LG’s transparent OLED TV just blew my mind at CES 2024

CNN Underscored is on the ground at CES 2024 in Las Vegas to pick out the tech products that are actually worth your attention. Be sure to follow our CES 2024 coverage hub for the latest hands-on previews straight from the world’s biggest electronics show.

CES 2024 is already delivering the weird and wild tech that makes us feel like the future is here. The first company to capture that feeling in a product demo is LG, as its 77-inch Signature OLED T TV looks to be the first transparent TV set that could end up in your living room.

Before telling us what this TV was, LG first presented a fish tank video on the display, with bright blue-and-yellow fish popping off an inky black background, as is what we expect from LG’s OLED panels. Then, with an unseen click of a button, transparency mode was enabled and that dark black background slowly scrolled down, receding from the TV, leaving the fish to basically float in between the glass panel and the striped wallpaper of the Las Vegas hotel we were standing in.

Then, an animated gelatinous orange person walked across the transparent screen before melting as if caught aflame. LG then demoed a new look of its webOS app store, before showing off how the bottom slice of the display could be used to display informational content, such as the time and weather. Speaking of which, my favorite part of the presentation came when the whole screen turned into a weather app, with a realistic animation of a tree caught in a snowy deluge next to the day’s forecast. Then we saw footage of English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie performing “Beautiful,” in footage that supported LG’s ability to remove the black background.

Next, the traditional sizzle reel kicked in, as we saw footage of Amazon Prime Video’s futuristic series “The Peripheral” starring Chloë Grace Moretz play. LG was even able to turn on the Signature OLED T’s transparency mode for that clip, though we didn’t spend a whole lot of time watching it to see what it’s like to view a whole scene with this new mode. While the transparency mode is meant to create an immersive experience, I’m not sure that same effect would be great for a visually dynamic TV series.

All of this content, by the way, was coming to the Signature OLED T not by any HDMI cable but through the same box that its M-series TVs use to wirelessly transmit content.

Since this is CES, LG did not announce a price, and a representative told CNN Underscored that its release date will be “much later this year.” Don’t expect the construction and final product to mirror exactly what you see above, as its finished casing is still in development. The section of the product that begins with the display’s base and ends below the top metal bar is the actual TV; LG’s still working on the best way to package that experience.

New LG OLEDs, QNEDs and audio products

LG also showed off its latest updates to the rest of its TV lineup, including the LG OLED C4, this year’s version of one of its most popular OLED TVs (we loved the LG OLED C2). An LG rep explained that the C4 will hit peak brightnesses of 1,000 to 1,500 nits, which we hope eliminates the need to micromanage the light sources in your den or living room. OLED panels produce amazing color and contrast, but their brightness and reflectiveness have long been their Achilles’ heel. In this private demo room, though, the C4 faced a particularly difficult challenge, as a massive LG QNED display was blasting a bright image that frequently reflected off of its panel.

LG’s also adding the 144Hz refresh rate to its new C4, G4 and M4 TVs, welcome news for PC gamers who love to play on these big-screen sets.

LG additionally showed off the booming sound of its SC9S soundbar, which will fit into VESA-mounted LG C-series TVs going back to its 2022 models. The TV and soundbar are also equipped with enough smarts to know which audio is best sent through the TV’s own speaker and what you’d rather want from the soundbar.

In software news, Chromecast support is coming, along with a new accessibility section that has — you guessed it — a chatbot. AI’s so hot right now, I’m waiting for someone to call theirs Hansel after Derek Zoolander’s frenemy. LG also announced that 2022 models will get the latest version of webOS, complete with suggested content. Customers in the United States and Korea will also get voice-identifying user login later this year.

The takeaway

The war for the living room continues to be fought with great picture quality, and LG’s Signature OLED T set aims to change the conversation with its tricks and surprises. There’s no set price or release date for this model just yet, but we’re expecting it to cost a premium — and we’re looking forward to testing it to see if it’ll be worth the high price.

LG also showed off new versions of its pricier G4 and M4 sets, featuring its new A11 AI technology, which will add on to its upscaling technology with increased object recognition for improved dimensionality. That said, an LG rep told CNN that the TV will know when to not tweak the image, which I was happy to hear since I often utilize the Filmmaker mode (which aims to reproduce movies and shows as they were meant to be seen) on my LG C2 at home.