LG Electronics seems to be planning to release more products with retro design language at CES. The South Korean tech giant debuted a new 4K smart projector that looks like an old-school movie camera, and now it's announced an audio device that combines old-school vacuum tube technology with state-of-the-art transparent OLED display technology.
LG describes the DukeBox as a modern jukebox. While details are scant, we do know that it has front-facing speakers on the bottom and 360-degree speakers on the top, allowing listeners to enjoy surround sound. The transparent OLED panel can be adjusted to create "captivating visual effects." I guess most people who buy it will use DukeBox to listen to music, but LG says it can also be used to enjoy other types of content such as movies.
Tube technology has been around for decades, but there are still many people who prefer the sound produced by tubes compared to modern digital technology. This isn't to say that tubes sound better or worse, just that they are different and some people prefer them.
For now, all we can see is a photo and a brief description from LG's press release. Judging from the photos, the DukeBox looks to be well-made (that is, not cheap). The press release didn't mention pricing or availability, but LG Labs plans to showcase the DukeBox and other recently announced products during CES.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show is held in Las Vegas from January 9th to 12th, with media days on January 7th and 8th. Historically, exhibiting companies have waited until closer to the show to launch new products, but increasingly we are seeing new products being announced earlier in order to stand out from the crowd.
What's more, some large companies have withdrawn from trade shows altogether due to the high cost of becoming official suppliers. Many companies now believe it is more financially feasible to skip major trade shows and produce/livestream their own press conferences on YouTube.