The only surprising part is that this didn't happen immediately after Samsung's release

Jul 29, 2014 06:32 GMT  ·  By

About a week ago, Samsung released the UN105S9W TV, a massive, 105-inch curved UHD TV that costs three times as much as an average car. What was strange was that arch-rival LG didn't do something similar. Now, though, it finally has.

The new ultra high definition television set from LG is every bit as overkill as the one launched by its long-standing competitor, down to the CinemaScope 21:9 aspect ratio.

That means that the 4K resolution is not the “normal” 3840 x 2160 pixels, but 5120 x 2160 pixels. Basically, the TV is very, very wide.

We imagine that this will be very good when using picture-in-picture and/or picture-by-picture capabilities. Essentially, there is enough cause to call this a 5K display instead of 4K. Moreover, LG implemented its True 4K Engine Pro and IPS 4K Panel, to maximize contrast and viewing angles as well.

That last one was very important, because as amazing as the idea of a curved display is, it actually has a big disadvantage in the reduced field of view.

Basically, the extra perspective comes at the cost of having less space in front of it where people can stretch out. IPS display technology at least makes sure that the viewing angles are as wide as they can be (presumably 178 degrees horizontally and vertically).

Moving on, the LG 105UC9 (that is the name of the new display) includes the LG Smart TV platform, which lets you run apps and other content on the TV, as well as manage multiple media devices (set-top boxes, media players, PCs, networked storage devices).

Furthermore, LG paid as much attention to audio as it did everything else. The result of the thoroughness was the 7.2-channel / 150-watt integrated sound system. In fact, Harman Kardon has partnered with LG for its implementation, leading to what LG likens to an audio quality as good as that of a cinema.

Unfortunately, the LG 105UC9 curved UHD Smart TV is not for sale, since shipments will only begin in the fourth quarter, which means no earlier than October. Pre-orders can be sent just in South Korea. On that note, the price was withheld as well, but we can sure guess it from what tag Samsung slapped on its own UN105S9W: probably in the vicinity of $120,000.

That can mean anything between €89,000 and €120,000, and we're willing to bet more on the latter, knowing the tendency of exchange rates to be dumped on the roadside when it comes to most internationally-shipped products.

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