Eight years since LG produced its first OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) television, the 15-inch 15EL9500, the range has gone from strength-to-strength.
The 2018 range is the best yet, pairing refined designs with pictures that are brighter, punchier and more detailed, while retaining the excellent black levels that we love about OLED.
So good is the tech that LG picked up two What Hi-FI? Awards this year: The Best 65-inch TV over £2500 for the LG OLED65C8PLA and Product of the Year for the OLED55C8PLA.
Alpha 9 processing power
The C8 Series TVs feature the company’s brand new Alpha 9 processor. This is responsible for much of the crucial picture fine tuning, from noise reduction to image sharpening and contrast enhancement to colour mapping.
4K video support is extensive and includes the HDR10, HLG, HFR and Dolby Vision codecs. There are four HDMI inputs, three USB connections, plus optical and headphone outputs. LG’s super-fast webOS smart TV platform is on board, with iPlayer, Amazon, Netflix and plenty more besides, while the ThinQ AI platform allows you to control your TV with voice commands.
But the real star is the picture, which is a marked upgrade on last year—and those were already the best on the market. The C8 delivers a sharper, more detailed and punchier picture. Objects appear more three-dimensional, colours are richer and brighter and the overall image is more detailed. The realistic nature of the picture easily sets LG TVs apart from rivals.
It's great for gamers too
The LG C8 also excels when it comes to standard definition content. Excellent upscaling ensures you get a top class picture whatever you watch. Gamers are catered for, too, thanks to good motion processing and low input lag. Sonically, you get the benefit of Dolby Atmos audio, with the speakers housed in the elegant pedestal stand.
The LG OLED55C8PLA ups the OLED ante, delivering a new benchmark for performance at this price and screen size. The image is brighter, punchier and more detailed, while maintaining the black depth and natural picture we love. It’s an exceptional performer and a worthy 2018 Product of the Year. The larger LG OLED65C8PLA is also a worthy winner of Best 65-inch TV over £2500.