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Want the first big-screen OLED TV in US? It's yours for $14,999

LG 55EA9800 OLED HDTV
LG 55EA9800 HDTV is the first big-screen OLED TV to go on sale in the U.S. — forLG

Richfield, Minn. - LG has finally begun selling the first 55-in. OLED HDTV in the U.S., a year and a half since it first showed off the stunning TV. Monday's announcement confirms that Best Buy will be the exclusive dealer at launch, and the price the LG OLED model 55EA9800 will be $14,999.

"Organic light emitting diode" TV technology sheds light pixel by pixel, so it promises an infinite contrast ratio, besting any other display technology with completely black blacks. It's also very fast, so you don't have refresh-rate issues, and the viewing angle is exceptionally wide.

The 55EA9800 weighs just 38 lbs. And while the panel itself is just 0.17 inches thick, LG has decided to curve the screen, increasing the overall depth.

LG’s first 55-inch OLED uses LG’s proprietary "WRGB" technology, with a white sub-pixel working in conjunction with the red, green and blue sub-pixels.

The 55EA9800 offers THX certification, joining a handful of HDTV displays capable of meeting the strict test procedures and standards for high image quality.

The LG OLED is a full featured television with 3-D, smart Internet functions for streaming video and social media. For the price, you also get LG’s Magic Remote control with both speech recognition and gesture control.

Best Buy will continue to roll out LG’s OLED HDTV over the next few weeks, starting with the location in Richfield, Minn., near Best Buy headquarters. But don't expect to see these premium sets all over. The retailer is targeting the specialty Magnolia shops located inside its larger stores in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle and San Antonio. It will follow up with a national roll out to all of its Magnolia internal stores by end of this summer.

HD Guru is in Richfield today, drilling LG executives for more details and specifications and will follow up soon with a hands-on report.

For further information, including the LG press release, visit the original HD Guru story.

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