HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality is excellent. Reproduction of fine HD image detail is excellent. Color accuracy is excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, look very natural and lifelike. Contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—is good, so images have some depth. Black levels are decent with help from LG's vertically controlled edge "LED Local Dimming" feature, which helps maintain some contrast in darker scenes. Image brightness is very good (with the backlight control turned up), so the picture is well suited for a brighter room. A lower 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). Severity can vary from model to model. The deinterlacing and film mode operations are excellent on HD content; there is little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
4K UHD PICTURE QUALITY. 4K UHD picture quality is excellent. All native 4K content (non HDR) we played on this model, including movies and test videos, is presented in full 4K detail with excellent fidelity 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 excellent, 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 detail within the highlights of the brightest areas. Brighter colored objects remain nicely saturated.
VIEWING ANGLE. This LG has a wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most TVs. It will provide the same picture quality, with fewer problems than most TVs, for typical viewing conditions—say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides. The picture does show some dimming from the sides but not to any point we find distracting. With dark scenes this model doesn't fare quite as well. When viewed from the sides, the depth of black levels vary depending on the vertical position of the viewer's head. As we moved closer to the screen this limitation became even more apparent, especially if seated on the floor looking upward where black levels brighten significantly. Halo effects around objects in darker scenes (a side effect of the local dimming feature) also become more prominent at off angles.
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 is 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.
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 is 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 33 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 and Alexa, 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. Claimed support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant.
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.
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. Breakout cable adapters (one composite with stereo audio.). A detachable power cord.
