LG brings forward plans for UK 3D TV launch

LG LX9900 3D TV

LG has a two-pronged attack: its passive 3D technology (which we demonstrated at the Bristol Show last month) is being rolled out across pubs in the UK and Ireland with the installation of commercial 47in LG LD920 TVs.

A tie-up with Sky 3D means viewers can watch live football, including Premier League matches, in the comfort of their local boozer. The Arsenal vs Manchester United match on January 31st was the first to get the 3D treatment.

Passive 3D glasses are provided as part of the scheme which is intended to pave the way for the launch of Sky's domestic 3D channel in April.

This will be followed in late spring by the launch of LG's new domestic 3D TV sets, which will use active shutter technology as favoured by rivals such as Samsung, Panasonic and Sony.

The Infinia LX9900 Series are Full LED 3D-ready TVs, available in 55in and 47in screen sizes, which will sell for between £3600-£4000 and £2500-£3000 respectively (guide prices only).

They'll be joined by LG's first 3D Blu-ray player, the BX580, which is expected to sell for between £260 and £350.

Both of the new TVs will have built-in Freeview HD tuners, as well as LG's NetCast web TV functionality, but the 3D glasses will be sold separately.

There are 960 LED lights in the 55in LX9900, and 864 LEDs in the 47in model. They're both DNLA- and Bluetooth-enabled, have TruMotion 400Hz image processing and include LG's Spot Control technology.

The matching BX580 Blu-ray player has built-in wi-fi, HDMI 1.4 connectivity, and NetCast web access.

Stephen Gater, head of marketing for LG Home Entertainment, says: "We've seen such enormous interest and excitement from consumers around 3D TV that we chose to bring the LX9900 TVs to the shelves ahead of schedule, to meet the demand."

Full technical specs for the new 3D TVs and Blu-ray player are as follows:

LG LX9900 Series:
* Infinia Design
* Ultra-slim depth – 3.16 cm
* 1cm frame
* 960 LED lights within 55in model
* 864 LED lights within 47in model
* Full HD 1080p
* 3DTV (active)
* Built in Freeview HD
* TruMotion 400Hz
* 10,000,000:1 Dynamic contrast ratio
* Intelligent Sensor
* Invisible speaker (10w + 10w)
* Netcast (YouTube, Accu Weather, Picasa)
* Eco Flower
* Wireless AV link
* Bluetooth
* DLNA
* USB 2.0 (DivX HD, MP3, Jpeg play)
* 4XHDMI
* Glasses sold separately

LG BX580 3D Blu-ray player:
* 3D Blu-ray playback
* HDMI version 1.4
* Wi-Fi
* DLNA to connect to your home network
* External HDD playback
* NetCast to access YouTube, weather reports and online photos
* Gracenote database access
* USB connection - for playing movies, music and videos

For more on LG's forthcoming 2010 models, see our CES blog

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