Keen to take a TV bigger than an iPad when you go camping, or just need a big screen in a briefcase? LG has something with a punny name.
The maker of most of the world’s OLED TVs is dabbling in ideas, and it should come as no surprise that some of these are of the screened variety.
In the past month, we’ve already seen a stretchy, flexible screen from LG’s display division, revealing a prototype display that could be matched to clothing or cars some time in the future, but that’s definitely in the distance.
Before then, LG Australia has something a little closer to be useful, particularly if you’re heading camping for the holidays and want to watch something, or just keen to play the digital equivalent of board games.
It comes in something called the “StanbyMe Go”, both a play on the phrase “stand by me” and the original “StanbyMe” LG released last year made of a TV on a stand. That model was portable in that it was a TV able to be moved, while the StanbyMe Go takes that concept to another level by bundling it into a briefcase with a battery.
Technically, the StanbyMe Go includes a 27 inch touchscreen with a 20W four channel speaker system, and a battery capable of lasting up to three hours of use.
The screen itself sits on a special pivoting stand folded up inside of a large briefcase, and can be used both as a smart TV and as a digital board game of sorts, lying flat and able to be used by several people, be it two for chess or more for other games in “Table Mode”.
Outside of Table Mode, the StanbyMe Go is basically described as a TV in a briefcase with a battery, supporting Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos, though the latter of these is likely to be psychoacoustic instead of a proper directional Atmos sound system.
LG has also thought outside the box (or briefcase) when it comes to connectivity for the StanbyMe Go. Knowing it will likely be taken out and about for camping or excursions, it won’t usually be connected to WiFi, making its whole smart TV concept kind of difficult. To deal with that, you can obviously use your phone as a hotspot, but with that wireless connection, iPhones and Android owners can connect to the TV over wireless, too.
“Over the past few years, we have seen increasing diversification in the way people consume their favourite content. From the size of the screen to where people like to watch their favourite shows, consumers are taking entertainment into their own hands,” said Tony Brown, General Manager for LG’s Home Entertainment Marketing and Content Business.
“Following the popularity of the original StanbyMe model, we are thrilled to be bringing the StanbyMe Go to Australia and look forward to seeing its integration with the outdoor Aussie lifestyle,” he said.
The briefcase TV could make it one of the more compelling reasons to take it out and about, simply because of its durability, sporting a MIL-STD-810H rating and able to deal with the outdoors. We’d probably pack it up during a heavy storm, but the briefcase is designed to handle shock from knocks and tumbles in the back of a car or carry, it seems.
One thing you can’t call it is inexpensive, though.
In Australia, the LG StanbyMe Go is priced at $1999, available at LG’s online store, while retail appears limited to Harvey Norman.
