The world’s first ‘Ultra HD’ television is now available here in the UK, although you’ll need to have a fair wedge of cash burning a hole in your pocket if you want to be one of the first to get one. The new 84LM960V from LG is priced at a cool £22,500, you see.
We say world’s first – that’s LG’s claim – but earlier in the year Toshiba launched the 55ZL2; a TV that boasts the same stunning resolution.
While many people are just about getting to grips with terms such as ‘HD Ready’ and ‘Full HD’, LG is marching forward with a newer and even better standard of picture called Ultra HD. The easiest way to think of Ultra HD is Full HD – that’s 1080p – times by four. Whereas Full HD offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, LG’s new telly boasts a whopping 3840 x 2160 resolution. The huge jump in the number of pixels means you get a much sharper, more accurate image.
Like the majority, we don’t have £22.5k to drop on a new telly – oh, how we wish we did though. Fortunately we got some quality eyes-on time with LG’s new set at this weekend’s Gadget Show Live Christmas event, where it debuted in London. Situated right in front of the entrance to the show, it’s hard to not notice this beast as you walk in – 84-inches of bright and vivid TV goodness housed in a brushed silver frame certainly stands out.
In the flesh the new model sports a similar design to LG’s Cinema displays, although being at the top of the range it packs in almost every feature under the sun. It’s got built in Wi-Fi, a boot load of Smart features including apps and on-demand content, DLNA for streaming content from smartphones and other wireless devices, and voice and motion control.
The big advantage of Ultra HD is that you can watch 3D content in Full HD, and with this TV the 3D is classed as passive, which means you don’t use the clunky and expensive glasses that require charging up. As such, 5 pairs come with the TV and you can pick up extra sets for a few quid each.
Unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to see 3D content in action at the show, but we were treated to images in the TV’s native resolution. Quality was absolutely impeccable and better than anything we’ve seen before, though we’d love to have the chance to watch some TV or movie content at this resolution.
If you’re in the market for the next generation of TV tech and you’ve got the money to spend, this is at the top of the pile right now. However, you might want to wait it out for Sony’s 4K-certified KD-84X9005 though, which comes out very soon.
To catch a glimpse of this behemoth, or even to buy one, head to Birmingham Bullring, Manchester Trafford Centre, Westfield Stratford, Harrods Knightsbridge or John Lewis at Sloane Square in London.
Did you catch a glimpse of this beauty at the Gadget Show Live over the weekend? Let us know what you thought of it by adding a comment below, or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
