LG Electronics will start shipping curved OLED television sets next month, the first company to sell these products to the public. OLED televisions are thinner and more flexible than previous technology.

The sets will initially be made available in South Korea and the 55 inch model will cost 15 million won (Around £8,725). The production is said to be limited, but it will mean that LG can say they were the first out to public. The panel will be 4.3mm thick and weigh only 17kg.

Samsung Electronics will not be happy with the LG release schedule as they were showcasing some models at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, but did not announce release dates at the time.

OLED is based on carbon based materials which convert electricity into light. OLED work different from LCD screens as they don't need a backlight to illuminate their crystals. Without the requirement for a backlight, the screens can be made thinner, lighter and more energy efficient. Black definition is also more intense, leading to a better looking image.

OLED panels can be fabricated onto a flexible plastic substrate meaning the screen can be curved without too much work.

The company press release said “With more than five years research behind developing the optimum curvature, the entire screen surface is equidistant from the viewer's eyes, eliminating the problem of screen-edge visual distortion and loss of detail.”

Kitguru says: LG are taking orders for the curved OLED screen in South Korea now and other countries will get the panel ‘in the months ahead'.

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