CES 2019: Roll up, roll up, it’s a revolution in television design

Suzan Delibasic
Jan 08, 2019, updated Jan 08, 2019

LG has unveiled a world-first rollable OLED TV at CES in Las Vegas Photo: Getty

LG has unveiled a world-first rollable OLED TV that completely disappears, leaving an unassuming piece of furniture.

The company revealed its 65-inch 4K flagship TV at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

The New Daily attended the exclusive media event at the Mandalay Bay hotel, where journalists were given a demonstration of the television and other powerful technology in action.

The TV includes a powerful Dolby Atmos sound system and a full-width sliding door, which conceals the screen itself.

When powering the TV, the door slides back and the screen effortlessly rises out of the box unrolling to its full height in a matter of seconds.

Press the button again to turn it off and the TV screen descends back into its box and becomes part of the furniture.

While no details on pricing have been released just yet, the company revealed the TV would be available at a premium price later this year.

LG also unveiled its powerful 8K TV range, including an 88-inch Z9 TV, which offers four times as many pixels in a display than 4K.

LG’s David VanderWaal (L) and Tim Alessi (R) unveil the signature OLED TV. Photo: Getty

There will also be 75-inch SM99 LCD TV, which will provide 8K viewing on a backlit screen rather than an OLED screen.

But keep in mind there isn’t much programming or content available in 8K as of yet, so the technology will be somewhat restrictive.

Samsung unveils 98-inch TV

To keep in line with the battle for the best 8K TV at CES this year, Samsung also unveiled its whopping 98-inch 8K QLED TV.

The TV uses an 8K Quantum Processor to eliminate jagged edges in images and restore pixels.

It also has more than 33 million pixels, compared to more than eight million for the previous generation 4K TVs.

Like the rest of Samsung’s 2019 line-up, this model will support Bixby voice assistant and will also take commands from Alexa and Google Assistant.

Samsung’s senior vice president unveils the company’s latest products. Photo: Getty

The smart TVs will also come in a variety of sizes including also 65, 75, 82, and 85-inch.

Samsung is yet to disclose a price, but its previously announced 85-inch 8K TV was $US15,000, so this model could definitely cost more than $US20,000.

Apple opens its ecosystem to Samsung

In a first for Apple, the tech giant has opened its ecosystem to allow its iTunes app to be accessible on Samsung’s new smart TVs.

The new app will allow users to watch films and TV shows they’ve previously bought on iTunes, or buy new ones.

It will even let people use Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant to play iTunes content.

The new smart TVs will also run Apple’s AirPlay 2, which lets users play videos, music and photos from iPhones and other Apple devices on speakers and TVs.

Smart home technology on the rise

During the press conference, Samsung also announced new software for its smart refrigerator.

The Family Hub upgrade features some interface tweaks, which will feature a touchscreen (think digital magnets for photos) and the Bixby voice assistant, which will be able to read out recipes while cooking and turn on/off appliances.

Samsung’s smart fridge using Bixby voice assistant. Photo: Getty

Bixby will also be able to give family members a morning brief that includes a readout of the weather and news.

The Family Hub also includes a “view inside” feature that uses cameras to let you see what’s inside your fridge remotely.

New features will be available via an automatic update for most earlier Family Hub models later this year.

Bot Care robotics unveiled

Samsung ended its press conference with the introduction of Bot Care, a personal health care assistant that can handle an array of health monitoring tasks.