LG’s serious about the 3D telly business. In 2011, a whopping 40 per cent of its TVs will be 3D ready, and we’ve got details on all the models you’ll need to know about.
Top of the company’s agenda is its Cinema 3D range, so-called because it delivers third-dimension visuals in the same way as your local 3D picturehouse — with passive 3D glasses that don’t need batteries. If you’ve seen Avatar at the movies, you’ll already be familiar with the sort of experience these should deliver.
The Cinema 3D range is made up of the LW450U, LW550T and LW650T models, and screen sizes will range from 32 to 55 inches. The LW550T and LW650T are the pick of the bunch, featuring 200Hz TruMotion, built-in Freeview HD, Smart TV (which puts apps on your telly), DivX HD Plus, Wireless AV Link and a Magic Motion remote control, which works a bit like a Wiimote.
The LW450U lacks the Freeview HD, the Magic Motion Remote and the Smart TV feature, and has to make do with Trumotion 100Hz, but features all the other aforementioned hotness.
2011 will also see LG develop a range of 3D-capable Full LED Nano televisions. LED Nano lighting, as the name implies, uses ludicrously small, but ridiculously bright LEDs that replace the ordinary (read: fat) LEDs inside most LED-backlit TVs. Nano televisions are, as a result, considerably thinner than their counterparts.
LG’s 2011 LED Nano range will consist of the LW770T and LW950T, both of which are ultra slim and feature the tiniest of screen bezels. Unlike the Cinema 3D range, these beauties use Active 3D technology, which means they ship with battery-powered glasses and require faster refresh rates (Trumotion 400Hz) to help eliminate the chance of dizziness and headaches.
Both tellies will feature Freeview HD, Smart TV, DivX HD Plus, Wireless AV Link and Magic Motion remotes. The LW950T will come in 42- and 55-inch sizes, while the LW770T will be available in 42-, 47- and 55-inch guises.
If LED isn’t your bag, fret not. LG’s also launching a clutch of new Active 3D plasma displays with models including the PW450T, PZ250T, PZ550T, PZ570T and PZ950T. They’re available in various screen sizes from 42 to 60 inches and all except the PW250T feature 600Hz sub-field driving — a fancy technology that fires the individual pixels on a plasma display faster than normal (while maintaining the same refresh rate) to make images appear smoother.
The PW450T will be available with 42- and 50-inch HD Ready panels, Freeview HD and DivX HD Plus. The 50- and 60-inch PZ250T features all the above, but also gets a Full HD 1080p screen, 600Hz sub-field driving, Freeview HD and DivX HD Plus. The PZ550T gets the same features with the addition of full THX certification, while the PZ570T packs all the above as well as Smart TV.
Finally, the top of the range PZ950T, available with 50- and 60-inch screens, gets the whole shebang as well as a bundled Wi-Fi dongle for the Smart TV feature and a Magic Motion remote included as standard.
LG hasn’t given us official release dates or announced pricing for each model, but rest assured we’ll be giving you a closer look at each one over the course of 2011.