Hear that? It's the sound of video fans still mourning the death of plasma TV. Oh sure, there are still a few plasma TVs available for purchase, but you'd better get them while you can. Or maybe you can just invest in LG's 55-inch 55EC9300 1080p OLED TV.
It seems that LG has a viable replacement for plasma with its new set. It's currently available and creating a ton of buzz for its performance -- one that beats out even the best plasmas when it comes to black levels.
The 55EC9300 includes a full 1080p HD image and OLED self-lighting pixels. That means they can turn on and off by themselves to create super-bright whites and the darkest blacks. The new set also has LG's own 4-Color Pixel technology, which adds a white sub-pixel into the red/green/blue mix.
Consumer Reports recently gave the TV a thumbs up. Robert Heron also gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up over at HD Guru. However, one the most glowing of reviews has come from HDTV maven David Katzmaier, who has titled his CNET review: "OLED TV: Best. Picture. Ever."
In case the title didn't give away how he really feels about this TV, know that Katzmaier says that this is the best looking TV that he's ever laid eyes on. That position was previously held by the Panasonic ZT60 plasma TV, which we compared to the Pioneer Kuro last year.
"It reproduces darker blacks and brighter whites, for sumptuous images (and I don't say this lightly) you have to see to believe. LG bobbled the color accuracy and video processing somewhat, and yes, I wish it was flat, but none of those problems spoil OLED's supremacy," Katzmaier says. "As long as I wasn't seated too far away, I'd rather watch an LG 55EC9300 than any plasma, any day of the week."
Besides the black levels, he also praises the TV's contrast ratio and its performance under bright-light conditions.
Katzmaier goes on to say that the actual TV is as good looking as its image. That's no surprise, given the picture above. LG says that the unit is "pencil thin," measuring a mere 0.17 inches at its thinnest point. That's because OLED allows it to be that thin. The technology is simpler inside, needing just two layers. Other features include LG's Smart TV with the customizable webOS platform, passive 3D, LG's Magic Remote with Voice Mate speech recognition, four HDMI inputs, three USB ports, and more.
Okay, it's not a 4K TV, which we've been hearing about a lot this year. However, it also doesn't have that 4K price point. And as Katzmaier points out, you wouldn't want a 55-inch 4K TV anyway. However, if you want a really good 1080p TV, LG's 55-inch 55EC9300 1080p OLED TV is available now. It's priced at $3,499 but has a special $500 instant rebate so you can get it now for under $3,000 (not sure how long this will last).
Where to Buy:
