LG has been making OLED TVs for years, but the set it just unveiled at CES is something special. The LG Signature OLED M3 is an enormous 97-inch screen with support for all the latest and greatest TV features. Something you won’t find: HDMI ports. That’s because the M3 comes with a nifty “Zero Connect” box that beams video signals to the TV wirelessly, reducing clutter and making the screen look even sleeker.
The TV comes with the Zero Connect box, which LG says can live up to 30 feet away from the TV itself. There are three HDMI 2.1 ports on the box, into which you can plug game consoles, streaming boxes, Blu-Ray players, or anything else that works over HDMI. The box beams the signal to your TV and can support up to 4K resolution with 120Hz refresh rates. The M3 even supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision over the wireless connection.
Other manufacturers have offered wireless HDMI devices, but they have never worked particularly well. LG says it has refined the idea with Zero Connect, which uses new algorithms to identify the “optimal transmission path.” This apparently keeps the video smooth, even with interference and people walking around the room. However, you can’t place it in another room or behind a barrier — Zero Connect needs line-of-sight to your TV.
The Zero Connect box (foreground) has all the TV ports except power.
LG says this setup allows the minimalist nature of the M3 OLED to shine. It can be mounted flat on a wall without leaving room for a bunch of cables to slot into place. But what about latency? Gamers counting on that high-refresh screen to level up the Xbox Series X or PS5 might prefer a direct connection, but LG tells Tom’s Guide that latency should be under 20ms.
That’s all well and good, but what about power? Wireless power is still little more than a fever dream, so you’ll have to plug the M3 into an outlet. Still, that’s just one easily hidden cable versus having multiple wires snaking around your living room to plug into the TV. Is that worth paying a premium? Maybe, depending on how picky you are and how much the M3 costs.
We don’t know the MSRP or when it will be released. That’s unfortunately par for the course with CES announcements, but given the non-wireless 97-inch G2 OLED retailed for $25,000, this will probably not be an impulse purchase. LG hints that the Signature OLED M3 will launch late in 2023.
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