April 19, 2024

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A promotional photo of LG's 97-inch OLED TV (LG Electronics)

LG Electronics said Wednesday it plans to release the world's largest 97-inch premium television using the flat-panel organic light-emitting diode display for home cinema experience in South Korea on Sept. 21.

Dubbed the LG OLED evo Gallery Edition, the massive TV measures more than 2.4 meters across.

The ultralarge TV will feature a 4K resolution and Dolby's cutting-edge vivid video format Dolby Vision IQ and surround sound technology Dolby Atmos. LG’s alpha 9 Gen 5 intelligent processors will be mounted on the TVs for stereoscopic pictures and sounds.

In Korea, the newest TV will have a price tag of 39.9 million won ($28,640), slightly higher than the industry's reported estimate of 25,000 euros ($24,940) earlier this year.

The TVs would be open for preorders online and at brick-and-mortar shops in Korea beginning Wednesday. They are scheduled to be launched globally later on, the company said, without revealing the exact date.

According to LG, those who preordered the 97-inch OLED TV will be offered a 27-inch StanbyMe TV with a rotatable screen as giveaways. A buyer will also be rewarded 2 million won in cash.

"The unbeatable OLED technology will offer users an unprecedentedly breathtaking viewing experience," Kim Sun-hyoung, vice president of the Korea home entertainment marketing division at LG Electronics, said in a statement.

The announcement comes nearly two decades after the world's major TV manufacturers including LG debuted the liquid crystal diode TVs at just over 100 inches in size as the world's most advanced. LG in a statement called the technology to make OLED TVs nearly 100 inches in size "a different class" from 100-inch LCD TVs.

Earlier in January, LG unveiled plans during the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 to add the industry's smallest and largest OLED TVs to address growing customer demand for premium TVs.

The new addition will expand LG's OLED TV lineup currently available in sizes ranging from 42 to 88 inches. The 42-inch OLED TV, designed for gamers, was released in April.

LG is the world's biggest OLED TV maker, manufacturing over 60 percent of OLED TVs globally.

By Son Ji-hyoung (consnow@heraldcorp.com)