I'm not going to say I was giddy. Ok, I was giddy. And how could I not be, witnessing a 4K OLED TV roll up almost like a newspaper?
At CES 2018, I got an up-close look at LG Display's new creation, the world's first 65-inch rollable UHD TV. Using a remote, it extended and retracted almost like magic from a long rectangular base.
LG Display says this design would allow the TV to be easily moved, but you wouldn't really need to because it rolls up pretty much out of your way.
MORE: Best Smart TVs - The Best 4K and HD Televisions for the Money
In addition to just being a remarkably thin and beautiful OLED set with near-perfect blacks and eye-popping hues, you can use the rollable TV in three distinct modes.
In the first mode, you can unfurl the set so that only about a quarter of the panel is showing. This comes in handy for displaying information like news and the weather, as well as photos. It's like a smart digital picture frame.
As you unroll the rollable OLED TV further, you can enjoy content in a 21:9 aspect ratio, which some say is ideal for watching movies. Then you can fully extend the TV, which is better for watching content in a more traditional format.
While the speed of the unrolling wasn't that quick, it actually makes the process feel more dramatic, so I didn't mind the less-than-blistering pace. The operation was also remarkably quiet.
What the rollable LG Display TV does not offer is sound. This is understandable given how thin the set is. In fact, LG's Signature W7 Wallpaper TV, and it's W8 successor, both connect to a soundbar base. So it's not difficult to imaging a base for the rollable OLED set also eventually doubling as a soundbar.
Is something like this coming to market soon? It's hard to say, but I really, really want one.
