LG had previously introduced its Signature brand at IFA and on October 6th, they introduced the brand in New York. The flagship product, from a display point of view, is a 77” OLED TV for $19,999 which had been launched at CEDIA and its companion 65” OLED TV at $7,999. The LG Signature brand includes other products as well, currently including a refrigerator, several washing machines and an air purifier. William Cho, President and CEO of LG USA, said the LG Signature brand is intended to include “the best of the best” consumer products.
The LG Signature brand was launched in Europe at an LG-sponsored art show associated with IFA. In New York, the brand was launched with a LG Signature Gallery in the most public of New York’s public spaces – Rockefeller Center, in the space that will later this year be filled by the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The Gallery was open to the press on Wednesday and will be open to the public at no charge Thursday, Oct. 6 through Sunday, Oct. 9 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and until 10 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 10. The Gallery will later be moved to Dallas, Los Angeles and other major US cities, dates not yet announced.
As it does in Europe, LG wants to attach an artistic flavor to the LG Signature brand in the US. At the press event, they introduced people associated with the arts that will represent the LG Signature brand including fashion designer Phillip Lim, chef Dominique Crenn and tap dancer and choreographer, Savion Glover. The crowd’s favorite moment of the night was when Mr. Glover gave a four minute demonstration of his tap dancing rather than a speech.
LG Signature Concierge service, said by LG to be a new level of personalized service, will be provided to purchasers who register their LG Signature brand products. This is a 24/7 VIP-level service providing one-on-one customer support. It includes a welcome package, a personalized call to explain program benefits, remote service, priority dispatch, and, when a technician visit is required, a promised arrival time which pinpoints the time to minimize the customer’s wait time. No more “We’ll be there Wednesday, between Noon and 6:00PM,” at least not for Signature brand owners.
LG Signature OLED TV from the side. Left, as shown at the New York Gallery with the base open for table mounting. Right, as shown on the LG website with the base folded for wall mounting.
The LG Signature OLED TV features what LG calls “Picture on Glass.”
While there is no separate bezel, there is still a dark area around the image. Overall, this leads to a very thin imaging system, at 2.57mm. This “thin” advantage is largely lost by the fact that the thin glass plate is attached to a very wide base containing the electronics. This is made even wider if you plug something into the TV such as a USB stick or HDMI cable, which go in the rear of the base. All this prevents the TV from sitting very close to the wall, although if you have a house big enough for a 77” TV, the extra space is probably not a prime concern.
At the introduction at Rockefeller Center, the TV was even weighted down by a sandbag to keep it from tipping over. Outside where there may be wind and the Press is poking and prodding the TV, this is understandable. Will it also be needed in a house where there are rambunctious kids and their friends? For wall mounting, there is a hinge in the design that allows the base to fold up so the picture on glass can be mounted close to the wall, limited by the thickness of the base and mounting system.
Oh, by the way, this stylish TV does produce an image, not that image quality was the focus at the LG Signature Gallery event. The HDR image on the TV was, of course, good, very good, as would be expected on a $19,999 TV, no matter how stylish. The TV displays both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10. –Matthew Brennesholtz
