The penultimate day of our trip to Seoul brought us to LG’s design centre, specifically the Lifestyle Research Group (LRS), where we bore witness to some cunning new equipment. Among the coolest was an as yet unnamed plasma TV constructed almost entirely of natural materials.
LG’s heavies restricted us from filming, but we’ve knocked up this sketch to give you an idea as to what it looks like. The bezel is made of compressed wood (derived from renewable forests) and finished in white water-based paint. No consumer electronics device is complete without a splash of silver, so LG has used aluminium — thus ensuring it’s highly recyclable. We were also pleased to learn LG has used lead-free or low-lead internal components.
The screen is a tech-crazed hippy’s dream come true. LG says it only plans to release this particular 52-inch monster to commercial customers, but it isn’t entirely implausible that the technology will filter down into the clutches of the proletariat. We’re also going to see similar components in LG’s LX70 PC monitor, so we reckon it’s just a matter of time before it gets more common.
Crave thinks it’s a fantastic idea. Many of our more environmentally enlightened staff members have hounded our bosses to the point where our recycling addiction makes us look like bag ladies and we plant whole trees for every piece of A4 used. LG, we salute your effort, you wonderful tree-hugger, you. -RR