CES 2017 is over and we have had time to mentally process everything. This year’s show was one of the best for TVs in many years. In our opinion two TVs stood out but one of them was something truly unique.
Runner-up: Sony OLED
Sony had the biggest surprise at CES 2017. The company launched the A1 OLED as well as Dolby Vision across its high-end TV range. Dolby Vision was totally unexpected.
Sony’s OLED also features a unique speaker system that uses the actual screen as a vibrating speaker. We have since learned that LG.Display has developed most, if not all, of the technology required for the new “acoustic surface” speaker system.
And it should be no secret that Sony buys OLED panels from LG.Display.
Best of the Best: LG wallpaper OLED
LG’s ”wallpaper” OLED could have been the biggest surprise at CES if we had not more or less revealed LG’s plan in November. At CES, LG sent a comment our way but no hard feelings.
Still, this TV is just incredible. It is less than 2.5 millimeters thick, uses magnets to cling to the wall, and features both Dolby Vision and Atmos. The company is bursting with energy and optimism after OLED has allowed them to capture a significant slice of the premium TV market – something that LG has never achieved with LCD or plasma.
LG W7 OLED is the ’Best of the Best’
Others have already awarded the W7 OLED “Best of the Best” at CES and we can just say that we agree wholeheartedly.
Other interesting TVs
Panasonic had brought its second generation EZ1000 OLED to CES and Samsung launched a new line-up of LCDs that the company has dubbed “QLED”.
If you can ignore Samsung’s creative branding the new LCDs have several interesting things to offer. The LCD panel has been improved in more than one way, which we will explore in a later article. The design solutions that Samsung has come up with are impressive, too. And best of all; the Q9 flagship model is flat.
Panasonic’s new OLED TV was also one of the highlights. EZ1000 is very impressive but we cannot ignore that it is only available in 65”, that it lacks Dolby Vision, that it runs a discontinued Firefox OS, and that it looks too much like the LG E6 (with another speaker slapped on). Lastly, even though no pricing details were announced we fear that it will be too expensive to really matter.
We have much more to say about all four TVs so look forward to our in-depth articles that will be published over the coming two weeks. Until then you can read more in our CES 2017 section. There is reason to be excited about the 2017 TVs.
