Right, we're under an hour away from one of the biggest press conferences from CES to start, I've watched the John Legend preview a thousand times to get our minds in gear - I'm ready.
We know LG is going to launch a wide amount of new products, mostly focused on its OLED TV range - but that doesn't mean it hasn't had time to develop a weird indoor garden called the LG tiiun.
Here's what we know about LG's forthcoming presser, which is set to kick off in just 35 minutes:
- LG's OLED Evo range will be shown off in the Gallery Edition.
- LG StanbyME, a 'wireless private mobile wireless display that goes anywhere in the house'
- LG's PuriCare AeroTower that purifies, heats and cools air
- Tiiun, the weird indoor garden that lets you grow greens all year long.
There will also be a tonne of stuff about being sustainable as well as deeper look at accessibility for LG products.
Worthy stuff, but let's see how it's executed.
It could get lost so easily, but the fact that LG is announcing a 42-inch OLED TV is a big deal. While I love having a large-screen OLED set, it's not for everyone - there are many willing to invest in a top-end set, but lack the living space for a 55-inch unit.
So 42-inch is right in the sweet spot for many - and at that size, the picture quality and sharpness will be impressive, no doubt.
The 42-inch LG C2 will pack the same a9 Gen 5 processor, 120Hz refresh rate, 4K HDR panel, and HDMI 2.1 spec as its larger siblings, so cost-conscious shoppers really won't be missing out by opting for this smaller model.
Will it cost less as well? The 48-inch model did, so if this one comes in for less than $1000 - well, that would be ace.
Strap in, everyone - the Metaverse is gathering steam. This is on LG's official press conference announcement:
"LG’s Home Entertainment showcase will be featured in LG Virtual Studio in three individual zones: LG OLED on Metaverse, Virtual Showroom and LG OLED Art. All three zones allow visitors to discover and experience the company’s latest products in compelling, interactive ways. LG’s new home appliances will be featured in the virtual exhibition halls aptly named LG Home, LG Home by Objet Collection and LG ThinQ.
"LG Home is a virtual living space where visitors can explore the company’s latest appliances including a new washer-dryer set, PuriCare AeroTower and LG tiiun.
"In LG Home by Objet Collection, visitors can curate their own space by choosing the wallpaper, flooring and other interior design elements to harmonize with the customizable appliances in LG’s premium lifestyle collection.
"LG ThinQ gives visitors a “tour” of all the features and functions of LG’s smart ecosystem which are all accessible through the upgraded LG ThinQ app."
Welcome to the confusion of a tech journo's life - I have literally no idea if this is the 'Facebook Horizon Worlds' Metaverse or another one. Could be anything at this point.
T-minus 5 mins... time to do the finger warm ups.
Push ups: 5 x three pushes per finger
Stretch: Pull each finger back so far you think you've damaged it
Sit up: Crouch your hand on the desk and make it look like you've got five fingers working out together. Make sure you maintain social distance to get that real gym feeling.
John Legend is here! We're off!
William (Joo Wan) Cho is on stage to tell us that this press conference is going to help us change what a 'better life' really is.
He emerged from a self-driving car. That's the future, that is.
We're going to be hearing stories about a better life, making the changes that matter, to make life 'truly' better, and LG is going to empower us to do that.
We're seeing the new air purifier, a display that follows you around the house and a weird thing called the LG Cloi. Whatever that is.
Right, we're in Ellie's House at 10:30 AM. She's watching a video on her LG TV. Then she turns on the LG PuriCare that heats up Carol, who has come in from the cold.
'This is an air purifier, I need heat!' she said.
Then she's amazed by Carol's nwe 97-inch OLED TV, which she speaks to and passes the recipe to her TV in the kitchen - using Room to Room Share.
The Ellie just scans a recipe and messages her oven that will work perfectly with it.
You know what I think? Ellie is doing well for herself.
Carol is just wandering around the house now. She popped into the study and just started playing someone's game - which was 'crystal clear' thanks to the UltraGear LG Gaming PC, and she's now helping Ellie get her clothes out the dryer that she upgraded to get more settings.
Man, this is hard to keep up with - thankfully we seem to be getting more in-depth with these new devices. I missed a LOT of what Carol is doing, just walking around her friend's house.
Your LG TV will have a fair few new fitness features now, with LG Fitness as a rival to Apple Fitness Plus, will sync with Peloton, and will sync with Independa for tele-healthcare.
LG's taking on Dyson with the new Puricare, with a HEPA filter to get more stuff out of your air and into the device, as well as the ability to heat and cool the air around you too.
LG is also going to allow you to evolve your devices, with more regular updates like a smartphone to give you more upgrades over time - LG says it monitors users actions over the years, and will use this to find out ways it can help more.
Like Pet Mode for your washer, the ability to adjust the fridge's light at night, and more aero modes for fans - these are all coming later this year.
I assume this tracking is opt-in...
You can personalize your alert sounds from the oven, washer or other device that can 'finish'. I like that idea.
There are so many things happening here. Her mother is saving the world using the LG wireless display. Ellie is admonished for opening the fridge too much and wasting energy. Her father is reminded to shut off the light when doing the washing, which he can do from his smartphone.
Then they're given an LG soundbar as a gift and laugh at how eco-friendly it is.
All I can think is that they've not wrapped it. Terrible gift.
LG's bringing braille overlay to some of its devices, as well as a larger interaction with accessibility in its devices - as well as becoming more sustainable.
LG is committing to 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 in its manufacturing process, as well as improving the recyclable nature of its packaging too.
LG is now showing Ellie who's shooting a music video with Reah... wait, she's virtual. they're trying it in the LG Omnipod, which (I assume) is an autonomous video.
Her dress rose up from the side of the pod, and Cloi the guidebot is now taking to her seat, then her drink is delivered by a Cloibot, then a ring is handed to her, and then she's watching a fitness music video to watch Reah do her own music video.
Sheeeee... she's actually releasing an album in the real world? What? A virtual influencer is going to release a song?
WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Oh wait, back to the tech. There's more about the Cloi (pronounced Chloe), which is a door-to-door delivery robot.
Then there's the Omnipod, which has drinks and snacks, a shopping mall or a personal exercise studio, or a mobile office for you when the world of autonomous cars come in.
And then there's a smartphone app that can warn people of imminent collisions using 5G - the example will be sound, vibration and warning messages... that seems hard to do properly without distraction.
LG Cockpit is here too - a multi-curved display that reminds me of that Hyper thing in Mercedes' cars.
This is all about LG taking on mobility, wanting to get in on this autonomous world in the future - essentially, LG is making a car in the future if this concept comes to life.
I honestly don't know what I just watched. But I didn't see a single rollable screen, which makes me rather sad - those have been the standout moments of CES in the past from LG.
And, that's that - LG's CES announcements were cohesive, if not that exciting. The Cloi bot range was cool - robots to serve you drinks, guide you to your seat and deliver parcels, and the efforts into accessibility and sustainability were useful too.
However, it wasn't the usual huge fanfare that we're used to, nor the in-depth talk about the new technology used in the OLED screens, to explain just how much better they are - that felt odd.
Anyway, we're done for another year with LG at CES - let's pick through what's happened there.
