HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was excellent. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail of HD content. Color accuracy was excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, looked very natural and lifelike. Very good contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--gave images convincing depth and dimension. The model had fairly deep black levels, just shy of the best models, which gave dark scenes better depth. This was mainly due to some notable display panel non-uniformity that created a slightly brighter area on the right half of the display (see special note just below). Image brightness was very good (with the panel brightness control turned up), so the picture is well suited for a brighter room. A lower setting is recommended for a dimmer viewing environment. There was visible banding (unnatural contours) on scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, rather than smooth transitions. There was notable panel non-uniformity that created a slightly brighter area on the right side of the display. This was not so visible on typical video content, but on very dark scenes, or on the black bars of a letterbox movie, we didn't see the inky black we've come to expect from an OLED. This was actually the second model we purchased because the first had a very similar problem, but more severe. The deinterlacing and film mode operations were excellent on HD content; there was little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
SPECIAL NOTE. This tested LG OLED model is actually the second sample we purchased. The first had a significant display uniformity problem which became obvious during our black level alignment process. The right half of the display was significantly brighter than the left. Optimizing black level for the right side meant crushing shadow detail on the left, so the choice was either to leave the high black level on the right side, or live with crushed shadows on the left, or something in between. We purchased a second sample and again we saw a similar effect but to a much lesser degree. With an all-black test pattern, the right side of the display was slightly brighter, but the effect was not so visible on typical video content. That said, on very dark scenes, or on the black bars of a letterbox movie, we didn't see the deepest black levels on the right side of the display that we've come to expect from an OLED. We reached out to LG and they say there was a small batch of TVs that may not have been calibrated properly during production and which cannot be fixed with a firmware upgrade. When purchasing this particular model, we recommend that that you take a close look at this issue when you get the set home. If it’s a problem for you, we suggest you reach out to the manufacturer or the store where you purchased it for a replacement.
VIEWING ANGLE. The overall viewing angle on this display is unlimited, better than most TVs we've tested. Contrast, and depth of black level did not vary regardless of viewing position. When we viewed the TV from the sides the picture showed a slight shift in color tone, but overall color remained consistent with no degradation in overall image quality. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was excellent. The picture showed no change in color, contrast, and black level.
ULTRA HD PERFORMANCE. Overall UHD performance is excellent but HD-to-UHD upconversion falls short. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, was presented in full 4K detail with excellent fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. Via the USB port, high-resolution photos were displayed in full 4K detail. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing fell short, revealing some visible jaggies along the edges of diagonals when playing HD content.
HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR) PERFORMANCE. HDR performance is effective. The display had decent peak brightness capability (by HDR standards) showing some improvement over basic 4K performance on our HDR test videos, while revealing excellent contrast between moderately bright and very bright highlights within a scene. It did 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 was no visible loss of near-white shadow detail in the brightest areas. Brighter colored objects remained nicely saturated.
MOTION BLUR. This LG TV has very good motion performance, with minimal blurring on our motion tests, thanks to LG's "TruMotion". This feature is designed to reduce motion blur, a shortcoming of most displays. Although this TV includes a "Motion Pro" setting that was slightly effective at reducing motion blur it limited the brightness of the image and also added some flicker to the picture, so we left the feature off.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has excellent sound quality, among the best we've tested. Whether you're watching a blockbuster movie, a concert, or TV show, it is able to deliver a top quality listening experience. Bass was very deep, providing almost subwoofer-like fullness to the sound but lacking in definition a bit, and treble was nicely detailed, and the overall sound was. The speakers produced a good volume range so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments, but quality does degrade at the highest settings. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression kept the sound from distorting but also limited the clarity of peaks in loudness, which can be a bit distracting on some audio content. You can get better quality from a high performing soundbar or separate home theater system but with this model that shouldn't be necessary.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. LG’s "Magic Motion" remote allows you to navigate on-screen menus using a traditional button key pad, or a gesture-controlled cursor, for increased flexibility. Using a point-and-click operation, the cursor’s movement on the display is linked to the motion of your hand, and is used to make selections. The remote also includes buttons that provide direct access to Netflix and Amazon streaming services. The TV's stand is 22 inches wide.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet capabilities via its "WebOS" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services 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. Also provides support for Amazon Alexa.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs-- one supports ARC (Audio Return Channel), one composite input, and no component input. It also has three 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. Analog connections are made via a special breakout cable adapter (included) that attaches to the TV as a single plug.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. An electronic manual in the TV's menu. A remote control with batteries. Breakout cable adapters (one composite with stereo audio.). No printed manual is included.
ABOUT ULTRA HD TESTING: We test UHD picture quality using 4K movies, videos, photos, and test patterns to confirm these displays deliver performance to this format's full potential. We check the TV's ability to reproduce 4K image detail, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) for TVs that support this capability. Image quality is tested using a 4K movie player connected to the TV's HDMI input, as well as from files stored on flash drive plugged into the TV's USB port. We also check the quality of 4K streaming from Netflix or YouTube (if the service is supported by the TV), and how well the TV can upscale HD movies to the display's higher UHD resolution while keeping artifacts such as "jaggies" along the edges of image content to a minimum. The best UHD TVs, and HDTVs, present high fidelity images that reveal the full quality of the best source content without degradation.
