LG revamps TV line with 84in model, Google TV and gesture control
Also developing its own dual-core chipset
LG has unveiled its 2012 range of televisions, with an emphasis on better 3D and improved Smart TV facilities.
As part of its drive to create a more immersive 3D experience, LG announced that it was launching larger screens than before with 55in, 60in, 72in and 84in models all due for release this year, in addition to unveiling its stunning 55in OLED TV
It’s the 84in screen that uses the most interesting technology, with a 3,840×2,160 panel. This should improve 3D definition, as LG uses passive 3D technology. On Full HD panels (1,920×1,080), the resolution is effectively halved so that each eye can see its image. With the higher resolution, each eye should get a Full HD picture.
LG’s massive 84in 3D TV has a resolution of 3,840×2,160, which should mean Full HD passive 3D.
Smart TV remains an important part of any TV manufacturer’s line-up and for LG it’s no different. Its Smart TV platform has been upgraded with better search facilities to find the content that you want and social networking to share and ‘like’ content.
Control of its TVs has also been boosted. Last year saw the introduction of the Wii-like Magic Remote that you point and wave at the screen. This year, the Magic Remote has been upgraded and improved, introducing a scroll option for large blocks of text and Gestures to quickly access popular features.
The new Magic Remote supports scrolling, gestures and voice recognition.
LG has also added voice recognition, so you can search using voice commands. We’re yet to try the technology out, so we’ll reserve judgement on how good this will be until we’ve had the chance.
Some high-end TVs will have option 3D cameras, so that the TV can be controlled purely with hand gestures, in a Kinect-style manner.
LG also announced that it would be launching its own range of Google TV sets. These devices will use the Android interface and work with the Magic Remote to give full access to all of the content served by Google TV.
LG will introduce Google TV-powered televisions complete with the Android interface.
Powering the premium sets will be LG’s brand new chipset, the L Line. It was developed as LG felt the industry was “holding it back”, and features a dual-core ARM CPU and quad-core graphics processor.
According to LG this will improve 2D-to-3D conversion, although we’ve yet to be impressed by any conversion process. It should also make the interface smoother and give the TV more processing power for applications such as games.
So far pricing and UK variants have yet to be announced.