[THE INVESTOR] The world’s two largest television makers, Samsung and LG, will vie to steal the limelight with their larger and smarter televisions in the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show that kicks off on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Samsung is expected to showcase their quantum-dot light-emitting diodes televisions with a larger than 100-inch panel, much bigger than the currently largest 88-inch QLED TVs, according to insiders. The tech firm is also expected to introduce its new, large Micro-LED TV for the first time during the show. Micro-LED panels features miniature light-emitting diode arrays with smaller, brighter modules and improved response speed. 

Samsung Electronics’ 53.5mm-width soundbar that works with a wall mount TV. Samsung Electronics.

Samsung said it will showcase soundbar sporting a slim and sleek external design optimized for wall mounting underneath its super-thin televisions. The 53.5mm-width soundbar, which works with a wall mount TV, is 41 percent narrower than the previous soundbar model, the firm said. 

Samsung’s arch TV rival, LG, will focus more on TVs with artificial intelligence functionality to offer an interactive experience by, for instance, allowing users to speak directly into the remote control. LG said users can search for information, images or videos featuring specific content by making a verbal request through the TV’s remote control such as “show me all the movies this actor has starred in” or “show me yoga videos.”

Its newest Alpha 9 intelligent processor will also be embedded into TVs to provide true-to-life images with rich colors, sharpness and depth for more realism, LG said. This algorithm allows for greater finesse in noise reduction, improving the clarity of images affected by distracting artifacts and enabling more effective rendering of smooth gradations. 

LG will also unveil its new 88-inch OLED TVs for the first time during the show, according to insiders. Currently, the 77-inch TV is the largest among OLED TV lineups.

“Samsung and LG are expected to unveil new products highlighting their best features and better performance. LG is especially predicted to showcase more OLED TV lineups with diverse sizes and width,” said Noh Kyung-tak, an analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities. 

Apart from LG, more than 10 tech firms, including Sony, Toshiba, Bang-Olufsen and Changhong, are expected to join the OLED alliance to exhibit their new OLED TVs during the show. 

Amid slow growth in global TV sales, the premium TV market has seen a steady growth in recent years. According to the US research firm IHS Markit, sales of TVs with 75-inch panels or larger are predicted to rise to 1.6 million units this year from 1.1 million units last year. The figure is also expected to continue to rise to reach 3.3 million units by 2020, IHS said. 

By Shin Ji-hye/The Korea Herald (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)