LG surprised everyone at CES this year by showcasing a curved OLED TV, complete with 3D capability. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, Samsung did the same.)
Now LG has confirmed that curved OLED was more than just a prototype, by confirming a release date for the first curved OLED TVs as "the second half of 2013".
LG also expects the price of OLED TVs to fall over the next two to three years, making them a similar price to existing premium TV sets.
Billed as "IMAX in your living room", the curved OLED screens claim the advantage not only of OLED TV technology but also of a screen that offers the same viewing distance from your eyes to every part of the screen.
LG sees OLED, alongside 4K Ultra HD TVs, as the next big thing in TV technology, having already released a 55in OLED TV in Korea and now the UK.
Expensive at launch, the LG 55EM970V OLED TV will set you back £10,000 from Harrods in the UK, LG expects OLED TVs to be the same price as existing high-end LED screens within two to three years.
The curved OLED TVs were first revealed at CES 2013, where both LG and Samsung revealed "world's first" curved OLED screens.
OLED TVs are on average one third of the thickness of standard TVs, at around 4mm, and half the weight.
Better colour reproduction, "infinite contrast" levels and much improved viewing angles are seen by LG as the key benefits of OLED technology, thanks to the self-lighting pixel technology that delivers OLED TV pictures.
LG revealed sales figures of around 200 OLED TVs so far in Korea, but predicted "substantial numbers" over the next 24 months.
MORE: LG curved OLED TV video
by Joe Cox
