By Patrick Avenell

LG Electronics Australia has received regulatory approval to release its first Curved OLED TV in Australia. It is only fourth time the federal energy ratings body has approved an OLED panel for sale.

Approval is provided by E3: Equipment Energy Efficiency, a joint initiative of Australian, state and territory Governments, and the New Zealand Government.

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The 55-inch 55EA9800-TA model, manufactured in Indonesia, is expected to go on sale locally for around $14,000 during the second half of the year.

Receiving regulatory approval is mandatory for all TVs sold in Australia. LG’s Curved OLED TV has a 4.5-star rating and a comparative energy consumption of 373 kilowatt hours per annum.

Here is how LG describes its Curved OLED TV in marketing materials:

“Only 4.3 millimetres at its thinnest point and weighing just 17 kilograms, LG’s Curved OLED TV produces astoundingly vivid and realistic images thanks to its proprietary WRGB technology. The unique Four-Colour Pixel system features a white sub-pixel, which works in conjunction with the conventional red, blue, green setup to perfect the colour output. What’s more, LG’s exclusive Colour Refiner maintains the colour accuracy of the image, resulting in images that are extremely vibrant, natural and enjoyable to view. As in the original flat screen OLED TV, the Curved OLED TV also offers an infinite contrast ratio for optimal contrast levels.”

With this approval, LG joins Sony Australia and Daijitsu as the only suppliers with a regulatory nod to supply OLED TVs.

The 11-inch XEL-1 from Sony was the first OLED TV approved in Australia, in 2009. Sold only through Sony Centres for RRP $6,999, the XEL-1 did a great job creating buzz for the Japanese supplier though it is unknown if Sony actually sold any units.

“The XEL-1 features an astonishing 3 millimetre organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel that delivers contrast ratios of 1,000,000:1, high peak brightness, enhanced colour reproduction and rapid response times,” reported Current.com.au at the time.

The Daijitsu TV is more mysterious. Current.com.au has discovered this was a 42-inch TV manufactured in China, though there is no evidence to suggest it was ever sold locally. Daijitsu is primarily an air conditioner brand, though it has been used to market televisions in the past.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the energy consumption of a Panasonic TV. The TH-L55WT50A has a Comparative Energy Consumption of 393 kilowatt hours per annum, not 138 as originally stated.

Between Daijitsu gaining regulatory OLED approval in 2010 and LG this month, there have been 2,984 TVs approved for sale in Australia and New Zealand.