7 of the craziest TVs from CES 2015

Televisions tend to make the headlines, with the biggest manufacturers vying for attention with ever-bigger, ever more ridiculous TV screens.

From the size of the set to the technology on the inside, there are plenty of ways to ensure a second glance on the crowded showfloor - not least by making it a "world first" for something or other, as is the case with many of the TVs in this list.

Cast your eyes over seven of the lesser-reported TVs that caught our attention, some in a good way, some, well, not so much...

Confused by all the new technology? Read our guide to the TV tech on the market in 2015, from Dolby Vision to Quantum Dot.

Changhong 105in laser projection TV

The Chinese brands had almost as big a presence as the Korean and Japanese brands this year, including Changhong, China's second-biggest TV manufacturer. The company had plenty of 4K screens and curved TVs, too, but this 105in CHIQ laser projection monster stood out for us.

The LG Hecto screens have been around for a couple of years but this was the only sign of the technology at CES 2015 and showed, along with the other TVs on the stand, that the Chinese TV manufacturers can turn out pretty much any technology around.

Hisense ULED TV

One way to stand out from the crowd and have a (kinda) world first, is to of course make-up your own marketing term. As Hisense has really done with ULED, which sounds cheekily close to OLED but is in fact an LED set with local dimming and Quantum Dot technology, similar to new QD sets from LG and Samsung (who call it SUHD).

That said, comparisons between the ULED and OLED TVs on Hisense's CES stand were impressive - but not knowing how the TVs are set-up they are also, like most trade show demos of TVs, far from conclusive.

LG 8K ColorPrime Ultra HD TV

"Optimized color, maximized viewing experience and an immersive screen size", says the information attached to this crazy TV.

"Gigantic" is LG's adept description of the world's first 98in 8K ColorPrime Ultra HD TV. Though, if it's an 8K resolution (16 times full HD, folks) screen, why is Ultra HD in the title, too? LG might really be trying too hard with this one. We preferred LG's "world first" flexible OLED TV...

MORE: LG to add Quantum Dot TVs to 2015 OLED line-up

Panasonic 4K OLED

What's this? An OLED TV from Panasonic? Yes, it wasn't just LG who had OLED TVs at CES - though LG was the only company with a full range ready to go. It may not be quite as crazy, nor a world first, but it was kept a touch under the radar by Panasonic so we think it worth highlighting.

Not least as it seems Panasonic's OLED prototype might finally get an official release in 2015, according to various whispers. It was certainly one of the TV's that had us mesmerised the longest, despite the so-so stock video footage. Life after plasma for Panasonic TV? Fingers crossed.

MORE: Panasonic unveils 2015 4K TVs and prototype 4K Blu-ray player

Samsung 8K glassesless 3D SUHD

If the name of this TV didn't have your brain confused then looking at it probably would have done the job. Glassless 3D TVs have been around for a good few years - we even reviewed one from Toshiba - but they've never had quite this many pixels or indeed using Samsung's SUHD technology.

And to be honest, we're not convinced we needed it to see it. The main issue with glasses-free 3D TV is that off-axis the picture tends to break-up pretty quickly and this was certainly the case here, regardless of the resolution and TV tech in the panel. It attracted plenty of eyes but most of them probably found themselves rubbing them as they walked-off...

MORE: Samsung unveils SUHD TV line-up for 2015

Sharp Beyond 4K Ultra HD

Sharp decided to go 'Beyond 4K Ultra HD'... but not too far, with these TVs, finding a middle ground between 4K and 8K, should you for some reason want to buck the TV trend.

While the company did have an 85in 8K LED TV, that seemed positively sensible compared to these half-way house sets, which offer 66 million subpixels compared to the 24m on 4K and 100m on 8K, so said Sharp's handy guide at the show. We figure this was a simple case of showing that Sharp can put as many pixels as it likes inside a TV...

MORE: Sharp unveils 4K TVs for 2015

TCL 110in curved 4K TV

Another world's first TV, this time from TCL. Who are they? Only the third largest TV manufacturer in the world, the Chinese group has been churning out panels for some time but is now pushing its own brand TVs, including in the US.

As is often the case, working out exactly which element of the protracted model name is the "world's first" bit isn't always easy but we're fairly sure it's the size+curved+4K.

MORE: TCL to launch Quantum Dot TVs in the UK

Of course, there were plenty more TVs to get excited about for 2015 and beyond (we didn't even mention Sony's world's slimmest TVs), and many of them are far more likely to be a realistic proposition for your living-room. See our round-up of the best CES 2015 TVs if your appetite for new TVs remains unabated...

See all our CES 2015 news and highlights

MORE: Best TVs to buy in 2015

Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is Content Director for T3 and What Hi-Fi?, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for more than 15 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).