LG’s new 97-inch SIGNATURE OLED M television is first and foremost a sizable set aimed at the home theater enthusiast prioritizing features beyond the set’s now standard 4K resolution, including OLED’s unbeatable inky black contrast, solid 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision / HDR10 / HLG support, and of course, an immersive 97-inch screen. Where LG’s new set stands out from the crowd is what the brand has subtracted beyond its lone necessary power cord: the need for additional wires and cables.
Mind you, if you’re in the market for a $4,999 77-inch, $7,999 83-inch, or most prohibitively priced $29,999 97-inch television, you’re likely hiring someone professionally to sweat the details about optimally installing a set of these sizes. Even so, nearly everyone would rather hide away external devices – streaming devices, consoles, home theater audio components – from view and/or make them more easily accessible.
The LG Zero Connect box is the solution. Essentially a black box of ports that can be placed up to 32-feet away from the OLED TV, it transmits both picture and audio wirelessly. That means you (or your home theater specialist) can arrange for a cleaner and more minimalist home theater viewing area without inviting the intrusive clutter of a multitude of devices that often propagate directly underneath or around televisions, strategizing for a more thoughtfully-designed space where tech doesn’t dictate decor.
LG’s sleek minimalist industrial language keeps details at a bare minimum, especially when wall mounted. When attached to a pair of stand feet, the set closely resembles the brand’s more modest sized, Objet Collection Posé OLED, and opens up the possibility of a free floating canvas-style display.
The box is outfitted with everything any modern setup would require, including HDMI 2.1, USB, RF, LAN, and Bluetooth connectivity. Once plugged in, the Zero Connect is capable of transmitting video and audio to the screen from afar at full 4K 120Hz resolution at up to 30Gbps (three times the speed of the existing Wi-Fi 6E standard your home network might already transmit). The set’s wireless connection is fast and robust enough to transmit content encoded with Dolby Vision visuals and Dolby Atmos audio without faltering.
Both of the above staged living spaces show the LG SIGNATURE OLED M’s Zero Connect box stationed out in the open on a side shelf next to the sofa, keeping the space underneath the television free from a necessary console or shelf unit.
The 97-inch LG SIGNATURE OLED M, alongside its 83- and 77-inch LG OLED M brethren, represent the bleeding edge in ultra-large premium televisions, and are priced accordingly. But give it just a few years, and it is very likely wireless transmitting features similar to the LG Zero Connect box will become standardized, liberating viewers from the leash of cords, cables, and wires that currently make placing televisions a hassle from a decor perspective.
In the meantime, we’re very pleased with a television-free living room made possible by a different adaptable/positionable viewing technology.
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