Electronics bigwig LG announced on Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013, that it will begin taking pre-orders for its eagerly awaited 55-inch WRGB OLED television in South Korea from this month itself. The TV sets are priced at $10,000 each and the shipments will begin in first week of February.

From Thursday, Jan. 3 onwards, nearly 1,400 LG retail stores in Korea will start accepting orders from consumers for the revolutionary TV set from the company.

 "We are extremely pleased to be able to make this announcement at the start of the new year because we believe that OLED will usher in a whole new era of home entertainment," averred Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG's Home Entertainment Company. "Not since color TV was first introduced 60 years ago has there been a more transformational moment. When high definition TV was first introduced 15 years ago, the public's reaction was 'wow!' but when customers see our razor-thin OLED TV for the first time, they're left speechless. That's a clear indicator that OLED TV is much more than just an incremental improvement to current television technology."

LG's announcement comes days before the CES 2013, where an early version of the TV was awarded "Best of Show" in 2012. The company is expected to announce the availability of the TV in other markets over the next couple of weeks, along with the price for each country.

The svelte WRGB OLED TV measures just 0.16 inches (4 mm) wide and weighs less than 22lbs. Per the company, the TV offers "infinite contrast ratio" and the contrast stays consistent irrespective of what angle the screen is being viewed, or where the lighting in the room is located. What's more, the superior WRGB technology ensures "astoundingly vivid and realistic pictures."

"LG's unique Four-Color Pixel system features a white sub-pixel, which works in conjunction with the conventional red, blue, green setup to create the perfect color output. LG's exclusive Color Refiner delivers even greater tonal enhancement, resulting in images that are more vibrant and natural than anything seen before. The 55-inch OLED TV also offers an infinite contrast ratio, which maintains optimal contrast levels regardless of ambient brightness or viewing angle," notes the press release.

With innovative technology at the heart of the razor-thin TV, it remains to be seen if the $10,000 (11 million Korean Won) price will be a deterrent for many potential buyers, limiting the WRGB OLED TV's sales.