LG unveils world's largest OLED TV panel

If you've never seen an OLED TV screen, do yourself a favour and right that wrong. The images are brighter, colours more vivid, but the only problem is the price. Now LG has thrown caution to the wind and come out with the world's largest OLED TV panel.

And the best news? It won't mean remortgaging the house. The 55-inch panel is the world's largest OLED panel, and its maker hints that OLED TVs could finally be about to become affordable to the likes of us.

"Although OLED technology is seen as the future of TV display, the technology has been limited to smaller display sizes and by high costs, until now," said Dr Sang Beom Han, CEO and executive vice president of LG Display. "LG Display's 55-inch OLED TV panel has overcome these barriers."

LG is claiming a contrast ratio of 100,000:1, as well as a wider colour gamut (range) than LCD screens. And seeing as OLED screens react to electric signals over 1,000 times faster than liquid crystal, the response rate should also be far better.

It's better for the environment, too. OLED allows diodes to be turned off, meaning lower power consumption than LCDs. It's just 5mm fat, making it slimmer than a pen (though that's bound to increase when the frame is bolted on), and it's lighter than an LCD panel. So good news all round.

Sony released the first OLED TV in the UK back in 2008, but it was just 11 inches across and even today still costs £1,000.

There's no word on production models, or how much they'll cost, but the panel itself will be on show at CES from 9 January. We'll be there, so keep it CNET UK for all your CES news.

How much would you pay for a 55-inch OLED set? Let us know in the comments below, or over on our Facebook page.

Image credit: Engadget