LG debuts Infinia 3D – Samsung no longer only game in town

3D televisions from Korean electronics marque LG will be on sale nationally from next week, and with prices starting at $4100 its LED and plasma 3D models will be more than a $1000 premium on Samsung’s entry-level offering. At least one pair of 3D glasses will be included at purchase. Additional pairs can be bought for RRP $99.

Samsung 3D televisions went on sale nearly three weeks ago, and while Sony and Panasonic will introduce their ranges in June and July, LG (which demonstrated 3D sets at the January CES in Las Vegas alongside its competitors), has been silent until this week about local plans for 3D.

By delivering its 3D range to retailers just a week after announcing its range, LG will benefit from heavy advertising around Australia’s first 3D broadcast and take sales away from Samsung. Channel 9 will broadcast the State of Origin game in 3D on 26 May.

3D TV line-up

LED and plasma – not LCD – will comprise LG 3D TV offering. It’s 55 inch LED LX9500 provides TruMotion 400Hz processing and is described as Full LED, but virtue of it providing more LED lights behind the screen than conventional LED panels. It comes with the company’s version of IPTV, with the most notable channel being Telstra’s BigPond Movies. For Telstra BigPond subscribers, movies downloaded from this service are unmetered, meaning they won’t count towards your data quota. From June, the LX series televisions will offer access to Skype.

This LX9500 costs $5199, with the similar – but smaller – 47 inch 47LX9500 costing $4099. LG will market two other full LED 3D televisions in the same sizes, but these provide TruMotion 200Hz rather than 400Hz.

In plasma, LG will offer 50 and 60 inch models, each with the company’s NetCast WebTV feature and, therefore, access to more than 1000 movies from the BigPond Movies catalogue. The company will also market a 3D Blu-ray playerk, the BX580, and this, too, comes with NetCast WebTV.