The LCD television market is a tightly fought battle, with shrinking margins forcing manufacturers to look for exclusive online content partnerships as a clear point of difference.

But the next generation of television technology, OLED, is just around the corner, and Korean giant LG believes it has what it takes to become the number one company in the market using the new display technology.

Talking with the AFP, LG has come out swinging, claiming it has an edge over arch-nemesis Samsung.

“We have been relatively slower in introducing new devices (than Samsung). But when it comes to OLED TV… we can run far faster than the rival,” said Ro Seog-Ho, executive vice president of LG’s TV business.

OLED televisions do away with the need for backlighting, with each individual pixel creating its own brightness, creating an incredibly detailed image on screen. It allows for thinner, and more energy efficient televisions, although at this stage the technology is still extremely expensive.

Both LG and Samsung are planning on bringing OLED to certain markets later this year, but at a cost – sets are expected to sell for well over $US10,000 each.