I’ve been covering TVs at CES for years, so it’s hard for me to be surprised. I’ve seen some wild displays, ones that roll up and ones so big they’re basically video walls, but those usually come after a few rounds of prototyping, which softens the shock. When I walked into LG’s suite at a Las Vegas hotel, however, what I saw across the room was quite a surprise.
And I mean big. It is a 97-inch OLED TV and remains the largest OLED TV in the world. And since OLED offers the best picture quality available, it’s very impressive in person at this size. But that wasn’t the surprise: LG introduced it last year. For me, the craziness came when the LG rep told me that the beautiful, massive 4K picture was being sent to the TV without any cables.
Wireless TV is real and it’s coming this year.
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On the other side of the TV was the wireless transmitter box. On the back of the box were standard HDMI connectors and a handful of other connections, and an HDMI cable went to a Blu-ray player. The image on the screen was from a Blu-ray disc, sent wirelessly, and perfectly, to my eyes, from the box to the TV. The top of the box can be rotated to point an internal antenna at the TV.
The TV comes with a streaming box. The tab at the top indicates the internal antenna, which can be rotated to point at the TV.
James Martin/CNET
The TV itself had no video input, just blank metal where TV inputs usually reside on the back. The idea is to cut down on wiring, that old bugaboo of nice TV setups. You, the person who can afford a 97-inch OLED TV, store your AV equipment in a closet out of sight, along with the transmitter box that everything connects to. That leaves just the power cord to the TV, a cord that LG artfully hid inside one of the stand’s legs.
Of course, any number of TV stands can also hold your equipment. But wireless connectivity allows the TV to stand alone, which looks impressive on one of LG’s easel-like stands (pictured above), and can greatly simplify wall-mount installation.
LG says the box can be located up to 30 feet from the TV. I asked if the wireless connection was a potential hazard, especially if you’re sitting between the box and the TV, and company representatives told me it wasn’t because it uses technology similar to standard Wi-Fi routers. They also said it wouldn’t be affected by other Wi-Fi traffic. The signal can handle up to 4K, 120 Hz resolution, which is pretty much the maximum for today’s games. It’s also the highest resolution and frame rate most TVs can support, including LG’s regular 4K OLED models.
The back of the junction box is where you connect the gear.
James Martin/CNET
The box has three HDMI inputs, surprising since most high-end TVs have four, but that’s not a deal breaker in my book. The rest of the ports are typical of a TV: antenna, two USB, Ethernet and optical digital output, as well as a serial port for home automation control.
Wireless TVs have been sold in the past, and wireless technology has also appeared in projectors. You can also buy wireless HDMI extender kits for $100 or less, but they generally can’t handle as high a bandwidth. This is the first time in years I’ve seen it integrated into a TV. A company called Displace TV also showed off a wireless OLED model at CES, but it’s a battery-powered 55-inch display that’s designed for portability.
In addition to the 97-inch size, LG will release its wireless OLED, called the M3 series, in 83-inch and 77-inch sizes. LG says it will arrive sometime in 2023 with pricing, like the rest of LG’s 2023 TVs, still to be determined. For reference, LG charges $25,000 for its standard 97-inch OLED TV with cable and $2,900 for a 77-inch, so regardless of size, the M3 won’t be cheap.
Aside from the M3, LG also unveiled three other cable OLED TV series at CES 2023.
This product has been selected as one of the best products of CES 2023. Check out the other Best of CES 2023 award winners.