LG has unveiled a jaw-dropping 136-inch 4K Micro LED TV at this year's CEDIA Expo, with a reported cost of $300,000 (around £262,906/AU$462,658).
The "luxury residential display", called Magnit, is powered by LG's Alpha 9 AI-enhanced processing that uses technology to reduce picture noise as well as optimise colour and contrast based on ambient light conditions.
Magnit runs the brand's webOS smart TV platform and will support screen sharing capabilities via AirPlay 2 by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Miracast functionality means that content from any iOS, Android, macOS or Windows 10 device can be wirelessly streamed to the TV.
Also due in the final quarter of 2022 is a dedicated Magnit mobile app that will allow users to load digital art directly onto the screen, including a collage feature to make it easy to arrange and display personal photos.
The display delivers 2000 nits of peak brightness and has a 120Hz refresh rate. Connectivity includes four HDMI ports, LAN, digital out, two USB inputs and an RS232C port.
MicroLED is a next-gen TV technology that effectively takes the best qualities of OLED and removes many of its shortcomings. Like OLED, each pixel is self-emissive, so one can be completely black while those next to it can be bright white or a vibrant colour, producing fantastic levels of contrast.
But MicroLEDs can go much brighter than OLEDs, theoretically resulting in even more spectacular contrast. Unlike OLED TVs, which use organic materials ('OLED' stands for 'Organic Light Emitting Diode'), MicroLEDs are inorganic, so they don't degrade and can't suffer from image retention or burn-in.
LG is keen to emphasise that despite its moniker, the technology used in MicroLED TVs distinctly differs from conventional LED TVs. LED is a term brands, including LG, use to describe a TV with an LCD backlit by LEDs.
Magnit is the latest luxury LG Micro LED display designed for domestic use following the 2021 launch of the DVLED Extreme Home Cinema line that includes an enormous 325-inch 8K display.
Rival manufacturer Samsung is also producing consumer MicroLED TVs. The company first unveiled its MicroLED technology with The Wall, demonstrated at CES 2018. At 146-inches and costing an estimated $100,000 (around £87,918/ AU$154,616), it seemed pricey at the time, but compared to LG's latest offering, is a bargain in hindsight.
Samsung announced more accessible MicroLED sets in 2021 with the 110-inch MNA110MS1 and 99-inch MNA99MS1 4K models, each costing six figures and requiring professional installation. Despite also promising a 76-inch version, the company settled instead on introducing 89-inch and 101-inch screens for 2022. Pricing for these smaller sizes is still TBC, but reports suggest a cost starting at around $80,000 (around £72,540 / AU$123,692).
The new LG MicroLED Magnit Display is available in the United States exclusively through LG distribution partners, including Bang & Olufsen stores. LG has teamed up with the Danish audio brand to bundle its Beolab 90 speakers with the TV when sold through its stores.
Michael Kosla, vice president of LG Electronics USA, said, "When paired with Beolab 90, LG Mangit delivers one of the most incredible home cinema experiences ever imagined." LG also suggests partnering the TV with Bang & Olufsen's wider portfolio of home theatre loudspeakers, including Beolab 50 and 28 models.
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