LAST year, the crowd at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas marvelled when LG showed off a new toy: a rollable TV. They took their signature wallpaper-thin screens and engineered it further so it could “roll” or contract into a box that resembled a soundbar. It was, however, just a prototype. Fast forward to this year’s CES, and LG has finally announced that the very same television is finally ready to enter your living rooms.
Dubbed the LG SIGNATURE OLED TV R (for rollable), it comes with all the features of a quintessentially 2019 television: 4K resolution, an OLED screen, LG’s own ThinQ AI software, all in 65 inches of visual superiority. While it looks like last year’s prototype, the TV’s brushed aluminium base box is more polished and doubles up as a true soundbar decked with Dolby Atmos audio.
If you’re wondering how it works, all you have to do is press a button on your remote, and the television will start rolling down almost silently. Bringing it back up is the same process in reverse, and takes no longer than a few seconds. LG’s stress tests peg the durability of the setup at no less than 50,000 deployments, so even if you’re toying with it twice a day, it’d last you 17 years. Who knows, we might be in a 16K era by then.
The Why of it
Why would anyone need a rollable television? Yours is probably working fine, but as you indulge in more nights of Netflix and chilling or toggle between conventional TV channels, you may already notice the two black horizontal “bars” that sometimes creep into your periphery. This is courtesy of different aspect ratios across production houses and time periods. A rollable TV gets rid of all that, as you can adjust the screen height to suit whatever ratio your media comes in.
Those whose abodes cleave to a rigid minimalist standard will also relish the flexibility of the screen – dismissing it entirely adds more zen and white space to your setup. You can also toggle it to Line View, in which the TV rolls up about a quarter way up and functions as a dashboard or ‘dock’ of sorts. You can display a clock, your Now Playing information, or employ a frame mode that cycles through your favourite photo albums.
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This rollable television, however, is probably going to command an astronomical price, considering how fresh the tech is off the boat. Those who can splash the cash probably occupy a penthouse unit with sweeping views and floor-to-ceiling windows. Well, million-dollar views are meant to be appreciated, not obstructed. LG’s rollable OLED TV blends into your home, staying out of sight when you want it to, and coming into view at your command. This is the future of watching television.
