At its consumer electronic product launch held at Montecasino in Fourways, LG lifted the lid on its approach to Smart TV’s, while reaffirming its commitment to the connected TV movement.

 

The company elaborated that in addition to premium content from providers like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others, new content options this year include a one-stop-shop for 3D content (via the 3D Zone) and close to 1200 total applications in the LG App store.

 

The company has also enhanced its web browsing experience by incorporating HTML 5 and Flash, enabling its TV to function as a full internet browser with video support.

 

 

A new TV particularly indicative of the company’s technology is the LM9600 CINEMA 3D Smart TV, which boasts the LG Dual Core chipset for faster loading speeds. Additionally, the set features a built-in Wi-Fi connection for wireless connectivity, and users can also connect compatible mobile devices to the TV to charge and play content with the set’s Mobile HD Link.

 

The company added that this year's Smart TV dashboard will be customisable, enabling users to navigate and personalise their interface by putting their favourite content options on the main page.

 

However, the one feature on offer that we found particularly interesting was a new Dual Play functionality. While many co-op games rely on split-screen views to show two players’ perspectives, Dual Play enables each player to enjoy a full screen view (in 2D) simultaneously through two different sets of polarized glasses.

 

 

We fully expected LG to focus on 3D, and on this count, we weren’t disappointed. The raft of features available on this front is extensive. The company explained that its Cinema 3D technology employs Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) technology “to give viewers a great 3D effect.”

 

However, when discussing 3D, it is the technology used in the glasses that we pay particularly close attention to, as it is especially important to those who already wear glasses and are accustomed to a certain comfort level, as well as to those who don’t wear glasses and are not used to their weight at all.

 

To this end, LG elaborated that its 3D glasses are battery-free, affordable and are now 20% lighter for more comfort and longer viewing. Most importantly though, they don't shutter open and closed so both eyes receive an image simultaneously. Apparently, the shuttering is the main culprit behind the headaches and nausea some (including us) encounter when watching 3D.

 

For those who prefer to moderate the 3D effect, LG explained that its 3D TV offers a new 3D Depth Control feature, enabling users to “optimise 3D content to their personal preference by adjusting the amount of 3D effect applied”.

 

Another feature is 3D Sound Zooming, in which sound effects change in accordance with the movement of on-screen objects, while an upgraded 2D to 3D Conversion with improved depth effect enables any 2D content to be seen in 3D.

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