LG W7 picture on wall oled – Super thin TV that you stick on the wall
Last year at CES we were able to take a look at a prototype of a rollable OLED screen in a back room of LG. We also briefly saw a super-flat OLED TV that was glued to a wall. The screen was connected with a flat cable to a separate box in which all the control electronics were placed. This prototype was not intended for our eyes and we had to pledge not to publish about it. We are now a year later and the prototype has now grown into LG’s new top model; the W7.
We were allowed to view and listen to the new TV in a hotel room in Las Vegas prior to the opening of CES. The model that was shown had a screen diagonal of 65″, but LG also showed the larger 77″ model during the press conference. The image panel is only 2.57mm thick and by using a suspension system with magnetic strips that are stuck to the wall, the screen is only 4mm from the wall.
The designers have housed all the necessary electronics and connections in a soundbar that can be placed under the screen on a piece of furniture, but can also be mounted on the wall. A special flat cable is used for the connection between the two parts, which has about two hundred cores. For the best effect, the cable should be concealed in the wall. To do this as neatly as possible, and because the television is very fragile due to its small thickness, the W7 will probably have to be hung by an installer.
The separate soundbar has four broadband speakers that are directed forward and two tweeters on either side that are directed upwards towards the ceiling. Reflection makes it possible to reproduce sound from above without the need for loudspeakers in or on the ceiling. This enables the playback of Dolby Atmos sound. The two tweeters disappear into the soundbar when the TV is switched off, after which two covers close the holes created in this way.
This tweeter vanishing trick looks nice, but has no further function because the two high speakers could just as well have been in the soundbar. In addition, we found its added value for the sound during a short Dolby Atmos demonstration very limited. The tweeters certainly add some spaciousness to the sound, but at no point during the demo did we feel any sound coming from above. Also, there are no surround speakers and no subwoofer; things that greatly improve the film experience. There was no question of a full Dolby Atmos experience, but that does not alter the fact that the soundbar has a great sound that is very good to listen to.
Like last year’s OLED models, the W7 can display HDR. All current HDR formats are supported; Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma. A fourth Technicolor format will be added later this year. The necessary support for this is already built into the hardware, but the software support will come later this year in the form of an update. The image quality of the Dolby Vision HDR demos that were shown was, as we are used to from OLED, very convincing.
To further improve the HDR display, LG has managed to improve the maximum brightness of the panel by about twenty-five percent, so that the 1000cd/m² is approached. However, this peak brightness can only be achieved if only five percent of the panel needs to be illuminated. If larger white areas are to be displayed, the maximum brightness gradually decreases. When displaying a completely white screen, only 150cd/m² is achieved. That is also an improvement of about twenty-five percent compared to last year.
No LG television from model year 2017 will be able to display 3d anymore. LG does not give a reason for this choice, but we suspect that this has everything to do with increasing the maximum brightness for HDR. In fact, removing the film with polarizing filters necessary for passive 3D may have enabled almost the entire twenty-five percent increase in brightness.
Thanks to the improved brightness, the need to darken when viewing HDR has decreased, but for the best HDR viewing experience it is still better to view in a room that is not too brightly lit. We think that is definitely worth it, because due to the enormously high contrast, also at a local level, we think the HDR experience on an OLED television is by far the best. The brightness was always high enough for watching normal SDR content.
In any case, it is certain that the W7 will be available in the Benelux, but when is not yet known. No official prices have been mentioned yet, but prices of between twenty-five and thirty thousand euros for the large 77″ model are to be expected. We know that the smaller 65″ model will be available in the United States very soon. will go on pre-sale for about $8,000. The price will therefore probably be around eight thousand euros with us. Solid prices, of course, but for that you also get a TV that, in addition to the best image quality of the moment, also has a very special appearance.