Jordan O'BrienBig o’l TVs are of course always a big feature of Essential Install Live! South and this year was no different. While many of the TV brands were shown off by their respective distributors, there were a few companies showcasing the future of TV technology directly on the show floor – including LG and Videotree.
This year LG had a major presence on the Invision stand showcasing its future-proofed OLED technology, alongside its more traditional Super UHD technology. While both TVs are available to consumers, LG had some good news for installers – with it recognising the importance of offering RS232 control on sets like the 65in E6 and 65in NH950.
During the show installers got an in-depth look at LG’s range of OLED 4K UHD Smart TVs, which includes the B6, E6 and G6. A key goal LG hoped to achieve from Essential Install Live! South was to showcase the difference OLED technology makes versus traditional LED models.
The LG G6 sports a thickness of 2.5mm all the way down, with the componentry integrated into the stand. While that doesn’t sound all that ideal for the installation market, installers wanting to install the G6 can flip the stand up to mount it onto a wall.
The E6 is a little more wall-mount friendly, with it sporting a more traditional TV appearance. That doesn’t stop the TV from being super thin however – it’s still 2.5mm – but this time only half of the TV is that thick, while the other half has some extra bulk due to the componentry which has moved into the back of the TV.
Both the G6 and E6 come with soundbars, four channels at 60W on the G6 and two channels at 40W on the E6.
LG also expects the B6 to be popular as it offers a different alternative, removing the soundbar and 3D capabilities. With the B6 installers are free to mount the TV on the wall and then integrate a Dolby Atmos system to match the Dolby Vision HDR technology that can be found on all three models.
All three TVs run on the WebOS smart TV platform, with the E6 and B6 having just received an update which brought them FreeView Play, with seven-day scroll-back coming at the end of Summer.
Super UHD was a key focus point for the company at the show, basically a rebrand of the company’s top of the range LED models.
This year, the company is using a thicker colour filter, quantum display, so it can display a billion rich colours over the standard 17m used before.
Keen to fully support the brand, Invision staff are fully trained to understand the technologies and performance characteristics of the different options from LG.
Big news from AWE at the show was the distribution deal with TV heavyweight Sony.
Paul Mott from AWE, explains: “I don’t really need to say too much about the pedigree of the brand, everyone knows Sony’s history of innovative TV manufacturing.
“We are offering the top end of the range including 75in displays. Our staff have been trained on the products and stock is just arriving now and the news is going down very well with show visitors.”
AWE also underlined that it will be working closely with Sony to help improve the features and control options most suitable to installers.
Videotree won a Smart Building Award during Essential Install Live! South and the product that ensured that win was the company’s fanless outdoor TV. The company says that it’s the world’s first fanless true outdoor TV, one that it has spent considerable time and resources on ensuring its R&D is the best it can be.
The main technology behind the unit is the way Videotree gets the heat out of the unit. It uses an ornate heat exchanger that circles the whole screen. The company has also brightened up the screen inside it with its own LEDs.
The one on the show floor boasted 1,800 nits of brightness, impressive for a screen this thick. Normally backlighting is required, but Videotree managed to achieve the high-brightness by using an edge-lit panel.
Videotree says that the device is super high contrast, near broadcast quality and the whole unit runs on 24v. The company’s screens also come with IP67 protection and marine grade material.
Everything about Videotree’s line-up is bespoke, so customers can choose their colours, the anodised edges, their finish etc.
Another feature is the fact that all the electronics sit in what the company calls the core, so if there is a problem, all the installer needs to do is replace the core – the screen has 55,000 hours of life on it, so the maker says it won’t be the screen that runs into a fault, particularly useful in a marine environment.