LG Named Official 4K UHD TV Partner for 2019 NAB Show

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is the premier advocacy association for America’s broadcasters. NAB Show is the world’s largest and most comprehensive convention encompassing the convergence of media, entertainment and technology. With more than 90,000 attendees from 160 countries and 1,600+ exhibitors, NAB Show is the ultimate marketplace for solutions that transcend traditional broadcasting and fuel the digital storytelling economy. From creation to consumption, across multiple platforms and countless nationalities, NAB Show is where global visionaries convene to bring content to life in new and exciting ways.

The 2019 NAB Show was held April 6 – 11 in Las Vegas. LG was there, not only as an exhibitor but as the exclusive “Official 4K UHD TV Partner” for the 2019 NAB Show. According to a press release from rAVe [Publications], “All told, more than 160 advanced LG 4K Ultra HD screens, ranging from 32- to 70-inch screen sizes, were installed throughout the Las Vegas Convention Center – for wayfinding and information, and especially for displaying stunning 4K video.”

The rAVe press release stated that LG digital signage and 4K TVs were “Everywhere at the NAB Show.” That’s no exaggeration, and we were very proud to help.

Check out the press release and read about all the places NAB put LG to work. And what went where.

OTT Smart Applications Supported by LG Pro:Centric for Commercial Use

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LG supports a number of Over-the-Top (OTT) or Internet-based applications on its commercial Pro:Centric® Smart TV Platform (HTML/webOS). These are made available to LG’s customers (hotel properties) via its System Integrator (SI) partners who are responsible for delivering and supporting the end solution containing these applications to their hotelier customers.

The business terms for using these applications varies by content provider and type of service offered – some are free to use, others require guest or property subscriptions. Hotelier customers and SI partners should review the applications and the basic license requirements when choosing which applications they would like to offer the guest and the necessary business/licensing terms. We’ve provided a brochure link at the end of this post for a deeper dive.

The following applications are supported on the LG Pro:Centric Smart Platform. Note that not all apps are available on every model, but as a rule of thumb, all television models support the same apps if they are the same version of webOS.

Information Apps include AccuWeather, Google Maps, Web Browser, USA Today, Euro News

OTT Video Apps include Arirang, YouTube, YouTube Kids, HBO GO, Hulu, Crackle, Netflix, Filmbox Live, SONIFI, Showtime, Google Play

Music Streaming Apps include Pandora, iHeart Radio, Deezer

Game Apps include 2048, Genius Memory, 4 in a Row, Balda, Parking Panic

Other Apps include FitnessOnDemand

There are two types of applications available on LG’s platform – either embedded apps or web apps. Embedded apps are what ships with the TV/STB and the app is developed by LG and the CP to reside on the TV and be launched via a third-party SI Partner Entertainment System App. Web apps reside in the cloud or Internet, and the TV launches a browser to a predefined URL with associated security credentials to access the service.

OTT apps can be accessed and launched by a guest within LG’s Pro:Centric Application GUI assuming the server is licensed and configured correctly. Also, third-party SI Partner apps can launch the embedded apps via a menu placement within their user interface, which initiates the launch via the Pro:Centric hcap API (Application Program Interface). The SI can select which apps are enabled or not (on behalf of the hotelier) via the Pro:Centric Admin Client or API.

If an app requires entering of personal credentials of a guest’s account (e.g. Hulu, Netflix) the TV will erase them at power-off along with any browser history.

Alternatively, where an SI has a Property Management System (PMS) interface, this can be overridden and a check in/out event can be used to clear the credentials – meaning the TV will retain the guest’s credentials during the period of their stay.

LG always recommends an SI is used by the hotel to manage the deployment, presentation and support of OTT apps as they have the resources and technical skill to address issues such as network bandwidth provisioning, PMS interfacing, IP networking, television programming, application management and support. In addition, they will have the necessary business terms or license agreements in place with LG.

All of the applications supported on LG’s platform are licensed and certified for use in a commercial hospitality environment, e.g. in a hotel room and operating on either an LG Smart TV or STB Pro:Centric platform.

Download our brochure to review app descriptions and basic license requirements per app for hotelier customers and SI partners.

LG Emerges as Big Winner at 2019 Red Dot Design Awards

The Red Dot program is one of the longest-running, most respected industry competitions of its kind in the world, with more than 5,500 submissions from 55 countries entering this year’s contest.

LG Electronics was again recognized for its strength in consumer and industrial design, earning 29 product design accolades at this year’s running of the Red Dot Award. LG’s impressive collection includes two Best of the Best honors for its LG SIGNATURE OLED TV R and LG SIGNATURE bottom-freezer refrigerator.

As the world’s first and only “rollable” TV, the LG SIGNATURE OLED TV R delivers the unmatched image quality of LG OLED in a small package, with the magical ability to disappear into a low-profile base when not in use. Named Best TV Product of CES 2019 and hailed by many industry experts as a new paradigm in television, the Best of the Best recognition from Red Dot is confirmation of LG’s innovation leadership.

Because LG OLED pixels are self-lighting, the display does not require a separate backlighting or edge lighting array and can therefore be razor thin, flexible and able to roll up and down – a feat never before possible with a TV. The Red Dot judges praised LG SIGNATURE OLED TV R, calling it “a product offering new usage scenarios,” and heralding it as “the complete combination of technology and design.”

Read the whole LG Red Dot awards story here.

Have a look at the LG SIGNATURE OLED Rollable TV in action.

How Commercial Displays Are Improving the Financial Services Experience – Part 4 with Conclusion

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Over the past few weeks we’ve been telling you about commercial display solutions for bank and financial service company lobbies, customer-facing workstations and technology to enhance data security. The same technology you use for the front of house applications can also be used for the back of house, i.e., training, corporate communications, live IP streams, videoconferencing, town hall type meetings, messages from the top, etc. And it can all work seamlessly with LG displays.

For conference rooms and huddle rooms, large format 4K UHD displays are the ideal solution thanks to the outstanding image quality and future-proofing they provide. LG 4K UHD displays feature auto detect functions that sense when a notebook is plugged in, a standby screen that can be branded with your company’s logo, plus full compatibility with industry-leading meeting room control platforms.

The larger the room, the greater the need for a larger display. LG’s 98-inch 4K UHD display is the largest LG single display that can be purchased for a conference room instead of using high-maintenance projection. Companies looking for something even bigger can opt for a video wall or a massive indoor DVLED with fine pixel pitch.

Automate the conference room. LG provides a host of commercial displays that are Cisco Certified and Crestron Connected® for seamless integration, automated videoconferencing and meeting room control. These displays eliminate the significant expense and time required to set up a display at the systems integrator level.

LG’s plug-and-play solution for the Cisco Spark Room Kit and Spark Room Kit Plus is currently being used to standardize videoconferencing throughout worldwide branches and offices of major financial services organizations, and backed by global support from both LG and Cisco. Both room kits offer sophisticated camera technologies that bring speaker-tracking capabilities to every room.

Imagine commanding the conference room even before you start speaking. Crestron automation and control solutions let people control entire environments. Utilizing a Crestron Airmedia unit, a presenter can enter the meeting room, connect to the Airmedia device via wireless Ethernet and turn on the LG display, dim the room lights and close the blinds with a simple push of a button. Quite an impressive way to start the show.

Conclusion. Whether a bank or financial services company is highly experienced in the digital marketplace or just beginning, LG has the answers to help you visualize your solution and implement it successfully. Since our commercial display products cover front of house to back of house applications, it is often possible to spread out costs between different departments – corporate communications might pick up the cost for training; marketing & branding might take the cost for front of house. With various intended uses, not any one cost center would need to bear the entire load. This is great news for end users and resellers alike, as LG offers end-to-end solutions, deployment and management support that can help reinvent brick-and-mortar customer experiences to be more welcoming, more accommodating and more valuable.