You walk into a television showroom – just for fun. You’re wanting to have a little look-see. Do you find it a bit challenging to keep up with all the new tech available these days? So when you take a look at the row of TVs on display, comparing the picture quality from one to the next… what should you be looking for? And, what is the hype around LG OLED smart TVs?
If your TV choosing process seems a little blurry, let’s sharpen your view. LG OLED is something you need to know about.
Pixel by Pixel
Let’s start with a few basics. You may know about 4K. This refers to the screen resolution. Now, there are 4K TVs that are not OLED. However, all the latest OLED Televisions offer 4K resolution.
If you want to buy a new TV, the options aren’t necessarily straightforward. Do you need a TV so that your kids can watch Disney shows? Or, do you want to watch all the sports 24/7? The type of TV you get depends on what you need it for.
To understand a bit more about what OLED actually means, and to work out if LG OLED TVs are as good as the hype, we need to go into some detail.
Let’s start by explaining how OLED is different to the standard LED TVs that have been around since 2005.
Understanding OLED vs LED
A normal LED TV has two main parts, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panel and a backlight.
The pixels are in the LCD part and the backlight illuminates the LCD pixels so that the colour shines through.
The pixels are invisible without the backlight. The Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) create the backlighting. So, LED refers to how backlighting is made.
It helps to understand the acronyms here. A LED-backlit LCD TV is a television that uses Light Emitting Diodes for backlighting through a Liquid Crystal Display.
OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. This newer technology enables a simpler internal structure than conventional LED displays. Each pixel is a self-contained source of colour and light.
In the presence of an electric current, colour and light are produced from a single diode. Because of this, OLED TVs don’t need a separate backlight. In other words, LED screens rely on an external light source whereas every single pixel in an OLED panel illuminates itself.
As you can imagine, OLED technology is rather delicate. Not to mention, this organic material is more expensive to produce, so, yes, OLED TVs are on the pricier end of the spectrum.
LG OLED Televisions
Currently, LG is the only manufacturer of OLED panels for TVs.
Is OLED just LG? Yes. If you find another brand of OLED TV on the market, just know that their manufacturers get OLED panels from LG. This includes (but is not limited to) Sony, Philips, Siemens, Panasonic, and HiSense.
Are LG OLED TVs any good? Let’s explore some of the features that set OLED apart.
Colour Space
Colour accuracy and image quality are improved with OLED technology. Since each pixel is its own self-contained diode, colours are more intense and contrast values are higher. This means noticeably blacker blacks and brighter whites.
OLED TVs don’t suffer from the same black-level problems as traditional LED TVs. If an OLED pixel isn’t getting electricity, it doesn’t produce any light, making it absolutely black.
What about brightness and contrast? Any modern TV will be bright enough for most situations and OLED TVs don’t disappoint either. OLED TVs have absolute dark black levels, making the contrast between the darkest and brightest spots on the screen more vivid.
Basically, in terms of colour space, OLED supports a wide colour gamut or HDR with a superior contrast ratio.
Response Time
If you’re setting up a home theatre, or if you’re a gamer you probably already know all about response time. As a quick explanation, response time refers to how long it takes for each pixel to change its state. (Essentially, the colour and brightness.)
A faster response time means less motion blur and better picture smoothness. OLED pixels change state really fast.
How fast?
OLED offers the fastest response time of any TV technology currently available. LG OLED TVs recommend themselves on faster response time alone. These are all great qualities if you’re looking for a TV to support your Xbox or PS5. It’s also a huge plus for sports viewing.
Refresh Rate
So, you know when people say “literally” to describe something impressive? Well, the refresh rate of OLED TVs is literally one thousand times faster than LED. No exaggerations for descriptive effect, this is a fact!
Other Advantages
Viewing angles are rather accommodating. You’ll still be able to watch your favourite show at an 84-degree angle. You can all but sit next to the TV screen and still be able to see the picture without degradation of luminance.
And, have we mentioned that OLED is more energy efficient? These TVs have better power consumption. Blue light levels are lower too. And, the form-factor is super-thin and lightweight (seriously, one model even rolls up).
On the Market
As a quick summary, the LG G1 Gallery OLED TV is a follow-up to the Gallery Series OLED TV. And the LG C1 OLED TV takes the place of 2020’s CX OLED. LG has also produced some (slightly) less expensive options such as the A1 OLED.
We’ve put together a quick summary to compare the prices of three of the 2021 models. The prices may vary from the time of writing.
LG 165cm (65”) C1 4K Self-Lit OLED Nvidia G-Sync AI ThinQ TV
This breakdown should give you some idea:
LG C1
- Screen Size 165cm or 65-inch
- Currently retails at R46,999.99
LG G1
- Screen Size 165cm or 65-inch
- Currently retails at R53,199.99
LG A1
- Screen Size 165cm or 65-inch
- Currently retails at R41,999.99
This comparison is of three similar models of equal size. OLED TVs available at Hirsch also come in 48-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 75-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch sizes.
But maybe you want to know which is the best OLED TV? Opinions in this respect may differ. However, there is one that has certainly received a lot of attention. That would be the LG C1, which has been dubbed as the king of TVs for 2021.
The LG C1 OLED TV offers great value in terms of price and performance. Screen sizing comes in a variety of options (48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch). As mentioned, it has a 4K cinema HDR resolution. Naturally, it’s a smart TV with OLED panels.
Other features include four HDMI ports along with a webOS interface, a game optimiser menu, and app support.
Viewer Satisfaction Guaranteed With LG OLED TVs
What’s on your wishlist this year? If you’re wanting to upgrade the TV in your home audio system, OLED is definitely worth considering.
Perhaps you’ve come across NanoCell TVs in your browsing. Are you wondering how they measure up to LG OLEDs? Well, that is definitely a question worth asking. It’s also a great topic for another article.
If you need to know more, the friendly people at Hirsch’s TV and Entertainment department will be happy to answer all your questions.