LG puts Bluetooth into new LCD, plasma TV sets

LG Electronics is on the verge of launching a new range of LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma TV sets in Europe that feature Bluetooth wireless networking, the company said Wednesday at the IFA electronics show in Berlin.

The feature, which is common on many portable products but hasn't yet caught on in the TV industry, can be used to send audio digitally through the air to a compatible pair of Bluetooth headphones so you avoid headphone cables running across your living room. It also makes it possible to send still images from devices like cell phones to the TV, upon which the set displays the image on the screen.

Bluetooth will be installed in models in LG's PG7000-series plasma sets and LG7000-series LCD sets, which are due on sale across Europe before the end of September. The Bluetooth function will also be included in 7000-series models sold in other regions of the world.

LG demonstrated the feature at IFA with a 50-inch plasma TV that received and displayed a photo from a camera phone within moments of it being transmitted.

The TV set also has USB sockets into which consumers can connect devices such as USB hard-disk drives or memory cards. Once devices are inserted, the TV can display images as a slideshow and play MP3 audio tracks that are stored on the storage media.

Pricing for the TVs was not announced.