HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality is very good. Reproduction of fine HD image detail is excellent. Color accuracy is very good, with flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—is good, so images have depth and dimension. Black levels are acceptable, though not the deepest, so dark scenes won't look hazy (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). Image brightness is very good (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture is well suited for a brighter room. A lower backlight setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model does a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There is slight display non-uniformity that creates brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). We routinely see this issue with LCDs and severity can vary from model to model. Film mode operation for HD film-based content is excellent, with no visible jaggies along the edges of objects during motion scenes. Deinterlacing is very good, with minimal jaggies visible when converting 1080i video content, such as from cable, to the display's native resolution.
4K UHD PICTURE QUALITY. 4K UHD picture quality is very good. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, is presented in full 4K detail when played back via the TV's HDMI input. For color, contrast and black level, the TV performs similarly to its HD picture quality.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance has limited effectiveness. The display's lack of high peak brightness capability (by HDR standards) limits its ability to show the benefits of HDR on 4K content. The contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene is fine, but the brightness levels in the mid-to-lower tones, like those in an indoor scene, are dimmer than expected. It does a good job reproducing a greater range of nuanced shadow detail from black to white, with no obvious banding on areas of the image that have subtle shade variations. There is no visible loss of near-white shadow detail in the brightest areas. Brighter colored objects remain nicely saturated.
VIEWING ANGLE. This LG has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we view the TV from the sides image quality degrades significantly. The picture shows a moderate loss of color, so flesh tones look a bit washed out. Black levels visibly brighten, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle is very good. The picture shows minimal change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This LG TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has very good sound quality, better than most models we've tested. Whether you're watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it is able to deliver a satisfying listening experience. Bass is deep, providing satisfying fullness to the sound but lacking in definition a bit, and treble is nicely detailed, while the overall sound is a bit closed in. The speakers produce a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments and without obvious distortion. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression keeps the sound from distorting but also limits the clarity of peaks in loudness, which can be a bit distracting on some audio content. Unlike most of our tested models its sound should satisfy the more discerning listeners, so give this a listen before opting for an external sound bar.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. LG’s Blue-tooth remote allows you to navigate on-screen menus using either a traditional button key pad or a gesture-controlled on screen cursor. Using a point-and-click operation, the cursor’s movement is linked to the motion of your hand and is used to make selections. It includes a built-in microphone to access the voice assistant feature. It also provides convenient direct button access to streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Consider the TV's stand is 60 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This Smart TV provides Internet functionality via its "WebOS" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu. Includes built-in Google Assistant, a virtual assistant, which allows you to use natural speech to ask questions, launch applications, and search programming via the remote's built-in microphone. Support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant.
CONNECTIONS. This model has three HDMI inputs—one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). It also has two USB ports, an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking; DLNA, to access files within your home network; Casting, which allows you to send streaming content from your mobile device to the TV via your home network; Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV.
WHAT'S INCLUDED. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. An electronic user guide via the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries. A detachable power cord.
