LAS VEGAS ― Samsung and LG Electronics, the world’s top two TV makers, once again boasted tech prowess in the TV industry by revealing the world’s first curved OLED TV at the Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday.

Creating a panorama effect, the 55-inch curved OLED TV is intended to offer a more immersive viewing experience for consumers, according to Samsung officials.

They also said that the curved display offers consistent picture quality from any angle and that consumers are deemed to be more captivated because the images of landscapes, for example, will look more real with the new angle.

“We’re planning to launch the curved OLED TVs at the same time as the 55-inch OLED TV (without the curves),” said Kim Hyun-suk, head of Samsung’s TV business unit. “We’re aiming to release them in the first half of this year.”

LG, the No. 2 industry leader, also demonstrated the 55-inch curved TV that features its proprietary W-RGB display technology. Its rival Samsung uses RGB display technology.

The new model comes with an “ergonomic” design as well as its touted 3-D support, its officials said.

They added that the new TV set removes the problem of screen-edge visual distortion and detail loss. However, the company did not specify a release date.

“It’s a tough display technology to tackle, but it brings outstanding picture quality,” said LG’s home entertainment division chief Kwon Hee-won. “In terms of launch date, we plan to roll it out ahead of our competitor (Samsung).”

LG has been receiving preorders for the 55-inch OLED TV in Korea since Jan. 2 and will be launching it in the U.S. market in March.

The unveiling of the new OLED TV models for both Korean tech giants takes place a year after the two companies showcased the 55-inch OLED TV for the first time at the same electronics trade show.

Since then, many of its followers, especially Japanese TV makers like Sony and Panasonic, quickly caught up and presented to the crowd at CES 2013 what they call the 56-inch 4K OLED TV that supposedly integrates the functions of two different display technologies ― Ultra High Definition and OLED.

Both models by the Japanese companies were prototypes, which means they still need more time until mass production, but they wowed the audience by displaying what had been unheard of until the show.

Kazuhiro Tsuga, president of Panasonics, made a surprise announcement during his keynote session at the event, whereas Sony’s chief executive Kazuo Hirai attempted to do the same at the firm’s press conference on the previous day.

On the same topic, Samsung and LG both indicated that they are also currently in the process of looking into 4K OLED technology.

“There’s nothing especially new about this,” said Samsung’s Kim. “Most companies that are manufacturing related items are most likely preparing for similar products.”

By Cho Ji-hyun, Korea Herald correspondent
(sharon@heraldcorp.com)