Douglas Murray / Digital Trends
I just got an in - deepness smell at LG ’s best 2024 TVs , and I have sound news , better news , and one pleasant surprisal that I think is going to make some of you very happy .
I chat LG at its U.S. main office in New Jersey to get a nigh look at and more detail on some of its most exciting products for 2024 . I did a pretty mysterious dive on the LG G4 organic light-emitting diode , catch just a glimpse of the C4 OLED , was smacked upside the nous by the flagship4 K QNED mini - LED TV , and had a one - on - one conversation with the forefront of LG ’s webOS squad and – well , rent ’s just say I may make a webOS fan out of some of you by the ending of this article .
Douglas Murray / Digital Trends
Before I go further , I did n’t get to take any measurements on this trip – nobody did . But I was able to equate the G4 against last year ’s G3 , and theSony A95LandSamsung S95Cwere in the lineup as well .
LG G4 OLED
have ’s just get right to the G4 organic light-emitting diode , shall we ? Because , common people , I ’m impressed .
Let ’s initiate by verbalise about how we wo n’t do much talking about brightness . certain , LG was very proud to point out that the G4 was some percent brighter than the entranceway - level B4 . and it was careful to clarify that most of the brightness boost the G4 saw was plump to be in HDR highlight , which we would expect .
But the best news about the new G4 is not novel record book - break luminance numbers . I sleep with we wish to get excited about that kind of thing – we ’ve been conditioned to it as we ’ve spend the last few years waiting forOLEDs to get bright enoughto look gravid in bright rooms as well as dark rooms . But we ’ve already achieved that milestone . The G3 was the big revolution we were wait for when it come to luminance . Any brightness level improvement to the G4 will be fairly incremental – and that ’s just fine .
Douglas Murray / Digital Trends
LG added a few newfangled configurations that I think will set up the G4 OLED apart from all the other OLEDs .
But , like I said , the G4 ’s brightness is not the news . So , whatisthere to be energize about ? Quite a minute , really . This came as a really pleasant surprise because most of what I learned at this event was not cover atCES .
bet back at theLG G3 OLED , I ’d say there were seven niggling thing that I hop would be improved for the G4 . I ’m happy to say it looks like we got about 6.5 out of the seven . Plus , LG added a few young options that I think will plant the G4 OLED apart from all the other OLEDs that come out this year .
LG C4 OLEDDouglas Murray / Digital Trends
The first matter that ’s improved is that the 55 - inch and 65 - inch LG G4 sizes now come up with a stand – not a wall mount – include in the box . LG says it get wind that most of the masses buying the 55 - inch and 65 - column inch models need a standpoint , not a no - gap wall mount , in the box . So , wish granted . You still get the no - gap wall mount in the box instead of a stall in the 77- and 83 - in model . The tie-up that comes with the 55 and 65 inchers hold back the TV perfectly upright . No more lean - back like the G3 .
The second melioration is that the 83 - in G4 now has an MLA panel , so it ’s capable of all the same luminosity as the 55 - inch , 65-,inch and 77 - column inch models — and then some — because it ’s bigger .
The next improvement I saw was that , on the three samples I viewed , color shifting was meliorate . It used to be you could see Battle of Magenta pack in large blanched areas . I did n’t see that this time . As for panel banding – well , I saw a tiny snatch of it on the 83 - inch mannequin I reckon , but overall , the panels looked pretty clean .
Douglas Murray / Digital Trends
Improvement four is that near - black chrominance go-around appear to have been improved a bit . Now , we did n’t get to test this in - depth , but fellow YouTuber and ace calibratorClassy Tech Calibrationsran a couple of the picture that I think should have activate it , and it looked well on the G4 than the G3 . Now , I do n’t suppose this is a huge net welfare to most folks , but for crack - picky nit nerds , it ’s one more thing to be impressed by .
Next up is vividness brightness in LG ’s game modality . Now , this was n’t something I kick about much in my review because I ’m not a huge gamer , and frankly , I call up the G3 ’s secret plan mode looked middling in effect . But , Classy Tech Calibrations claimed last class that the G3 ’s colour brightness in HDR gambling was better in Filmmaker mode than it was in the Game mode . While we were n’t able to measure it , subjectively , colour brightness in Game mode on the G4 was indistinguishable from Filmmaker mode .
All the colour brightness , none of the lag .
Douglas Murray / Digital Trends
So , there you go , gamers . All of the color brightness , none of the meanwhile . And as long as we ’re on the topic of gaming , the G4 now offers an auto grim - response time mode ( ALLM ) switch so you may call on ALLM off or on at the TV level . There ’s also a electrical switch for 144Hz refresh charge per unit , which is only of stake to high - close PC gamers , but there it is .
The sixth advance I mark was that low light color and shadow point looked better to me . I hear this was a precedency for LG since it came up in several reviews , though , frankly , I think it was mostly video professional that could separate outside of a side - by - side comparison and , well , you recognise how I feel about side - by - side comparisons .
at last , there is the posterization – or noisy blockiness – that we ’d see when the G3 came out of black . mean of a tantrum that fades in from black – that ’s where it would be most obvious . That is still a matter that ’s encounter , but I conceive it is n’t something most viewers are potential to notice . This needs deep testing , so that ’s high-pitched on the list for my reexamination once I receive one , which , I understand , should be very soon .
Douglas Murray / Digital Trends
There ’s more that ’s sword new for the TV , which I ’m about to detail , but before I move on , I just desire to say that it seems pretty unmortgaged that LG need towin the television shootoutthis year . More than that , though , what LG did for the G4 is as clearcut an example of a television brand name responding to professional and consumer feedback as I ’ve seen in 15 days . And I call back LG deserves some big props for that .
Beyond twelvemonth - over - twelvemonth improvements are some new feature film that I think set the G4 apart from the remainder of the organic light-emitting diode coming out this year , though . One is a new professional place setting in the HDR brightness section of the picture configurations .
This newfangled setting — aptly described as a “ professional ” stage setting , as it really is well leave to expert — permit users to align the idiot box ’s HDR tone of voice - mapping curve . With the yellow-bellied terrapin toward the “ high ” side of the spectrum , users will see an trope in which the brightest elements are made as brilliant as the video can make them , but at the expense of detail in those bright areas .
Douglas Murray / Digital Trends
Set in the humiliated position , the boob tube will show all the contingent there is to be seen in these bright highlighting areas , but at the disbursement of brightness intensity .
For illustration , if the content bear an image of the lunar month in the ground , this adjustment , when place to gamy , will make that lunar month intensely promising , but it will just appear as a hopeful round blob and you might not see details such as the dark crater on the surface of the moonlight . prepare on the low side of the yellow-bellied terrapin ’s spectrum , however , the adjustment will reduce the intensity of the lunar month ’s brightness a routine , but the viewer gains an image of the synodic month with distinctly determine edges and clearly visible crater .
The background is broken down for content mastered at 1,000 nits , which is work to be most HDR content ; 4,000 nits , which covers anything between 1,000 and 4,000 ; and all the way up to 10,000 nit .
I ’m become to utter about how this work out in the full review , but this setting is a big part of what makes the G4 the most flexible OLED TV I know of for watching HDR10 content .
As forDoby VisionHDR substance , the G4 , along with at least the C4 , now sports a Dolby Vision Filmmaker manner , which is the easiest way to get the Dolby Vision experience as the Almighty intend it to be . No motion smoothing , no over - brightening , just a one - click option for pic purists .
At the terminal of the day , I think the G4 is well worth have excited about . At this distributor point , all that ’s will is to attempt to poke muddle in its performance , but I already feel very confident that this will be an almost universally praised TV this year . LG wants to be Martin Luther King of OLED TVs once again , and frankly , it ’s get a good shot at reclaim that crown .
LG C4 OLED
As for the C4 – well , I did n’t get to see it doing much , candidly . We did capture a lot of telecasting footage of it looking beautiful in LG ’s showroom , but the room I was in for most of the event only had the C4 set up as part of a side - by - side demo with the Samsung S90C to prove that its implementation of anti - glare results in better black levels when Christ Within was shone straight off on the TV . I realize what LG was sample to do there , but honestly , I think anyone bring the urine out of Samsung ’s anti - glare is going to get served when the S95D jump getting deployed .
By the way , I am cognisant that I ’m a nonage opinion bearer regarding the S95D ’s anti - glare tech . I ’m comfortable with my posture and well cognizant that I ’ll need to back it up soon . We ’ll see what happens .
OK , I ’m about to get into something about LG ’s webOS that I retrieve some of you will be interested in hearing . But before I do , I have to name that the LG QNED90 — the company ’s flagship 4 K mini - LED telecasting — iloked pretty nifty . I ’m getting one in for review , no doubt . I do n’t want to predict it could be a sleeper hit just yet , but … it front really good . Just sayin ’ .
WebOS
Now , about webOS : During one of LG ’s presentations , as it discuss all the improvement for webOS 24 and the hope to deliver update for at least five year , all I could do was look for advertising .
you may connect the goggle box to the internet and still have an advertizing - detached experience .
If you have n’t seen my two recent articles aboutWalmart buying Vizioand theGolden Age of Streaming ’s house of cards bursting , well , the light variation is that I drop some meter sound off about how ads in capacity are to be carry now , but advertizing on the telecasting , or the fresh cyclosis OS itself ? That just feel like too much .
So , I was looking at webOS with a very decisive optic , and what I noticed was not a ton of advertizing . I thought mayhap the idiot box was n’t connected to the internet , but it was . Then I cogitate , maybe this is a beta of the latest software , but it was ready to go live . No … I did n’t see ads because there were n’t many to see to begin with .
So I asked whether advertising could be plough off , and to my surprise , the result was yes ! you may colligate the TV to the cyberspace and still have an ad - free experience . I entail , Yes ! Well done , LG !
My interrogation becharm some attention , and the next affair I knew , I was having a private conversation with the head of webOS , and I find out even more . The short version is that LG does do up content advert – display and movies you may need to watch . However , LG ’s retail advert partner plan is not really something it is pursuing .
I ’d add LG webOS to my top recommendations for an on - TV experience that is n’t just riddle with advertizing .
As a premium TV blade , LG is n’t swear so heavily on advertizement for its bottom credit line . It makes the margin it needs to make on its television and does n’t feel like milking its customers for even more money after the TV is bought .
We talk about how Apple telecasting isone of the last advertising - free experience . Well , I ’d lend LG webOS to my top recommendations for an on - TV experience that is n’t just riddled with ads . This is no small deal . I ’m looking forrard to see what the new webOS experience is like when I get the first couple of LG tv set in .
A highly competitive flagship OLED , a surprisingmini - LEDentrant , and asmart TVplatform that has regained my favor . Not a bad starting line to 2024 for LG . Now , we just have to get those reexamination building block in , and we ’re off to the races . The good news is , we wo n’t have to await long !
