This LG screen turns from flat to curved for immersive gaming

LG Display’s latest prototype is a 48-inch flexible OLED panel that can be folded for gaming or flattened for watching TV. The company has shown prototypes of similar foldable TVs in the past, such as when it showcased a 65-inch TV for use inside airplanes that could bend into a curve for passengers to watch movies. This model, which is on display at this year’s virtual CES, features LG Display’s Cinematic Sound OLED (CSO) technology, which vibrates the screen to produce sound.

The 48-inch TV could potentially offer the immersive benefits of a curved screen while gaming without forcing you to live with the many drawbacks of a curved screen when you just want to watch TV. You can briefly see the panel in action at the 19-second mark in the LG Display video below.

In terms of specifications, LG Display emphasizes the gaming capabilities of its prototype, which can fold up with a radius of up to 1000mm. It has a high refresh rate of 120Hz, a variable refresh rate range from 40Hz to 120Hz, and a response time of 0.1 milliseconds. It’s also able to vibrate its screen to produce sound – a technique LG Display has shown in its flat panels before – although we imagine most gamers would probably prefer to use separate headphones or speakers.

This new prototype is LG Display’s latest experiment with flexible OLEDs, which previously included a roll-up TV that stows away in a compact housing when not in use.

Image: LG screen

LG Display is also showcasing a range of use cases for its transparent OLED displays at this year’s CES virtual show. These include a “Smart Bed” with a transparent OLED TV that pops out of its frame, a transparent restaurant screen that allows diners to see chefs at work behind it, and train car windows that can also display customer information. On the consumer side, LG has also launched a range of TVs featuring Mini LED display technology.