4K picture quality still holds up to LG's well-regarded best OLED TV standards (albeit less bright than you'll find from, say, the OLED C4).
If you've been following LG's explorative and slightly more experimental side of TV production then you'll likely remember the LG OLED R, a rolling TV that reveals itself from a small box unit. My impression of the LG OLED T is that it's akin to an evolution of this idea: a permanent frame holds the panel into place and, with the press of a button, a rear backpanel slides itself into place for a more traditional viewing experience.
While LG confirms that the OLED T will go on sale this year, it's unclear precisely what the final format of the product will be – except that it will be available in a 77-inch size only – as what I saw was a prototype and somewhat a work in progress regards to the design implementation of the frame-meets-shelving unit that contains the panel.
As the OLED T is wireless – it uses a separate box to transmit over Wi-Fi, so you can obtain lossless audio and HDMI signal over the air – I'm told it would have to be free-standing to ensure that signal isn't interrupted. It won't be wall-mountable, as that's not really the purpose of having a truly transparent screen, so the final details in how it will all be presented and whether that will accurately reflect my photos on this page are unclear.
Not that I suspect many people will ever get to see the LG OLED T. This is cutting-edge, high-end stuff that's not really within reach for most of us mere mortals. After all, a 77-inch LG OLED TV is pricey enough. A wireless one? Even more so. And one that's completely transparent? I think we'll be looking at serious sums of cash for the few who will buy one. But that doesn't make it any less of a stunning development in what the future of TV could look like...
