LG have officially launched their long-awaited 55-inch OLED TV screens at a glitzy launch event in Monaco this evening.

After teasing us for years with pint-sized 15 inch displays, the South Korean home cinema giants are finally ready to offer up their wall-filling OLED sets to consumers. Just 4mm thick, the vibrant, super-slim 3D screens are LG's next big home cinema venture, offering a stunningly detailed and rich image through use of new WRGB technology, which adds a white sub-pixel to the usual red, green and blue combination found in televisions.

"In the history of television, there have been very few innovations as impactful as the coming of OLED TV," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG's Home Entertain-ment Company.

"We say THE ULTIMATE DISPLAY because LG OLED TV is truly above all expectations and beyond everyone's imagination with uncompromising picture quality and beautiful design. This year, we plan to make OLED synonymous with LG."
It was a star-studded launch event for the set, seeing Grand Prix ace Sebastian Vettel, racing legend David Coulthard, film director Jean-Jacques Annaud and model Gemma Sanderson take to the stage with Monaco the fittingly luxurious backdrop ahead of this weekend's F1 race.

Though little more than a "Q4" release date has been pencilled in for the new svelte screens, along with a roughly estimated 9000 Euro price tag (around the £7,300 mark), pre-order sales for LG's OLED tech should open by July of this summer for UK enthusiasts.

First shown off back at CES 2012, the 55EM960V set represents the first step in a massive investment for LG's AV future, with Samsung similarly throwing their hand into the potential market for OLED TVs, while struggling Sony look set to push Crystal LED televisions.

We'll be offering up our first eyes-on impressions of the set in the coming days on Tech Digest, as well as a video sneak peek, so stay tuned for more info on LG's flagship display.

As a teaser, note this; they're looking pretty bloody gorgeous.

Apple is said to be in talks with high-end German television manufacturer Loewe over a possible buyout. The rumour follows continued suggestion that Apple are looking to enter into to make further steps in the home entertainment market with a flastscreen TV of their own.

Premium TV brand Loewe (who also build components and home entertainment systems) are now thought to be mulling over a deal worth £69 million ($112m) from Apple, an offer worth slightly more than the company's closing share price last Friday.

According to the source of the story, Loewe "has been advised by its financial advisor to accept the offer and a final decision is scheduled to be announced internally before 18 May 2012."

Were the deal to be finalised, it would all-but-confirm Apple's plans to enter the TV market. At £69 million, Loewe would be a bit of a steal and merely pocket money when compared to Apple's $100 billion cash reserves. The German company's keen eye for design would also compliment Apple's own designs well, as would both brands' premium pricing strategies.

Recently, Cult of Mac sources claimed to have seen a prototype Apple iTV, complete with Siri voice control, FaceTime video chat and gesture based navigation features. Also, Foxconn boss Terry Gou also seemed to confirm that his manufacturing plant was gearing up to start production on Apple's rumoured HDTV.

Via: Apple Insider

Samsung in partnership with Nuance have beaten any Apple Siri-packing iTV to the punch by announcing that their 2012 premium range of web-connected Smart TVs will feature voice control.

First teased by Nuance back at CES 2012 in January, the speech-recognition specialists will be popping their Dragon voice control technology into Sammy's screens, letting users speak to change channels, search for content on the Web, access Samsung's Smart Hub, and connect with friends and family via Skype.

A TV in stadby can even be woken up by saying "Hi TV, power on."

"The power and simplicity of voice integration as part of a TV interface is clear the moment you sit back and speak to your TV," said Michael Thompson, senior vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile.

"Working together, Nuance and Samsung are demonstrating how voice truly transforms the digital living room experience."

Here's hoping it's better than the Xbox 360 and Kinect's attempt at voice control. For every time that works, there's a hundred other fails that make me yearn for a shoe to throw at the sensor. Or a remote control at the very least.

For more on Samsung's 2012 Smart TV range, click here.

Apple iTV, where art thou? In this world of iPhone 5, iPad Mini and MacBook rumours, it's sometimes easy to forget about Apple's oft-rumoured entry into the home cinema market. But a new report into the possible feature list of the Apple iTV suggests there is still much to be excited about.

Cult of Mac are reporting that one of their sources has seen the mythic HDTV, stating that it looks much like an oversized Apple Cinema Display.

Though no mention of iOS software is made (nor specific technical specifications) the source did state that an iSight camera is built into the bezel, paired with face tracking technology that can zoom in on a caller's head and make video conferencing from the comfort of an arm chair a piece of cake.

If the leak is accurate, Apple iTV owners may be able to do away with remote controls too, as Siri voice control could make navigating the channels and searching for iTunes content as simple as calling commands to the television.

As for sizes, Foxconn, who would likely be the manufacturers, have the ability to build displays up to 60-inches in size after investing $1.6 billion in Sharp's TV unit. With tentative rumoured release windows of 2013, it may be time to start saving up for what we'd expect to be a very different, very expensive new line of televisions.

Via: Cult Of Mac

Sharp have posted a gigantic loss of 117.1 billion yen ($1.4 billion) for the financial year ending March 2012.

Citing restructuring costs and inventory losses as the key reasons for the dramatic figures, Sharp have also stated that they expect to lose a further 18.7% of its projected sales from their TV business in the coming year.

As a result, some of the company's production lines that once focussed on large-screen LCD production will now be converted to cater for greater mobile display production.

"In order to reinforce mobile LCD business toward an optimal LCD production framework, the Company is converting its production lines to produce mobile LCDs at the Kameyama No.2 Plant, where it used to focus on production of large-size LCDs for TVs," reads the company's press statement.

It's the end of a difficult year for Sharp, which saw the company sell part of its LCD manufacturing business to Hon Hai, Sony pull out of a proposed joint venture (and all future business with the company, and an overall drop of 86% in profits.

Now available in the UK is Samsung's latest range of LED and Plasma Smart TVs. First announced at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the new line up boasts the company's latest Smart Interaction2 technology.

Using Voice Control, Motion Control and Face Recognition you can turn the TV on or off, adjust the volume or activate selected apps through speech or a wave of the hand. Face Recognition activates your personal profile and your favourite apps meaning you don't have to spend your time searching through content.

Part of the company's 'Smart Content' suite of services, Family Story, Fitness and Kids enable families to share photos and messages with each other, sync personal fitness goals and provide games in a kid-friendly interface that parents can control and monitor. Then there's AllShare Play which lets consumers access personal content no matter where they are or regardless of whether it is stored on a TV, tablet, camera, phone or PC.

In addition, select Samsung Smart TVs in 2012 allow consumers to enjoy new experiences as their TV is 'reborn' each year with the latest smart technology by installing a Smart Evolution kit. The kit slots into the back of the set and regularly updates the TVs with the latest software available from Samsung.

All of the 2012 TVs, from the ES5500 upwards, feature the Samsung ONE DESIGN, with the ES7000 and the ES8000 featuring an ultra-thin 5mm bezel, providing more viewing area without increasing the overall size of the TV.

Furthermore, both the ES8000 and ES7000 offer 2D and 3D viewing, while the ES7000's Micro Dimming feature and the ES8000's Micro Dimming Ultimate feature allow viewers, the manufacturer claims, to enjoy richer colours and higher contrast ratios.

Samsung are expanding their Smart TV hub by adding a new app from independent cinema chain Curzon Cinemas. Curzon on Demand will bring curated independent and art house films to the connected TV platform, streaming in HD straight to the living room.

Though Curzon on Demand has some well-established rivals in the VOD space (namely LoveFilm and Netflix) it has a superb standout feature that sets it apart from the competition; same day releases for movies just hitting cinemas.

Using the example of Aki Kaurismaki's Le Havre, which hits Curzon cinemas this Friday, Curzon CEO Philip Knatchbull described how users will be able to sit in the comfort of their "home cinemas" and stream new releases just as they hit the silver screen.

"I'm not going to be the friend of the multiplex cinema, as what I'm advocating is a complete paradigm shift in terms of how our customers are able to enjoy film," explained Knatchbull.

"it won't happen overnight and it'll start slowly, but over the next four or five years I hope more and of what we show will be available simultaneously in our public cinemas and our home cinemas."

It's an exciting shift for VOD, and Curzon are in a perfect position to lead the charge. As an independent film distributor as well as cinema venue, they're able to easily negotiate same day VOD releases for the films they're closely linked to, and maintain strong relations with other key independent distributors as one of the few chains to champion art house cinema.

Keep in mind that Curzon, as one of the only art-house cinema chains, only have 9 cinemas (the majority of which are in London), and it's quite easy to spot an audience not being catered for up and down the country. In this respect, independent distributors could exponentially increase their films' exposure (and revenues) by launching same day on Curzon on Demand.

In terms of pricing, brand new releases (though currently set at an introductory £6 price) will pretty much match cinema ticket prices at £10, while classic and older titles will also be available from as little as £2. Films, once paid for, are then available to be watched as many times as a viewer wants across a 7-day period. Curzon Cinema members will also benefit from discount prices on the VOD service.

Curzon aim to have 300 movies at any one time on the service, being rotated and updated as new releases become available. While this doesn't match the 1,000s available through Netflix and LoveFilm, it's a quality-over-quantity approach, with attention paid to European auteurs like Wim Wenders and Jean-Luc Godard and foreign language films that would struggle to get a look in elsewhere.

Samsung Smart TVs aren't the only potential home for the Curzon on Demand app either; having already been available for nearly a year in a beta form on computers and laptops, and hitting iOS devices such as the iPad and iPhone today, the Capablue-built app can easily migrate to other platforms. The Xbox 360, Virgin Tivo box and Apple TV were all mentioned as possible future targets for Curzon.

For more information, visit www.curzonondemand.com .

Philips Lifestyle will no longer make televisions, an announcement from the Dutch electronics giant has today revealed. After 87 years of dipping in and out of the TV market, the company are finally calling it a day, handing over duties to Hong Kong-based-company TPV Technology.

A joint venture between the two companies (which sees Philips retain 30% of its TV business) they have formed TP Vision. Though the sets made under the TP Vision banner will be manufactured by TPV Technology, they will in fact retain Philips branding.

"TP Vision will continue to bring the high level of innovation consumers expect from a Philips TV," said new CEO of TP Vision, Maarten de Vries.

"Our recently launched 2012 series have everything to enjoy the world of digital content delivered via broadcasting and the Web. We believe in creating products that touch the human senses and are within reach of all consumers in the markets we operate in."

Proprietary Philips technologies including Ambilight and their impressive 21:9 offerings will also make the jump over to TP Vision, as well as Philips TV staff.

The deal however does not cover the design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing or sales of Philips' televisions in China, United States, Canada, Mexico, India and select South American territories.

UK audiences will finally get a chance to catch up with hit US TV show Breaking Bad when it's launched on Netflix over the weekend. So to celebrate, our sister site Shiny Shiny was invited to a preview of the new episodes along with an exclusive chat with the show's creator, the awesome Vince Gilligan...

For those of you who aren't obsessed with Breaking Bad already (why not, huh?), we'll give you the skinny, it's an American TV show that follows the dark and tense story of Walter White, a high school teacher who turns to a life of crime after being diagnosed with lung cancer.

The show has won a whole host of awards across the pond and has become a cult series, garnering a very passionate fan base all over the world. However, UK fans still haven't had a chance to catch up on the third and fourth seasons. Well, until now. Luckily, the third season (and the first two) will be available on Netflix from the 1st of April. That's our Sunday sorted then.

Breaking Bad is a Sony Pictures Television production, so to celebrate, we were invited by the Netflix team to the Sony offices in the heart of London for an exclusive sneak peek (at least for UK audiences) at the first two episodes of the third season, followed by a Q&A session with the show's creator, Vince Gilligan. Yes, REALLY.

We don't want to spoil the first two episodes for UK audiences that haven't seen them yet, but be prepared for an eerie start to the season and some incredible new characters. OK, OK, we'll be quiet now.

Now onto the Q&A with Vince Gilligan, which as fans of the show was a BIG DEAL...

Walter White

Although the whole Breaking Bad cast is outstanding, a large part of our conversation with Gilligan was about Walter White, a truly fascinating character played by the very talented Bryan Cranston.

Gilligan explained that from the start Breaking Bad has been "a story about both change and transformation" and how Walt's moral dilemmas and decisions shape the character he becomes.

One of the main things we wanted to know about Walt is whether Gilligan feels the audience will still be able to identify with him as he gradually becomes darker and darker. Gilligan said, "Oh, he's definitely a Jekyll and Hyde kind of character." However, he believes that because the audience has empathised with him so much from the start, they're now being taken along on his journey and continue to root for him as his choices become even more questionable. He doesn't think there's a problem with that though, "as long as he remains interesting and his decision making process remains relatable" he said.

The Cast

Gilligan spoke in great depth about the supporting characters too and admitted that he LOVES Saul Goodman because he finds he's one of the most genuine characters on the show, "he's the only one who has made peace with who he is [...] I'd love to see a spin-off, the Saul Goodman show!" He also said that Gustavo Fring is "one of the most interesting bad guys" he's ever come across and there's some fascinating Fring back story to come...

When asked what it's like to work with such a talented and varied cast, he hilariously said, "all of the actors are a pleasure to work with, none of them are a pain in the butt!" It seems like working with the cast is a very organic process, Gilligan admits he finds Anna Gunn (who plays Skyler White) really talented, so tries to write her into the action more and more.

It's interestingly the same story with one of the main characters, Aaron Paul (who plays Jesse Pinkman). Gilligan even admitted that he really wanted to kill off Jesse quite sensationally in the first few episodes, but he's obviously very glad he took the other writers' advice and didn't! Apparently it's now a running joke among everyone behind the show that when the actors get the scripts for the next episode, they all joke that Paul has been written out.

Too dark and too tense?

There's no denying that Breaking Bad is a pretty dark show, Gilligan said, "Oh it IS. A middle-aged man is dying of cancer before the first ad break."

He said that to try and lighten the mood a little and make it more authenticate, the supporting characters are often used to add humour, "we try to milk as much humour as we can and look for humour wherever we can find it."

He admitted that at the start he was worried today's modern day audience wouldn't find Breaking Bad crazy and interesting enough. Although there are a lot of edge-of-your-seat, dark moments, there are a lot of vital yet slow-paced scenes too.

However, Gilligan doesn't feel pressured to add in action just for the hell of it, "we include as little as possible, while keeping the audience interested."

The Ending

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and although we'll be sad when it does, we'd hate to see Breaking Bad just fizzle out slowly.

When asked about the ending of the show, Gilligan admitted he's got a lot of ideas floating around and has some "big hopes and dreams for the main characters".

According to Gilligan, the writers have been toying with ideas about how the show will end for months now. Although they all have a "pretty good idea" about what'll happen, it's still not set in stone despite the fact season 5 has begun filming, which is pretty exciting if you ask us.

TV

Gilligan was keen to talk about his love for TV, particularly the talent over here in the UK, "there's so much British television I love", he admitted, "The Office is one of the best pieces of television ever made."

Needless to say yesterday was brilliant, a chance to see a sneak peek of what will be available to everyone on Netflix over the next few days, and of course chat directly with Vince Gilligan. He's further proved that there's some incredible talent behind the show and we loved getting an exclusive insight into the interesting synergy between the writers, actors and crew. There's no surprise Breaking Bad has become such a cult hit, we just can't wait to see the next few seasons now.

Season 3 of Breaking Bad will be launching exclusively on Netflix from the 1st of April and the first two seasons will also be available for those looking to catch up.

[Image via Press Association]

LG's fancy 55-inch OLED sets are lining themselves up for a red carpet launch at the Cannes film festival in May, according to new reports.

LG's 55-inch 55EM9600, first revealed at CES 2012 back in January was first expected to launch in July to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics. However, with LG eager to get their display out into stores before rivals, the decision was made to push for an earlier release date and to bump the speed of production up significantly.

A beauty of a screen, the 55EM9600 is only 4mm thick and weighs just 7.5kg thanks to a WOLED-CF design on an Oxide-TFT backplane.

Expected to retail at around 9 million Won - or about £4,950 - LG will gauge interest in their first OLED offering until July before deciding whether or not to make further investment in OLED technology.

Via: OLED Info/ The OLED Association

Sony are looking to expand their 3DTV offering in 2013 by shipping Passive 3D TVs as well as the Active 3D sets they've championed since the dawn of the 3DTV push, according to a new report from The Register.

Expected to make their debut at September's IFA technology show in Berlin, Sony's Deputy President of home entertainment products, Noriaki Negishi, stated that:

"Our engineers don't really like [passive] because it has half the resolution of active shutter 3D, but consumers appreciate the convenience of passive."

With that in mind, Sony are now thought to be preparing an aggressive Passive 3D push over the next year, with 3D tech overall still not reaching the sales heights AV companies had hoped for.

With Sony entering the Passive 3D fray, it leaves Samsung as the only manufacturer still exclusively pushing Active 3D TV sets.

The Passive 3D sets will also be accompanied by Sony's next generation of OLED TVs, with Negishi stating that "2013 will be the year when we will really fight back with new technologies."

Via: The Register

Philips have revealed their 2012 Smart TV line-up, pushing web connected online content into screens as small as 19 inches.

Top of the range is the 7000 Series, available in 40, 46 and 55-inch sizes. The screens use active shutter 3D tech, have five HDMI ports, smart TV functionality, three USB ports, both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity and come complete with 20W speakers and two-sided Ambilight for a room-filling light show glow.

Next down the range is the 6000 Series, available in 32, 37, 42, 47 and 55 inch sizes. The 6000 Series uses passive 3D tech, has four HDMI ports, smart TV functionality, again three USB ports and 12W speakers.

Hitting the mid-range is the 4000 range. It drops the 3D tech, but keeps four HDMIs, three USBs, and Wi-Fi smart connectivity. Sizes range from 32, 37, 42 and 47 inches.

Lower again is the 3500 Series, the cheapest of the batch to house Smart TV functionality. Sizes range from 19 inches to 42 inches. 720p and 1080p variants are available, but you'll need an optional Wi-Fi adapter for wire-free web access on the telly.

If web connectivity and 3D tech aren't important to you, then check out the 3000 Series. Sizes go from 19 to 42 inches, with three HDMI ports and one USB.

All due in Q2 2012, pricing has yet to be announced.

Marks and Spencers have teamed up with Samsung to deliver a new branded lifestyle app to the Korean tech firm's Smart TV platform.

It lets users check out a variety of useful tips, ranging from recipe suggestions to fashion trends, hot technology to tasty wines.

The app currently lacks the functionality to allow a user to shop directly from their sofas, but it's surely only a matter of time before an update allowing this to happen is piped through.

"The development of the M&S Smart TV App highlights the popularity of Smart TV as the most immersive and interactive format for consumers," said Guy Kinnell, marketing director for TV, Samsung UK.

And indeed, connected sets are quickly adding a variety of apps to their systems. Everything from RightMove estate agents apps to BBC iPlayer, Lovefilm, YouTube, Teletext Holidays, Thomson Local, Facebook and Twitter can now be accessed.

The free Marks and Spencers app is available from the Samsung Apps section of a Samsung Smart TV, or connected Blu-ray player.

ASDA are knocking £50 off a 40-inch Luxor HDTV this weekend, putting it at just £249 and making it the cheapest full HD screen of it's size currently onsale, brand new, in the UK.

The set in question is a Luxor LUX-40-914-TVB. It may not have the bells and whistles of a top-end Samsung or LG 3DTV, but has a respectable set of specs that include a full 1080p HD display, a built-in Freeview tuner with EPG, and a pair of both scart and HDMI sockets.

"We're delighted to be offering our customers this product at such a fantastic price," said Asda's resident technology expert Michael Arnott.

"This high definition TV can turn any living room into a quality home cinema. With the lowest cost on the market, this TV offers unbeatable value to our customers."

The deal doesn't go live until tomorrow instores nor online, but you can get a sneak peek at the model getting the price cut by clicking here.

We went eyes-on with Panasonic's impressive new plasma screen range at CES 2012, and came away gobsmacked by the quality of the VT50 series.

Two different models will be headed to shops; the 55-inch P55VT50 and the 65-inch P65VT50.

Designed using a single sheet of glass and ultra thin bezel, the screens manage great black levels through the company's "infinite black ultra panel" design.

THX certified, the 3DTVs can also convert 2D images for added depth, as well as smoothing 24p 3D using Panasonic's new "3D 24p cinema smoother".

24,576 steps of gradation let colour reproduction shine naturally, gently weaving subtle colour shade changes into pictures, a notable addition considering the problems older plasma panels have with this issue.

Scroll up for our eyes-on preview video.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Grabbing plenty of headlines at CES 2012 is LG's astonishingly thin 55-inch EM960V OLED TV, a lush screen that some AV enthusiasts are daring to call the best TV ever.

Offering superb viewing angles and flicker/cross-talk free 3D viewing, the EM960V looks as pretty as a picture. It'll also come packing a new Magic Remote model, with gesture and voice controls, as well as built-in Wi-Fi for Smart TV features and a Freeview HD tuner.

Due out in the second half of the year, start saving the pennies now: you're going to need a lot of them to get one of these beauties in your house.

Scroll up for our eyes-on demonstration video.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

A lot has been made of ultra-definition TVs and OLED TVs at this year's CES, but the technologies on show are respectively either a) too young to have the content to back them up in the case of UDTVs, or b) too expensive for the average consumer when it comes to OLEDs. The stalwart plasma screen will therefore be the sort of high-end set your looking for were you to be going down to your local AV emporium in the next few weeks, and Panasonic's newly revealed VT50 series are the screens you should be hunting down.

Two models will be hitting stores; the 55-inch P55VT50 and the 65-inch P65VT50.

Neatly designed using a single sheet of glass and thin bezel, the screens offer great black levels through the company's "infinite black ultra panel" design.

24,576 steps of gradation let colour reproduction shine naturally, gently weaving subtle colour shade changes into pictures, a notably addition considering the problems older plasma panels have with this issue.

THX certified, the 3DTVs can also convert 2D images for added depth, as well as smoothing 24p 3D using Panasonic's new "3D 24p cinema smoother".

Sonically, the screen should be a step above other flat panels thanks to 8-train speakers being built in. Combined with a 2mm thick subwoofer on the rear, the screens should deliver a far more well-rounded audio performance than similarly slim TVs would.

Lastly, a "touch pad controller" is specifically designed for navigating the screen's Smart TV web-connected features, and even includes shortcut buttons for Skype calling and Netflix streaming.

We'll pass on pricing and availability details as we're given them.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

CES, the biggest tech show in the world. Where better then to more-or-less announce your new TV strategy is to make your range frickin' massive?

That's the crux of Sharp's CES 2012 press conference, where they announced a new 85-inch, 8K4K super-super high resolution screen.

Slightly smaller in scale, but ten times more likely to hit stores anytime soon is Sharp's new flagship screen, the LC-80LE844U. An 80-inch behemoth, it has a 240Hz refresh rate for fast-moving scenes, pretty much obliterating any judder from from the LED's 3D performance. Web-connected, the set gives owners access to plenty of apps including Netflix and YouTube.

Smaller still (but still huge by the average consumers standards) are the 20 models heading to Sharp's 20-inch line up. These Quattron sets will feature the company's proprietary Quad Pixel Plus II technology for improved colour accuracy.

No pricing or release dates available for the new sets yet, but it seems all-but-set that Sharp are now focussing on the premium end of the TV scale.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

Samsung are looking to turn your regular HDTV into a web connected one with their newly-announced InTouch kit.

Combining a Wi-Fi enabled Skype camera and unique QWERTY keyboard, it adds apps, high-definition video calling and the ability to browse the web to any HDTV.

The camera has a tilt-range of -30 degrees - 0 degrees, making placement relatively pain-free for a clear view in even the most cluttered of home entertainment set-ups. An integrated USB port also lets you browse videos and images, letting you upload them to your favourite social networks.

"While internet connected HDTVs are now common, not every household gets to experience this fun and interactive feature, especially if they have an HDTV purchased just a few years ago," said Mike Palazzolo, vice president sales and marketing, consumer video monitoring and security products for Samsung Techwin America.

"With the inTouch camera system, Samsung is now bridging the gap between this experience and those consumers who own HDTVs without networking capability."

The Samsung inTouch will be available from March 2012 and will cost around $199.99.

For more news from CES 2012, click here.

LG are throwing their hat into the Google TV ring, announcing that they will be showcasing a 3D flatscreen TV at CES 2012 that will have the search giant's web-connected UI onboard.

Pairing with LG's own Smart TV platform and Cinema 3D technology, the passive screen will also come with a new "magic remote QWERTY", specially designed to ease navigation through the Google TV interface.

"LG has constantly strived to provide consumers with wider choices in home entertainment that bring the highest level of sophistication and convenience," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company.

"Through Google TV, LG has merged Google's established Android operating system with LG's proven 3D and Smart TV technologies, offering consumers a new and enthralling TV experience."

However, despite mimicking much of Google TV's own functions, LG will keep their own NetCast connected platform onboard the TVs too.

"Alongside Google TV, LG will continue to advance its own Smart TV platform based on NetCast, which will be available in more than 60 percent of LG's flat panel TVs scheduled for introduction over the coming year.

"With a growing collection of content and services, LG's Smart TV platform will continue to provide consumers with a unique user experience."

LG's Google TVs will hit the US first, sometime before the end of 2012, while UK consumers will have to wait until early 2013.