Tech

This TV rolls itself up and disappears when you don't want to watch it

Watch this super thin TV roll up and disappear in seconds
VIDEO1:3101:31
Watch this super thin TV roll up and disappear in seconds
Key Points
  • LG announces a TV that rolls itself up when you don't want to watch it.
  • The 64-inch 4K OLED TV hides in a base that doubles as a speaker.
  • The TV, announced at CES 2019, is set to launch in the second half of this year.
The 65-inch 4K OLED TV when it's fully unrolled.
Todd Haselton | CNBC

LG just announced a TV that rolls itself up and vanishes from view when you don't need it. The LG Signature OLED TV R (which stands for rollable) was unveiled at CES 2019 in Las Vegas on Monday.

When the screen is hidden, all you see is a big base that doubles as a large speaker.

When you want to watch TV, you hold a button on the remote and a panel on the base opens up while the TV starts to roll upward. The screen measures 65 inches and has all of the trimmings you expect from a high-end set, like a sharp 4K resolution and OLED panel, which means it gets really bright and has high contrast for viewing light and dark details.

It's crazy thin, and when I looked at the back I thought it resembled window blinds unfolding. There are arms that run along the sides to hold the screen in place, too. I've never seen anything like it.

There are three modes: full view when the TV is completely revealed; a smaller "line view" where you see controls for music, information about the weather or photos; and zero view, where the base with the speaker is the only thing you see.

LG didn't announce pricing, but expect this to be pretty darn expensive. A spokesperson told me it will launch in the second half of this year and probably closer to the end of 2019. However, companies notoriously use CES to demonstrate products that end up shipping late, or never, so I wouldn't get too excited until we get an actual ship date and price.

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