PICTURE QUALITY. It did an excellent job displaying the finest detail. Color accuracy was very good, with image content, and flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Very good contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—gave images convincing depth and dimension. The brightness level was good, making it a suitable choice for most rooms. Excellent, superior deep black levels are among the best we've seen. 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. 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.
VIEWING ANGLE. The overall viewing angle on this display is unlimited, better than most TVs we've tested. Color accuracy, contrast, and depth of black level did not vary regardless of viewing position. When we viewed the TV from the sides the picture showed no loss in quality, along with a slight color shift. 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, excellent. This LG UHD TV delivers 4K picture detail, along with very good HD-to-UHD upconversion. All native 4K content we played on this model, including movies and test videos was presented in full detail with excellent image fidelity when played back via the TV's HDMI input. It supports the playback of content mastered with HDR (High Dynamic Range) in both the HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats via its HDMI and USB inputs, and we found HDR performance to be very effective, while the ability to reproduce extended colors was apparent. The display's higher brightness capability helped enhance the realism of our 4K test videos mastered for high dynamic range, further enhanced by this model's very deep black level. It also supports video streaming of 4K programs via both Netflix and YouTube (among other sources), and again, images were finely detailed. Using the TV's USB port, we were able to play back 4K videos stored on a flash drive encoded in the HEVC, MP4, and VP9 formats. High resolution photos looked clean with no added image processing to mar quality, taking full advantage of the display's extra detail. With regular HD content, the TV's HD-to-UHD up-conversion processing was very good, with edges along diagonals of image content showing very slight jaggies, just short of the best we've seen. All four of the TV's HDMI inputs comply with the latest HDCP 2.2 and HDMI 2.0 specifications for both copy protection and 4K video play back at 60Hz, a requirement for compatibility with 4K movie play back devices such as a 4K Blu-ray player.
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.
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. The screen is dark so it does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast even in a bright room.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has good sound quality; about average among the models we've tested. When watching a movie blockbuster, a concert, or TV show, it delivers decent performance but falls short of the better performers. With movies, dialog was generally clear and natural sounding and remained well balanced with respect to background music and other sounds. Bass was deep, providing satisfying fullness to the sound, though a tad boomy, and treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was a bit closed in. The speakers produced a good volume—so this model should play sufficiently loud in typical room environments, though sound quality degraded at high volume levels. Most people would find this sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE. Overall, it was OK to setup and very easy to do routine things. The dark labeling of the connectors on the TV console is very difficult to read. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote uses Bluetooth, so it doesn't need to be pointed at the TV to operate it. The remote's major function buttons were sufficiently large and have high-contrast labeling, making them easier to see and navigate.
STAND ASSEMBLY. The TV's base does not come pre-attached, so some assembly is required. Mounting the support stand to the TV is straightforward, requiring the assembly of one part before mounting.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV provides advanced Internet capabilities via its "WebOS 3.0" portal with access to a library of applications, and a full Web browser. Movie streaming services include: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Vudu, YouTube. It also supports an optional Web cam for access to video conferencing applications such as Skype.
CONNECTIONS. This model has four HDMI inputs—one supports MHL (Mobile High-definition Link), one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time). 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, to control the TV from a smartphone that has the suitable app installed. Screen mirroring, where the image on your smartphone or other compatible device can also appear on the TV. Analog connections are made via special breakout cable adapters (included) that attach to the TV as single plugs. That means you plug your component, composite, or stereo cables into a dangling "pigtail" rather than the back of the TV itself. This is actually a more convenient way to make the connections on slim-profile models, but if you lose that adapter you'll have no way to connect your cables directly to the TV. Note: HDMI and other cable connections made to the rear-facing panel will protrude beyond the panel's slim depth.
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 component, 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.
