LG to launch non-curved OLED TV

Addressing one of our main complaints about the current 55-inch OLED TVs available today--the fact that they're curved, not flat--LG will launch a flat version in Europe at the IFA show.

If you were holding off on current OLED TVs because they're too curved, LG aims to flatten that objection.

The company has announced it will show a flat OLED TV, model 55EA8800, at the IFA 2013 show in Berlin this week.

The set should be available in Germany sometime in September, with "other markets to follow." Pricing was not announced.

If one of those markets is the US, the news of the new TV would contradict what LG said earlier about not launching a flat OLED TV here anytime soon.

CNET reached out to LG for comment, and we'll update this post if we hear back.

Currently there are only two OLED TVs on sale in the US, the Samsung KN55S9C($8,999) and the LG 55EA9800 ($14,999), and both have curved (concave) screens rather than the flat screens used on current plasma and LED/LCD TVs.

In CNET's extensive hands-on with Samsung's TV, the curvature was a major detriment, skewing the geometry of on-screen objects. It was item number two, after price, on our list of seven problems with current OLED televisions.

The new flat LG 55EA9800, model 55EA880V in the UK and 55EA880W in Europe, carries a "Gallery" moniker, and the company says it'll be wall-mountable (an OLED TV first) like a piece of art. The set has a "Gallery Mode" complete with paintings from the likes of Van Gough and Gauguin, and a 2.2 channel audio system with a "Canvas Speaker."

Aside from the flat surface, the OLED screen is otherwise very similar to the 55EA9800, complete with a 55-inch size, 1080p (not 4K) resolution and LG's RGBW sub-pixel technology.

For other possible TV news from the IFA show in Berlin, UK site HDTVTest has a roundup by manufacturer.