Television viewers in recent years have been getting used to connecting to the internet as well as watching 3D content on their modern sets.
But now they can also get up and scrawl notes or doodle digitally directly on some screens.
LG Electronics has developed what it calls the PenTouch TV, which costs Dh3,599 (US$979) for the 50-inch set and Dh8,999 for 60-inch set.
The PenTouch includes a mode allowing use of a stylus to access content via touch, much like on the screen of a smartphone or tablet computer.
Of course, there are some caveats. The feature does not work when television shows or movies are being displayed. And the TV has to be hooked up to a computer to access certain files, including digital photos, scanned artwork, a calendar and even PowerPoint presentations.
The fun part comes next, as users can edit the photos, artwork or presentations and add notes to the calendar. Want to show off a certain creation? It can be printed off, provided the computer is connected to a printer.
Yet the novelty does wear off, and it is unlikely that dedicated couch potatoes will want to spend hours in front of the screen playing with this special mode. Young children, on the other hand, will no doubt adore this feature and stay glued to the screen that much longer.
This raises a question: how safe is this set for children? LG says the new TV, which has a scratch-resistant screen, "will not cause any harm to children's eyes" because its settings are optimised when the PenTouch feature is on "so that the user can be very close to the TV and work". The company says its plasma set is gentler on the eyes than LCD or LED sets, which it says tend to be brighter.
There is also a "specially designed", four-leg stand to prevent the TV from tipping over in case children, or adults for that matter, push too hard with the stylus.
