LG Electronics announced the launch of its new 84-inch ultra-definition 3-D television on Wednesday, with it scheduled to roll out in the local market this weekend.

About 70 units of the TV priced at around 25 million won ($22,000) have already been sold through pre-orders, according to Kwon Il-geun, senior vice president of LG’s TV R&D Laboratory.

The new UD TV, showcased in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for the first time, boasts four times the resolution of existing full high-definition TV panels for more clear and realistic picture quality, he said.

“What is important about UD TV is that it is an 84-inch TV,” said Kwon. “The large display screen TV market is recently in expansion centering on the North American market and our Japanese rival Sharp has also released 60-and 70-inch TVs; Samsung launched a 75-inch TV and we now have rolled out the 84-inch.”

Although there is still a lack of content and infrastructure for the UD TV, LG believes the UD technology will bloom in the next five years, following the existing HD, said its executive Cho Taeg-il of TV product planning group.

“If it was the HD era that prospered in the past decade, it will be the UD technology that will make its way in the upcoming five years and LG plans to take the lead in it,” he said.

LG also said that the new UD TV will be launching overseas in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America beginning next month and it will also be available for show at the IFA electronics trade fair in Berlin next week.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)