LG Electronics 2013 Home Theater Lineup Preview

While readers of Audioholics may have taken notice of LG displaying its EA9800 curved OLED screen at CES 2013, the folks at LG have also been busy showing off standard OLED screens, expanding their Ultra-HD lineup, and putting out a new generation of sound bars and home theater systems. In addition to these offerings, LG has also announced an all new Magic Remote to control your theater via voice commands, gesturing, pointing, and a scroll wheel. LG is also promising a superior experience courtesy of a plethora of applications (including games), the ability to easily search for content from video on demand and broadcast sources from multiple services, as well as smoother user experience thanks to upgraded computing power.

Ultra-HD

In addition to their previously announced 84” flagship Ultra-HD TV, LG is preparing to roll out 65” and 55” models to round out their offerings in this segment. Featuring LG’s Triple XD Engine and Resolution Upscaler Plus, a highly detailed picture is promised, even without true Ultra-HD content. LG has also equipped these models with Cinema 3D technology, which has several sub-technologies worth mentioning: 3D Sound Zooming, 3D Depth Control, and Dual Play. 3D Sound Zooming analyzes objects on screen to generate sounds based on their virtual location and movement. 3D Depth Control gives users the power to tune perceived distance between objects on screen for a customized 3D experience. Last, but not least, Dual Play allows gamers playing a multiplayer game to simultaneously see different images on the same screen. It is worth noting that Audioholics’ man on the scene, we were a bit unimpressed with the 3D prowess of LG on their UHD screens, feeling the 3D effects were a bit too intense (ie the images were popping out too far), and that panning was choppy. On the up side, we did feel the glasses were quite light and comfortable to wear.

OLED

LG is currently ramping up production of their new 55” WRGB OLED TV, Model 55EM9700. Weighing roughly 22 pounds, and only 4 millimeters thick, this model features LG’s Four-Color Pixel system, which adds a white sub-pixel in addition to the standard red, blue, and green sub-pixels found in more conventional displays, and is billed to achieve perfect color output. LG also boasts of an infinite contrast ratio which delivers ideal levels regardless of ambient light levels. 

Can you see it? Yep, the thin sliver in the middle. That's an LG OLED TV.

Smart TV

Not satisfied to let the TV take a back seat in a home theater system, LG is pushing the boundaries of what can be accomplished by the boxes that inhabit our theater/living rooms. LG’s new Smart TV’s are controlled by their new Magic Remote, which is expected to offer a simplified and intuitive user experience courtesy of voice commands, gesturing, pointing, and scroll wheel. The base of operations for LG’s Smart TV is its enhanced Home Dashboard, which features Interest Cards, i.e. folders for apps and other content, which are fully customizable by the user. Users can also quickly and easily search for content, and LG includes a recommendation service called On Now which suggests trending VOD and broadcast content.

LG’s SmartShare allows users the ability to mirror and transfer content from smart devices (such as tablets and smart phones) to your TV through multiple connectivity options including WiDi and Miracast. LG’s 2013 lineup also implements Near Field Communication, which immediately connects two compatible devices for quick sharing of media: hold a compatible phone or tablet against the NFC sticker on a LG Smart TV, and voila!

Of course, all these features wouldn’t be worth much if the interface were slow and clunky; fortunately, LG is promising significant improvements in processing power, namely a 120% improvement in CPU power and a 300% increase in GPU power, which will also help deliver clearer images and improved gaming. Speaking of gaming, LG announced the addition of several new games for its Smart TVs, including Where’s My Water, The Sims FreePlay, Air Penguin, and Mini Motor Racing. You can play these games via the motion-sensing Magic Remote, utilize Dual Play so you won’t have to resort to split screens for multiple players, and LG offers an app for smart phones so you can turn your phone into a controller as well. While on site we were able to see some of the gaming and were really impressed. It seems that LG is leading the way in that arena.

Audio/Home Theater

LG isn’t widely regarded as an audio manufacturer, but they are hoping to change some minds with their latest offerings, announcing the BH9430PW 9.1 channel speaker system, NB4530A and NB3730A Sound Bars, BP730 Smart Blu-ray player, ND8630 Dual Docking Speaker, and the NP6630 Portable Speaker. The BH9430PW features Aramid fiber cone drivers, and with its nine standard channels, is billed to deliver a more immersive audio experience than a standard 5.1 setup. The NB4530A sound bar is designed to perfectly complement a slim-profile TV, and boasts 2.1 channels of sound, 310 watts of system power, and a wireless subwoofer. In addition, the NB4530A is interesting in that it is Bluetooth enabled to allow wireless streaming from smartphones and other devices. The NB3730A sound bar is also worth a look, as it offers streaming content from Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, Pandora, and vTuner.

On the media player front, LG’s BP730 promises a smooth experience thanks to its dual core processor, and easy operation with LG’s Magic Remote. This player offers multiple video on demand services (as well as the ability to search through them with an All-in-One search function) including Hulu Plus, Pandora, Netflix, YouTube, as well as web browsing and near field communications for easy wireless connectivity.

Rounding out LG’s offerings in this arena are the ND8640 dual docking speaker and the NP6630 Portable Speaker. The ND8640 supports dock-and-play for both Apple and Android mobile devices, and features 80 watts of system power. Naturally, the docking system also charges the batteries of the docked device. Perhaps not so naturally, it can also wirelessly play music files from your smartphone, tablet, or PC that support Bluetooth and Apple’s AirPlay. The NP6630 Portable Speaker on the other hand, is a 20 watt system, with support for Near Field Communications, AirPlay, and Bluetooth to stream music from a range of devices. Whether you’re in the back yard or on a beach, you can still enjoy music with far better quality than a phone could provide on its own.

For more information visit LG Electronics

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.