We recently told you about how Displace TV is launching the world's first truly wireless TV, and I just got a chance to see it up close at CES 2023.
I have to admit, seeing someone lift a 55-inch OLED with relative ease and carry it around right in front of me was pretty cool. The lightweight design is under 20 pounds, and the company claims that its battery back can last for about 30 days on a charge.
@tomsguide ♬ I Think I Like When It Rains - WILLIS
A company rep told me that the current base unit that broadcasts the wireless signal to the Displace TV uses Wi-Fi 6E, but that may be upgraded to Wi-Fi 7 by the time this set ships in late 2023.
Update: The Displace TV is one of our picks for our Best of CES 2023 Awards. See what other products debuting at this year's show made the final cut.
You might be wondering. What's the point of a wireless TV? Well, for one, you don't have to worry about wires around your TV — not even a power cord. So you don't have to put the Displace TV near a wall socket.
The company also says that its "active loop vacuum technology" enables Displace TVs to be quickly secured to any surface without permanent mounting. Displace TVs can also be used in combination with multiple Displace TVs to form any sized TV up to 110 inches.
Displace TV isn't providing many details around the base unit yet, only saying that it features an AMD CPU, an Nvidia GPU and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity (for now). The panel itself also sports a 4K camera, which presumably could be used for video calls.
I didn't get a chance to try it out, but Displace TV is touting hand gestures to replace remote controls. You push with your palm to play content on the TV and pinch to zoom in and out on content. You can even "throw" content from one Displace TV to another by reaching out and grabbing it.
The Displace TVs also support facial recognition and computer vision tech, which enables the picture to switch between rooms when you move throughout the house — assuming you spring for multiple Displace TVs.
I have lots of questions about the Displace TV. Can this startup be trusted to deliver a product on time this year? The company is taking reservations starting January 5, but at least the deposit is fully refundable.
Also, how good is the smart TV interface? The Displace TV on display at CES was just displaying content in a loop beamed from a nearby base station.
The final pricing isn't known yet but I expect the Displace TV to be expensive. And if the ship date is the end of 2023, there could be more competitors in this space by then. For now, though, I just think it's cool that you can put a 55-inch OLED TV wherever you want it.
For more tech news, check out our CES 2023 hub for all the latest headlines, and see our hands-on impressions from CES of the new LG C3 OLED TV and the Samsung QN95C QLED TV from the show.
