LG OLED55B7
FOR Awesome OLED picture; natural presentation
AGAINST The Sony A1 is a punchier performer
“Insight into dark parts of the picture is superb, allowing you to pick up details that other TVS lose to darkness. There’s more detail in the bright bits”
LG’S 2017 OLED range is pretty unusual. Rather than ramping up the pictureprocessing features as you go up the range, all 10 TVS (five models, each in two sizes) have the same panel and the same processing and features. The differences come in the form of the aesthetic designs and built-in speakers.
Perhaps stranger still, there’s not a single most-affordable model, but two identically priced and specified ones: the C7 and this B7, both of which are available in 55in or 65in versions. These models even have the same speaker systems, the only real difference being the shape of the stand. The point, it seems, is exclusivity, as the C7 is available only through Currys.
Clean and simple
The OLED55B7 (along with the C7, of course) has the most basic sound system of the range. This leaves the face of the chassis entirely free from speakers. Instead you have a clean and simple display, surrounded by a thin bezel and an elegant, crescent-shaped pedestal stand, the C7 swapping this for what LG calls a “stiletto” stand.
Most TVS these days are pretty intuitive when it comes to picture settings. The LG B7 takes things a step further by automatically selecting a different array of presets, depending on the type of programme you’re watching. These are generally pretty good, but there are some quick and easy adjustments you can make to get even better picture quality.
Many modes
The default picture mode is Eco and the Energy Saving feature is switched on. We’d recommend switching to Standard mode, turning Energy Saving off and reducing the contrast to reveal more detail in whites. Switching Dynamic Colour to Medium also adds extra punch.
We prefer the picture with the Trumotion setting switched off, but you may choose to put a little de-judder and de-blur on, though this occasionally adds some artefacts to tricky motion. You may also want to switch full HDR support on.
Play HDR or Dolby Vision content, meanwhile, and the TV will switch to the Cinema Home mode, which is excellent, though we’d change the White Balance to Medium or Cool and, again, turn Trumotion off.
Reviewing a telly that supports Dolby Vision, as the LG B7 does (as well as HDR10, HLG and Advanced HDR by Technicolor), we make a beeline for Netflix’s Dolby Vision titles. It’s not immediately obvious what it adds above and beyond the standard HDR signal, but it’s nice that what you’re watching is as the content creator intended.
Brilliant blacks
And it is a stunning picture. For all its faults, Marco Polo provides brilliant test material – the stream of dark scenes lit by candles and fires playing to the OLED TV’S strengths. The feast scene in episode three is a perfect example, as the LG B7 combines pitch blacks with bright, warm flames from the open fire.
The best LCD TVS will go brighter, despite a 25 per cent increase in peak brightness for LG’S 2017 OLEDS, but they won’t go as black and won’t combine the various bright and dark elements anywhere near as well.
Insight into dark parts of the picture is superb, allowing you to pick up details that other TVS lose to darkness. There’s more detail in the bright bits. This is another area that LG has focused on for its 2017 OLEDS and the dedication has certainly paid off.
This scene contains a fair amount of fast action as characters wrestle for the entertainment of the gathered VIPS. The LG is fast enough that, even with Trumotion switched off, there’s control and composure, with just a small amount of natural, acceptable blurring.
Sony’s A1 has the advantage here, in that its motion processing is pretty much flawless. The Sony is more dynamic too, using some clever processing to add greater punch to the panel (also supplied by LG), but it’s worth remembering that the Sony is also £500 more expensive. With only so much 4K HDR content out there, you’re likely to be mostly watching 1080p shows and movies, and the LG handles these admirably. Contrast is again the standout element, but the B7 also digs up loads of ne detail, dening edges crisply without over-sharpening.
You never get the sense that what you’re watching is anything but precisely what was intended. With Trumotion switched off, you’re never made aware of what the TV is up to, which can happen with traditional LCDS as they raise and lower a backlight to make the most of each scene. There’s nothing to distract you when watching the B7.
Good upscaling
If you watch DVDS, you’ll be pleased to know that the LG B7 does an astonishing job with standard-definition content. The picture is so detailed, balanced and clean, it’s hard to believe much of what you’re watching is made up by the screen. From what we’ve seen, no other 4K TV (bar another 2017 LG OLED) is as good.
LG knocks it out of the park in gaming performance, too. Not only do you get the same excellent contrast, definition, detail and balance, there’s practically no input lag. We measured 21.4ms, which is low enough that no-one will ever notice. A seriously good choice of telly.
Choice pick
Seeing as LG is using sound as the differentiating factor between its 2017 OLEDS, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the B7 sounds like a sword fight in a beehive – but that’s not actually the case at all. Thanks to downward-firing speakers, there’s an indirectness to the sound that the more sonically endowed E7 and G7 don’t suffer. The soundstage doesn’t stretch too far into the room as a result, but it’s still spacious, dynamic and clear by flatscreen standards.
We always had a suspicion that the B7 and C7 would be the choice picks of LG’S 2017 range. Here you get the same superb picture as the E7, G7 and even the W7, but at a more reasonable price (although £3000 is still a lot).
The sacrifices are supposed to be the design and the sound, but there’s an argument that these two, uncluttered models are actually the best-looking of the range after the “Wallpaper” W7, and the sound isn’t exactly terrible either.
The only issue for the OLED55B7V is the Sony KD-55A1, which has an even more dynamic and thrilling picture. It’s more expensive, but we think that’s just about worth it for the improvements. However, it’s a close-run thing.