LG 55C8V television: the new Oled reference

Presentation

The LG 55C8 television always has a 55-inch 10-bit Oled panel (≈140 cm) with an Ultra HD resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 px. If the structure of the subpixels has changed slightly, the characteristics of the slab remain very close to those of the Oled slabs of 2017: maximum brightness around 780 cd / m², 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, infinite contrast and zero afterglow time. The novelty is the appearance of a new image processing processor called α9 (Alpha 9) more efficient. LG has also developed a black image insertion system that improves the sharpness of moving images, at the expense of maximum brightness, however.

The LG Oled 55C8V television is sold for around 2,500 €. It is also available in 65 (≈165 cm / 65C8V) and 77 inch (≈196 cm / 77C8V) versions at the respective prices of € 3,800 and € 10,000. The 55E8V, 65E8V, 65W8V and 77W8V models share the same electronics and differ only in audio rendering and design. Please note, LG Oled 55B8V and 55B8V televisions have a less efficient α7 processor, which is an evolution of the MP16 + present on the 2017 LG Oled. Compared to the 2017 models, the B8V still provides the insertion system of black images.

All the brightness and colorimetric measurements mentioned in this article were carried out with a SpectraCal C6-HDR probe and the CalMAN Ultimate software.

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Image quality

If the structure of the sub-pixels is different, the operation remains identical: each pixel is made up of four sub-pixels (one green, one red, one blue and one white). The white and blue sub-pixels are larger in order to improve the maximum brightness of the screen. According to LG Display, this modification of the structure makes it possible to reduce the size of the electronic circuit (invisible in photo) located just below the sub-pixels. The resolution necessary for the production of an 8K panel can therefore be increased without impacting the capacity of the panel in terms of colorimetry or brightness. As always with Oled technology, the viewing angles are excellent, the loss of brightness at 45 ° is very limited (22%), and there is no variation on the black which is total.

As on the 2017 models, the anti-reflective treatment is effective (since last year, LG operates a black anti-reflective filter than before, it produced purple reflections). The filtration is reliable and the reflections are well diluted.

With the exception of yellow, all the colors tested display a delta E of less than 3, a threshold below which the human eye no longer perceives a difference between the colors displayed on the screen and the colors expected. The average delta E is 1.8, which is excellent; colors can therefore be considered as perfectly faithful to those sent by the source.

Measured at 2.4, the gamma mean shifts to the reference value. There is a slight variation of the gamma on the grays to more than 60%, acceptable and very difficult to distinguish on the final rendering. Like the 2017 models, this television now has an automatic gamma mode (much simpler for the general public) which automatically switches from gamma 2.2, ideal for HD / Full HD content, to gamma 2.4 which is the standard for Ultra HD Blu-ray.

The color temperature is just perfect. It locks onto the reference value, namely 6,500 K and, above all, it is perfectly stable over the entire spectrum.

It is no longer a surprise, the contrast obtained by an Oled panel is considered to be infinite. Indeed, even with a white calibrated at 152 cd / m², black is measured at 0 cd / m² (our probe cannot measure a black below 0.0049 cd / m²). This contrast is still as impressive and allows you to enjoy all the nuances, even in complete darkness.

The new processor α9 (Alpha 9) incorporates a processor 35% more efficient than last year's MP16 +, and a GPU also 35% more efficient. The associated DDR memory is also faster (+ 50%). The processor multiplies the processing to provide a perfectly clear image. Noise reduction processing is now carried out in four passes: two TNR (Temporal Noise Reduction) passes and two contour detection passes. The scaling is then applied with the improvement of the sharpness, the improvement of the contrast by the detection of objects and the improvement of the colors (the latter does not operate in Cinema mode). The scaling engine is therefore very efficient. It displays Full HD content on the Ultra HD panel while respecting the original source without creating an artifact. More anecdotally, the TV is also compatible with 4K HFR (High Frame Rate) content at 100/120 fps, which are currently only available via USB or streaming. To date, no HFR consumer content is available.

As for the motion compensation engine, lagging behind in recent years, it finally competes with the leaders of the segment, namely Philips and Panasonic. LG's α9 processor performs prowess and greatly improves the sharpness of moving objects.

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HDR

The LG 55C8V television inaugurates our new HDR evaluation procedure in our laboratory, and it is clear that it is doing very well in this exercise.

With a maximum HDR signal of 10,000 cd / m², the Display Tone Mapping operated by LG works very well. The television respects the EOTF curve of reference and begins to smooth only the parts too bright for its capacities. The weak point of Oled technology remains the maximum brightness, which we measured at 799 cd / m² on the 55C8V, while high-end LCD models can exceed 1,300 cd / m² (Sony 65ZD9).

We also measure the color accuracy in HDR mode. We have chosen Cinema HDR mode which offers the best color rendering. The average delta E is measured at only 1.5 and no nuance exceeds 3.

The LG 55C8V television offers 70% coverage of Rec.2020. It is one of the best on the market in this area, but it is still far from being able to reproduce all the colors promised by the Blu-ray Ultra HD standard. Fortunately, the cinema is content for the moment with the DCI-P3 color space and the LG television covers 96% of this space here.

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Video games

The LG Oled 55C8V television is very effective in games. The zero retention time results in very little blurring behind moving objects, while the delay in displaying only 20 ms minimizes the delay between the action on the joystick and its repercussion on the screen. 'screen. For comparison, PC screens go down to 10 ms, but on a TV this remains one of the best measured values. Another positive point, LG authorizes the activation of the black image insertion system in game mode (Advanced options> TruMotion> MotionPro).

Also new in our test procedure, we are now evaluating the color fidelity in Game mode, because the atmosphere designed by the creators of the game must be respected by the television, just like that of a film. On this point, the LG TV is not doing very well: it displays an average Delta E of 8.8, far from the threshold of 3, with a clear drift in cyan, indigo and purple tones. By setting the color temperature to W45, we find an average Delta E of 4.4, much better but not yet sufficient. The manufacturer will have to improve this aspect in the future.

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Clouding

As with all Oled TVs on the market, each pixel is managed individually and there is therefore no clouding. Banding effects (horizontal or vertical bands) are also absent on this model. The homogeneity of the brightness on the screen is excellent, since we measured the average difference in uniformity of white across the entire 55 inch screen at only 4%. This excellent result is again explained by the use of Oled technology.

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Ergonomics

The LG 55C8V television adopts a new foot a little less discreet than that of the previous Oled televisions of the Korean manufacturer. The design of the panel remains very sleek with very thin screen edges, without logo. The mention LG Oled appears only on the foot.

As the Oled technology does not have a backlighting system, the thinness of the slab is extreme. On the top, the TV is only a few millimeters thick. The lower part which carries the power supply and the electronics is a little wider, since it takes 4.7 cm. In all cases, the occupation on the TV stand is linked to that of the stand, the depth of which is 23 cm. Our 40 cm piece of furniture is therefore more than enough.

The back of the Oled LG 55C8V TV has not changed compared to the previous one. We find the power cable on the left and the connector on the right. At the bottom center, the basic cable management system (absent in the photo) remains identical to that of the LG 55C7V.

No change either on the connection side: this TV offers four HDMI 2.0b inputs, three USB ports including a USB 3.0, an Ethernet port, an optical digital audio output, a headphone output, a PCMCIA port (CI + common interface), a rake antenna connector and a satellite. It has a DVB-T / T2 tuner and an integrated DVB-S / S2 and DVB-C demodulator. It also has 802.11a / b / g / n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 for connection with a wireless audio device (headphones or speaker).

If the operating system of LG televisions changes its name (AI ThinQ), it retains the same interface introduced by WebOS in 2014. The whole is still as pleasant, but is starting to lack fluidity compared to the competition. Sometimes you have to wait a few tenths of a second before opening a menu, which is not the case on Tizen for example. The main applications are available (Netflix, YouTube, Pluzz, MyTF1, Google Play Films or Deezer). They launch quickly and remain in memory for a rapid recovery. This year, LG's in-house system emphasizes voice controls by offering the possibility of carrying out extensive searches (sports results, weather, etc.), controlling the television ("put such a channel", "record as program", etc.) , change settings (switch to Game mode, Cinema mode, etc.) and many more.

More interesting, the television turns on in less than 5 seconds thanks to the "Fast recovery" option and, above all, consumes less than one watt in standby, even with this option activated. In addition, the first start-up is extremely fast (around 6 s), especially compared to that of Android TVs which take around 45 s. Extinction is instantaneous.

Like the 55C7V and 55C6V before it, the Oled LG 55C8V television is supplied with the Magic Remote. We find the Netflix and Amazon Prime keys as well as the Quick Access button (0 key). Thanks to its very low center of gravity, it fits effortlessly in the palm of the hand. The gyroscope works wonderfully, as does the built-in microphone allowing voice searches. The remote control offers all the usual commands, but skips the multimedia keys, yet present on the Oled Magic Remote of the 65W7. Finally, the keys are still not backlit.

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Audio

The LG 55C8V television has two speakers and two subwoofers with a total power of 40 W. If the audio system has not changed since last year, it still surprises with its ability to reproduce quality sound with appreciable power. It offers a very good frequency response between 80 and 20,000 Hz and therefore covers almost the entire spectrum.

Note, on 55 and 65 inch models, the stand can be replaced by an LG SK10Y soundbar thanks to the adapter. Enough to enjoy quality sound by minimizing the space occupied on the TV stand.

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Consumption

We measured the consumption of the LG 55C8V at 90 W on our test chart. The relative consumption reaches 108 W / m²; that's more than most LCD TVs on the market, but slightly less than last year's LG 55C7V (116 W / m²). Standby consumption is always less than 1 W.

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Conclusion

LG is finally catching up with the competition thanks to the new α9 processor which ensures good scaling and especially inaugurates a very efficient motion compensation engine. The rest remains in line with the beg previous Oled TVs. We find a perfectly calibrated image, wide viewing angles, infinite contrast and zero retention time. The audio system is also very good for a television and the WebOS system now called AI ThinQ is still as pleasant to use. This is flawless for the LG 55C8V TV, which stands out as a real benchmark.

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