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LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

Summary: LG sure has a big show in store for CES next month. First, the company announced that it will exhibit its long-awaited 55-inch OLED TV, and next it has disclosed that it will also display an 84-inch 3D LCD that features 4k resolution.

Sean Portnoy

By for Home Theater |

LG sure has a big show in store for CES next month. First, the company announced that it will exhibit its long-awaited 55-inch OLED TV, and next it has disclosed that it will also display an 84-inch 3D LCD that features 4k resolution.

Granted, some will quibble that 3,840x2,160 HDTV isn't technically "4k," though that might be the least of the issues with the short-term commercial viability of such a set. There's little compatible content, though LG is hyping its 3D functionality -- "the most convincing 3D viewing experience currently available outside of a movie theater" -- since no TV channels in the U.S. show anywhere close to 4k resolution with their programming. As for the cost: if analysts are estimating $8,000 for the 55-inch OLED, you can probably assume a price in the same ballpark for a huge 4k set.

Of course, LG hasn't announced that the set is anywhere near being available, and it hasn't disclosed a price. But the 4k trend may eventually have a better chance of attracting consumer attention than 3D, since there are no dorky glasses to wear and the difference in resolution could be dramatic (that is, if you have a big enough room to house such a large set and to let viewers sit far away enough from the TV). At least we should have a number of first-hand viewing reports from CES.

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15 comments
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  • Just what I need in my 20 x 40 entertainment room.

    Keep in mind folks that 80" diagonally is not as big as you'd think but... good luck getting it through a door and down a hallway. Time to start thinking about building homes around the television set but... better hope it lasts more than 10 years.
    eleaders
    Reply Vote

    • Careful ...

      @eleaders ... I think you need a smaller room ... see my post below.
      johnfenjackson@...
      Reply Vote

    • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

      @eleaders Uhhhh, stand it on end? An 80 inch diagonal 16x9 screen is NOT all that big compared to a sectional sofa.
      rphunter42
      Reply Vote

  • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

    My wife wanted a new car but hopefully I can talk her into this TV instead! =D
    slickjim
    Reply Vote

    • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

      @Peter Perry +100.
      Champ_Kind
      Reply Vote

  • old news

    It's bit ridiculous to post this now, after it has been all over the mainstream media for a week. Who cares? Review it WHEN IT'S OUT.
    dgurney
    Reply Vote

  • Come closer!

    You have it the wrong way round Sean ... the reason you cannot get too close to a low resolution image is that pixelation artefacts will become visible ... we've all seen that on our PC monitors. Conversely an increasing 720, 1080 ... 4K resolution image will allow you to get closer and closer to the screen ... providing greater detail without pixelation.

    An 84" diagonal would give optimal viewing at about 5 feet ... and at 10 feet would be no better than 1080! To be optimal at 10 feet the screen would have to be about 160" in diagonal.

    That's one reason why cinema screens are so large. Readers might find it interesting to determine their local cinema's screen size and then calculate the optimum viewing distance for 4K (or 8000HD as it's called in my local ODEON).

    Perhaps this site will help ...
    http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter
    ... it has a useful chart avoiding the need for lots of calculations.
    johnfenjackson@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

    I really do not understand why anyone would want a higher resolution picture then is available right now. Already the stars have either blurred the cameras some how or they wear so much make up they look like store mannequins. Take Bill O'Reilly, when the camera is on Bill, his face is sort of blurry, but when the camera is on a guest, you can see see every facial defect they have!
    bogie3@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

      @bogie3@... I don't know what you're watching, but I can see every defect in Bill-O's face with my 720p 37" set. I'd hate to see what he'd look like if FOXNews went 4k or 8k and I had a capable TV set.
      Champ_Kind
      Reply Vote

  • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

    Just as many standard DVD players convert their output to 1080p yet the original recording is still standard definition, it would be equally worthwhile up-converting standard Blu Ray discs to 2160p. It would improve the overall experience by reducing any jaggedness in curves and diagonal lines. Also it's probably easier to do than uprating a 50 Hz frame rate to 100 Hz or even 200 Hz, and TVs which do this are readily available at low prices. However, the real winners would be those of use who use the TV as a PC monitor. The improved resolution would give us 4 times the pixels, and don't forget the photographers - brilliant for editing or viewing 14 megapixel photos which are commonly produced now by even cheap cameras. I want the resolution but on a smaller screen - how about a 40 inch screen with this resolution?
    JohnOfStony
    Reply Vote

    • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

      @john.foggitt@... Give it a little time to work its way down.

      I'm just hoping that this screen ushers in a new generation of 1440p blu-ray movies, since the format technically supports it.
      Champ_Kind
      Reply Vote

  • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

    lets be clear here,its not a quibble as you put it Sean, that's a 2160p aka 2K screen (almost) not a 4K screen as the PR innovators want to lie to you and switch the standard around and use the larger number....., by the time the real 4K screens are more available your friendly PR innovator salesman (and probably ZD writers) will be calling them 7K screens<br><br> still 2160p is good enough for this year as "red" prosumer cams are not that pervasive yet <br>youtube com watch?v=ABFxpWlUhB8
    techU
    Reply Vote

  • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

    I have a 4 by 6 window that could be covered. This is really tempting.
    trm1945
    Reply Vote

  • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

    I use the following criteria to decide if a new TV with a bigger screen or a higher resolution will provide me any noticeable benefit. This may be useful for you in deciding the screen size you prefer.

    POINT #1
    =======
    If you wear glasses, then you have an easy way to compare TV screens with movie screens. I find that if I close one eye, I can easily estimate how much of the eyeglass frame is covered by the screen. Sitting in the 6th row of my local theater, the screen covers ~70% of the width of my eyeglass frame. My 55" 1080p screen covers ~50% of the width of my eyeglass frame, when sitting 6 feet from the screen. I watch TV in a recliner, which makes it difficult to sit much closer to the screen. I would like to have an image as large as I perceive in a movie theater. I'll need a TV screen ~77" or larger to perceive an image as large as I see in my local theater. I find that I don't want to sit any closer in the theater because, at some point, it becomes difficult to watch a movie without turning my head to see the action at all corners of the screen. I also find it difficult to sit closer than ~6 feet because my wife watches movies with me and I can't block the screen and if I sit any closer, I can't recline my recliner.

    POINT #2
    =======
    As I approach my TV screen, I find that there is a point where I can start to see the individual pixels. As I back away from that point, the pixels merge into a continuous image. I find that the individual pixels are distinguishable on my 1080p 55" screen at about 4 feet. On my older SD TV, I couldn't get closer than ~6 feet.

    CONCLUSION:
    ==========
    I want to watch TV on a screen that allows me to sit at a reasonable distance, have the TV image fill ~70% of my eyeglass frame, and not be able to see the individual pixels. Higher resolution would be nice for those cases where I want to watch some particular scene while leaning closer to see more detail. I suspect that an 80"-100" TV will be big enough to completely enjoy a blu-ray movie while sitting in my recliner with 1-2 other persons watching sat the same time. A 2160p screen would probably be perceptively better. I'm unsure if a 4360p screen would provide any perceivable difference.
    scott_dixon@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: LG will show off 84-inch 4k LCD 3D HDTV at CES 2012

    sorry to say but if it should be 4k you need to upgrade tv pc to 4k. i have a xfx 7950 but can only still run 1k games. its 4k future proof. so if we get 4k 4g 5g and so on we can freealy take big RAW pics. and then post it on net. and hope we got big (c:)konnections. 230 mb RAW.that means the poor 1k have to be 4-6 times more signal to send a big file to youre screen tv oled led lcd. vga screen with 2000x1600. but it cant be done.?! or can it. put to vga and 4 hdmi and 4 mini hdmi any get about 5000x4000 screen. you could use it for playing games who has 4k rendering and your mouse would use 13 sek from on to a nother side. faster mouse needed to. 9000 dpi mouse or 15000 dpi needed. oh thats my toughts. no i need to eat som led s.and bigger sd carsd needed. stronger then 30 mb in on sek. maybe mini ssd into a camera and lan wifi built in to it.it eksist a camera who send direct to sattelites.goole IT(hope it eksist)
    kmo911
    Reply Vote
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