77-inch OLED TVs are still at least $15,000
Want an OLED TV larger than 65 inches? Start saving.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
OLED TVs boast the best picture quality we've ever tested, but if you want a truly big one, it'll cost as much as a Ford Fiesta.
Pricing has been announced for the biggest 2017 versions of LG and Sony's organic light-emitting diode TVs. They measure 77 inches diagonal and start at $15 grand.
That's three or four times as expensive as some of the better 75-inch LCD-based TVs available, like the Sony XBR-75X940E ($5,000) and the Vizio P75-E1 ($3,500).
More frustrating for high-end huge-screen shoppers, the jump in price from a 65-inch OLED ($3500) to the 77-inch version is way worse than the jump from a 65-inch LCD to a bigger version.
Here are all of the 77-inch OLED TVs available now.
2017 77-inch OLED TVs
| Brand | Model | Price | Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| LG | OLED77G7P | $15,000 | Now |
| LG | OLED77W7P "wallpaper" | $20,000 | Now |
| Sony | XBR-77A1E | $20,000 | Late July |
So why are 77-inch OLED TVs so expensive? I asked LG and haven't received an official response yet, but I'm guessing it has to do with a combination of economies of scale and manufacturing issues. OLED TVs have always been more difficult to manufacture than LCDs, and LG Display is still the only TV maker to do so (it sells to Sony and other brands).
Very large TVs are also a lot less popular than "small" 55- and 65-inch sizes, so there's less impetus for a LGD to focus its limited manufacturing capacity on that size. And large screen sizes have lower "yield," meaning that they're more likely to be flawed and unusable, further driving up the cost.
Whatever the reason, if you want a TV larger than 65-inches and don't have money to burn, you'll likely be getting an LCD, not an OLED. At least this year.
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