The 2013 International CES proved to be a real treat as attendees got to see the world's first curved OLED TV, but who gets the credit for launching it first - Samsung or LG?

The two electronics giants dominate the consumer electronics industry in Korea, and are fierce rivals to say the least. What makes their rivalry even more juicy is that both Samsung and LG have unveiled what they claim to be "the world's first curved OLED TV," on the same day, a few hours apart. Is it just a matter of timing? A matter of good luck for one company and bad luck for the other? Or are they both the "world's first"?

The answer, frankly, could be anything. Samsung unveiled its Samsung Curved OLED TV, while LG introduced its LG EA9800 Curved 3D OLED TV - both 55-inch sets. So perhaps both can claim credit for releasing the "world's first" curved OLED TV - a regular one and a 3D variant.

"LG is the first to launch the 55-inch OLED TV," Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG's Home Entertainment Company, said in a blog post. "We believe our new OLED TVs offer the ultimate viewing experience, surpassing anything seen before. The new curved model complements our core OLED TV family with a unique design that capitalizes on the thinness of the screen and the aesthetic beauty of OLED TV." Could it mean that even if Samsung proves it is the first to make the curved OLED TV, LG is the first to launch it?

According to Samsung, the curved OLED screen adds depth to the content, allowing for a more panoramic, immersive experience, particularly when viewing sceneries and vast landscapes. With such a slightly concave design, the image wraps around the viewer's peripheral vision, and the curved panel claims to deliver a more natural viewing angle for viewers in the center. It remains uncertain, however, how the curved screen would impact the viewing experience for people seated on the sides.

At 55 inches, on the other hand, both LG's and Samsung's TVs are large, which means that the image will not actually stretch into periphery territory. Meanwhile, neither Samsung's nor LG's "world's first curved OLED TV" sport the sizzling 4K resolution of other top-end TVs launched recently.

OLED displays, however, deliver inherently good contrast, viewing angles, and color saturation, which means that both TVs should provide excellent image quality. Instead of using a backlight, OLED displays pair each pixel with an individual LED light, which results in incredible contrast.

Neither LG nor Samsung have announced any pricing details or launch date for now, but both companies will likely race to be the first to get their curved OLED TVs on retail shelves. With rivalry already fierce, things will only get hotter from now on.