The Future Television Will Be Paper Thin and Rollable, LG Says

LG unveils display that can be rolled up like a poster board.

ByABC News
July 11, 2014, 11:08 AM

— -- Perhaps in a few years we'll see people carrying around their rolled-up televisions the way they used to carry newspapers.

LG Display unveiled a paper thin, 18-inch television panel prototype that can be rolled up into the shape of a thin cylinder, making television portable.

The panel has almost 1 million megapixels and can be rolled up into a cylinder with a 2.4-inch diameter without affecting its high-definition display.

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Instead of using "conventional plastic" for the backbone of the screen, the company said it used polyimide film. The material drastically reduced the screen's thickness and gave it the flexibility needed to roll it into a tight cylinder.

PHOTO: The 18-inch panel is rollable.
The 18-inch panel is rollable.

Along with the flexible screen, LG showed off a transparent panel that has a significantly clearer picture quality than existing see-through LCD displays.

PHOTO: The flexible screen is as thin as a piece of paper.
The flexible screen is as thin as a piece of paper.

LG Display said the technological advancement proves they can produce rollable television screens larger than 50 inches diagonally. In a statement, the company said it is confident it will produce a 60-inch Ultra HD, transparent rollable television by 2017.

The future of television: totally tubular.