CES 2022 saw LG Display blow minds again with a series of head-turning solutions, promising to transform everything from the way we relax at home to how we shop for clothes and hold office meetings.
Even while attending the event virtually, the company wowed the global media with its vision of how displays could be applied in a multitude of unexpected ways through its iconic and ever-evolving OLED technology. Or, as TechRadar put it, “The future of display technologies is not just giant TVs, it’s South Korea tech giant LG’s almost infinitely mutable OLED technology, which is now migrating to furniture and exercise apparatus.”
On that note, let’s explore how some of the most influential media outlets reacted to LG Display’s innovations on the CES stage.
“The Throne of Awesome” – CNET
“No company has a stronger CES track record of futuristic concept technology than LG Display,” declared CNET, as CES 2022 proved to be no exception. In particular, LG Display’s Media Chair, which blends tech with furniture as well as entertainment with comfort, was hailed by CNET as “The throne of awesome.” As one of the most talked about products this year, the Media Chair drew special attention for its 1,500R curved radius OLED display that maintains an optimal viewing distance even as the chair reclines and the OLED screen rotates between vertical and horizontal modes at the touch of a button.
It might not be long before we see the Media Chair in a VIP airport lounge near you, but why stop there? As Android Authority pointed out, it “would make a great addition to any home theatre setup.” To state it another way, Pocket-lint described it as a “practical” solution, “almost like a posh airline seat that you could position in your home.”
Going further, praise for the Media Chair extended to a Technical Excellence (TechX) Award from PC Mag, which declared this year’s winners as “the most impressive we’ve seen in a long time.” Speaking of the Media Chair itself, the outlet said it “might be one of the nicest-looking and most interesting” media consumption pods yet.
In addition, online show Lew Later highlighted the Media Chair as a case of “furniture once again evolving and changing to fit our new lives as content consumers 24/7.”
“A Cycle Concept with Curved Screens” – Wall Street Journal
Dubbed by Mashable “the king of curvy displays,” LG Display also grabbed plenty of attention for its flexible OLED solution known as the Virtual Ride – made possible thanks to OLED’s self-emissive and backlight-free technology that can take an array of different forms.
Combining a trio of OLED displays that curve over the user, the Virtual Ride was described by FOX 4 as “a never-before-seen experience for truly immersive exercising.” The result got Digital Trends dreaming of “how cool it would be to go for a virtual ride through the Swiss Alps or a California forest.”
After two years of the world getting into home exercise more than ever before, the Virtual Ride’s wraparound design gave Mashable the confidence to state that “working out on this bike should provide the most immersive experience you can get outside of virtual reality.” Moreover, Tom’s Guide decided the Virtual Ride “looks amazing,” citing the “lifelike colors and excellent contrast” of its OLED panels.
And as The Wall Street Journal introduced its “Best of CES 2022” list, it mentioned both the Media Chair and the Virtual Ride, celebrating the fact that the latter could allow you to “feel like you’re racing through the idyllic countryside, not stuck in your spare bedroom.”
“Nothing Screams Future Technology like Transparent OLED Screens” – Engadget
Continuing on with the praise, it’s no surprise to see LG Display’s Transparent OLEDs make headlines after harnessing 40 percent transparency to transform public spaces around the world in the last few months, from commercial stores and subways to art galleries and museums.
In fact, “nothing screams future technology like transparent OLED screens,” according to Engadget, which said the OLED Shelf was “the most visually arresting model” among LG Display’s latest concepts at CES 2022. Comprising a pair of 55-inch Transparent OLEDs that hang from a shelf, the OLED Shelf can be turned on and off depending on whether users want to watch content with exceptional picture quality or just allow those displays to blend in seamlessly at home.
Meanwhile, LG Display’s Show Window and Shopping Managing Showcase are geared more towards commercial spaces. FOX 4 was especially impressed by these offerings, not only predicting that TVs will be transparent in the future but also putting a spotlight on the retail applications of Transparent OLED technology: “You can use this in place of a window on a storefront. So, that way, you can add an extra layer of information over whatever it is that you are selling.”
Then for office space, you have the Smart Window, which takes a traditional conference room window and turns it into a Transparent OLED display. With LG Display pointing to so many potential Transparent OLED applications, TechRadar commented on how the company is “pushing the limits of what you can do with and how we might think about display transparency.” And this point about “pushing limits” was stressed by FOX 4 when introducing LG Display as “the people who make the display technology that all the TV people will use years down the road.” So, when it comes to Transparent OLED, watch this space.
“LG OLED TVs are about to get even better” – TechRadar
Last but far from least, we’ve got to include some of the comments about OLED.EX, LG Display’s newest TV technology that makes panels 30% brighter by incorporating a substance known as deuterium in the OLED production process along with algorithmic image processing to provide both an enhanced and personalized viewing experience.
Announced just before CES 2022, the advancement led TechRadar to proclaim that “LG OLED TVs are about to get even better,” while OLED.EX was picked by Gizmodo among its “Best, Coolest, and Weirdest Gadgets at CES 2022.”
OLED.EX is clearly a big step for a display technology that was already at the top of a highly competitive game. As Forbes reflected, “It looks as if the long-awaited OLED hardware shift we finally saw happen in premium 2021 TVs was just the start of a new era of OLED picture quality innovation.” And this new competitive advantage was additionally underscored by Digital Trends.
So, another CES has come and gone. Following a flood of global media attention, one can’t help but wonder what excitement LG Display’s got in store for the coming year.
