[THE INVESTOR] LAS VEGAS --  LG Electronics unveiled the world’s first rollable OLED TV, with plans to commercialize it in the second half of the year, ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 on Jan. 7.

The Korean tech giant showcased its flexible 65-inch LG Signature OLED TV R with the screen gracefully sliding down into a sound speaker box with the click of a remote control.

The “R” in the name stands for revolutionary, rollable and redefinition of the space, according to the company. 

Despite being described as “rollable,” the TV does not roll up but rather folds up like a blind. It comes with a rectangular sound speaker where the TV screen can be hidden when not in use. It does not have to be attached to a wall.

Due to the absence of backlights in the self-emissive display panel, the rollable TV is as thin as normal OLED TVs. But due to its caterpillar structure, the screen is thicker than the 4-milimeter Wallpaper TV. The firm declined to reveal the accurate thickness.

The rollable TV provides three view types: Full View when the 65-inch screen entirely unfolds, Line View when only some part of the screen is visible, and Zero View when the screen is completely hidden.

Line View offers five modes, using the screen as a versatile platform -- music, clock, frame, mood and home dashboard.

The frame mode displays pictures from a user’s smartphone, while the home dashboard mode controls smart devices connected to the TV.

LG plans to roll out the new model globally starting with the Korean market in the second half of the year.

“We will show the true evolution of displays with the world’s first rollable OLED TV,” said Kwon Bong-seok, president of LG’s home entertainment and mobile communications division.

The TV is ready for launch in just one year since its main panel provider LG Display first introduced the display panel at CES 2018. 

In another press conference, LG Display Vice Chairman and CEO Han Sang-beom showed confidence in the durability of the rollable display panel. 

“The screen can roll in and out more than 100,000 times. Although we can’t mention specifically the materials that have been used, it is totally different from normal OLED panels,” he said, adding that the firm is in talks with some of its 15 OLED customers other than LG Electronics.

Han noted that there could be demand for the rollable display in the automotive industry. For example, the company is developing a panel that can be rolled up like a poster and can be hung on the ceiling of a vehicle, so that it can be rolled out when needed for passengers in the backseat.

By Song Su-hyun/The Korea Herald (song@heraldcorp.com)