LG, Samsung both plan 105-inch curved Ultra HD TVs for CES 2014

Both Samsung and LG will be showcasing TVs at CES 2014 with a 105-inch, curved Ultra HD TV panel. The screens will use the cinematic 21:9 ratio.

LG's version of the massive TV clinches it both the "world's first" and "world's largest" titles, according to the press release. Samsung's press release goes for "world's first", "largest" and "most curved" simultaneously.

Both televisions use 5120x2160 pixel display panels, meeting the 3840x2160 pixel resolution of Ultra HD and exceeding it with extra horizontal screen space. The screen technology used is LCD, rather than OLED, with LG saying its Display division's efforts at refining the LCD thin film transistor process are responsible for the curved nature of the screen. Up until now, curved LCD screens were rare, and OLED was preferred for the application.

A 21:9 panel means that with a suitable movie, both Samsung and LG's TVs can display cinematic content with no black bars at the top or bottom of the screen. Most Blu-ray movies with cinematic 21:9 content have the black bars hard-coded as part of the video, so it's likely the new screens will stretch video to suit. It's also entirely possible that, due to their inevitable exorbitant price tags, custom Ultra HD 21:9 movie content will be included with the screens' purchases.

Both companies are understandably proud of their achievements. “LG Display has kept its dominant position in the display market with innovative and differentiated technologies,” said Yong-kee Hwang, Senior Vice President and head of LG Display’s TV Business Unit. “With a resolution of 11 million pixels, the 105-inch curved LCD panel is proof of our continued leadership in the next generation display market, offering exceptional world-class value to our customers.”

"We are happy to unveil the 105-inch Curved UHD TV, the culmination of Samsung’s advancements, following the world’s first Curved UHD TV at IFA 2013,” said HS Kim, executive vice president of Visual Display Business, Samsung Electronics. “You will experience a true curved TV optimized for consumer viewing environments at CES 2014.”

Both TVs will be on show at CES 2014 in January.