- The success of OLED has created a motivating drawback for LG - at now, the corporate is essentially competitory against itself. that is as a result of LG show, the technology analysis arm of the corporate sells panels to each manufacturer except Samsung (no surprise there), effort LG natural philosophy to face a huddled market place of its own style. thus what will the Korean large do?
Simple, it makes its OLED 4K TVs the foremost feature-packed that money should purchase.
That said, the C9 represents the midrange for LG’s 2019 OLED TVs, adding the superior Alpha9 processor in comparison to the cheaper B9, however avoiding the high-priced cosmetic options found on models any up the vary. As a result the valuation is as competitive because the specs area unit spectacular.
Even higher, a bit like the dearer OLED TVs within the lineup, the C9 offers a 2d generation Alpha9 processor with AI enhancements, improved sound with AI process, Associate in Nursingd an upgraded sensible platform with, you guessed it, added AI.
On prime of everything else, there’s high dynamic vary (HDR10, HLG, and electrical engineer|electrical engineer} Vision) and support for Dolby Atmos, and HDMI two.1. concerning the sole feature not enclosed is HDR10+, however otherwise these area unit terribly competitive OLEDs.
LG C9 OLED unleash date and worth
No matter wherever you reside within the world, the C9 comes in 3 screen sizes: a 55-inch , 65-inch (reviewed here) and a 77-inch model.
If you reside within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, you will be able to purchase the 55-inch OLED55C9PLA for £2,499, the 65-inch OLED65C9PLA for £3,299 and therefore the 77-inch OLED77C9PLA for £7,499. In the US, those models correspond to the OLED55C9PUA ($2,499), OLED65C9PUA ($3,499) and OLED77C9PBA ($6,999), whereas in Australia you will be able to realize the OLED55C9PTA (AU$3,899), OLED65C9PTA (AU$6,399) and OLED77C9PTA (AU$15,999).
All sizes of the screens ought to be out there to shop for beginning in Gregorian calendar month, however generally the larger models do not arrive to stores for many weeks.
LG C9 OLED SPECS
Screen Sizes: 55-, 65-, 77-inches
| Tuner: Freeview HD, satellite HD
| HDR: affirmative
| Panel technology: OLED
| sensible TV: affirmative, WebOS and ThinQ AI
| Curved: No
| Dimensions: 1228(w) x 738(h) x two51(d)mm
| Weight: 23kg
| 3D: No
| Inputs: 4xHDMI 2.1, 3xUSB, 2xRF, optical, analogue, headphones, CI slot
Design
One space that the LG C9 might not appear to be a vast overhaul compared to last year's C8 is within the style class - however that’s not a nasty factor. The C9 OLED retains an equivalent sleek and minimalist look, further because the slanted stand that fires sound at the observer. The bezel-less screen is encircled by a dark metallic trim, and each the stand and rear of the panel boast a sexy brushed-metal end.
The connections stay comprehensive and, new for this year, LG has even other HDMI two.1. the most recent version of HDMI cannot solely handle a staggering 48Gbps, however conjointly supports higher frame rates up to 120Hz, dynamic data for HDR, eARC (enhanced audio come channel), variable refresh rates (VRR), Associate in Nursingd an motor vehicle low latency mode (ALLM).
LG is that the solely manufacturer to incorporate HDMI two.1 on its 2019 4K TVs, giving them a leg informed the competition that will not have HDMI two.1 till 2020. different makers would doubtless retort that you simply will deliver nearly all an equivalent options victimisation HDMI two.0b, the very fact that LG’s new TVs area unit future-proofed despite what happens.
Like the remainder of LG's OLED and Nano Cell line up, the C9 includes the most recent version of the Magic Remote, that retains its fantastic applied science style. The controller is snug to carry and extremely intuitive to use, because of an exact onscreen pointer. 5 minutes with this electrical device and every one others area unit period of time by comparison.
The remote appearance just like last year, however LG has replaced any writing with icons – presumptively to form it applicable to any or all international markets. There’s still a inherent electro-acoustic transducer that has multiple functions this year, in conjunction with direct access keys for Netflix, Amazon, and Rakuten.
Design TL;DR: The sleek and minimalist style remains as obvious as ever, whereas the utilization of HDMI two.1 ensures the C9 can keep future-proof for years to come back.
Smart TV (webOS with ThinQ AI)
The LG C9 boasts the most recent iteration of webOS and whereas this game dynamic platform remains for the most part an equivalent, there are many tweaks.
For a begin there’s currently a second tier on the launcher bar that’s terribly such as the one found on Samsung’s Tizen system. It’s rather ironic that LG ought to take inspiration from Samsung, particularly after you contemplate that Tizen traced webOS within the 1st place, but the second tier could be a helpful feature, creating it faster to access content Associate in Nursingd adding an AI Preview that creates recommendations supported your viewing habits. There’s conjointly a brand new Intelligent Edit feature that lists your apps supported however usually you employ them.
That’s terribly handy as a result of the C9 includes a ton of apps; to not mention a comprehensive choice of streaming services that has Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Now TV, Rakuten, and every one the united kingdom TV catch-up services.
The AI-enhanced recommendation feature monitors and analyses your viewing habits based mostly not solely on content however conjointly the time of day. it'll then build recommendations according its analysis, though there’s the choice to show this feature off if it gets annoying.
There’s a brand new Home Dashboard that collates all connected mobile, input and residential IoT devices into one hub. you'll monitor and management around any connected device in your sensible home, and LG are going to be adding support for Homekit later this year.
LG’s ThinQ open AI platform already includes Google Assistant, and therefore the company plans to feature Amazon Alexa via a future code update. you'll access Google by pressing the mic button on the remote, then voice management your C9 or just use it as a sensible assistant.
Other new options embrace the flexibility to setup your C9 victimisation Associate in Nursing LG smartphone, and therefore the ability to auto-detect connected HDMI devices. There’s conjointly a mini-browser, a brand new television station banner, Associate in Nursingd an expanded Gallery mode with world celebrated travel attractions seasonally curated by TripAdvisor.
Smart TV TL;DR: webOS remains the foremost comprehensive and intuitive platform out there, however the inclusion of AI-enhancements and voice assistants conjointly build it the neatest.
HD/SDR Performance
The LG C9 delivers all the image advantages you'd expect from Associate in Nursing OLED TV: unbelievably achromatic blacks and superior distinction ratios. It’s conjointly extraordinarily correct, manufacturing colors that area unit each natural and dead saturated.
The default normal image mode is certain to please several, with its bright punchy pictures and hues that pop. but those trying to find photos that adhere to the business standards, are going to be delighted by the accuracy on supply within the ISF modes. None of this could come back as a surprise, the C8 was even as spectacular in terms of black levels and image fidelity.
However the 2nd-gen Alpha9 processor brings deep learning AI algorithms in touch that have a major impact on the image. This process accesses a info composed of various content examples, and uses this to analyse the image then optimise it counting on the sort and quality of content.
This process extremely works, with precise upscaling of lower resolution pictures and exceptional noise reduction and image improvement. The results area unit usually exciting, and once looking Gravity the careful star fields looked higher than they need on the other show.
The de-contouring feature 1st introduce last year currently includes a separate management within the menu, and it’s extremely effective at reducing band in compressed content. There’s conjointly AI Brightness, a brand new feature that uses a detector to find close lightweight then optimises the brightness supported the viewing atmosphere, therefore up visibility in dark areas of the image.
The results of all this process is Associate in Nursing SDR image that's usually staggering in its detail, precision, and accuracy. the pictures area unit clean, and freed from noise and band, whereas the upscaling makes full use of all the pixels within the 4K panel. we tend to were conjointly happy to envision that the image didn’t suffer from the block and flashing artefacts that have affected previous LG OLEDs.
The Motion professional black frame insertion (BFI) feature is best than last year, up motion handling whereas showing less vulnerable to flicker. but normally, motion handling is perhaps the one space wherever LG is at an obstacle to the competition as it's still a touch...aggressive.
The play performance is superb, and therefore the input lag is Associate in Nursing invisible twelve.7ms. That’s unbelievably low, and once combined with VRR and ALLM it makes the C9 a clear alternative for gamers. Those involved concerning image retention (commonly said as burn-in) shouldn’t lose sleep as LG employs variety of options inherent to mitigate the problem.
HD/SDR Performance TL;DR: The inherent advantages of OLED combined with the 2d generation Alpha9 processor ends up in a number of the simplest SDR pictures we’ve ever seen.
4K/HDR Performance
The LG C9 delivered Associate in Nursing equally spectacular HDR performance, despite solely striking a peak brightness of 780 nits. (OLED panels can ne'er reach the amount of brightness seen on LCD-based technologies like Samsung’s QLED, however they need different blessings as you will see shortly.)
For a begin there area unit those superb blacks, and these area unit vital as a result of dynamic vary goes from absolute black to peak white. LG has conjointly improved the performance simply higher than black, therefore revealing additional shadow detail. within the past OLEDs usually struggled to retain details as pictures came out of black, however that wasn’t a problem with the C9.
Since Associate in Nursing OLED is self-emissive which means every element is severally controlled, primarily making over eight million dimming zones. this implies Associate in Nursing OLED will deliver Associate in Nursing new level of detail within the mirrorlike highlights wont to offer HDR its impact. The C9 conjointly tone mapped the content accurately, making certain that these highlights didn’t lose detail or clip.
All these factors were evident once looking the scene in 1st Man wherever the Apollo eleven area craft 1st goes in to orbit round the moon. The screen is totally black then the satellite surface seems through the module window. It’s a scene that solely Associate in Nursing OLED will extremely do justice to, and therefore the C9 delivered it dead.
The colours area unit equally as spectacular, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 color area used for HDR. This was simple to envision once looking Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, that has Associate in Nursing unbelievably saturated image that the C9 rendered altogether its glory.
LG introduced a feature known as Dynamic Tone Mapping 2 years agone, and this works significantly well once it involves addressing the inherent brightness limitations of OLED. It analyses every scene on a frame-by-frame basis and adjusts the tone mapping consequently, therefore up the HDR expertise. This feature has been increased and improved on the C9, and therefore the results were genuinely spectacular.
The LG not solely supports HDR10 and broadcast HLG, however conjointly Dolby Vision. This uses dynamic data (not to be confused with dynamic tone mapping), and is obtainable on a large vary of content together with streaming and 4K Blu-ray. but there's another format that conjointly uses dynamic data known as HDR10+ and whereas the content catalogue is presently tiny, it’s growing.
At present LG doesn’t support HDR10+; actually it’s the sole version of HDR not enclosed on its TVs. this can be unfortunate as a result of each Philips and Panasonic supply OLED TVs that support Dolby Vision and HDR10+, a indisputable fact that can without doubt prove fashionable those keen to possess each formats on their TV.
4K/HDR Performance TL;DR: it would not be as bright as QLED, however this can be still an excellent HDR performance. solely the shortage of HDR10+ support disappoints.
Sound
The LG C9 sounds remarkably smart, particularly after you contemplate it measures mere millimetres at the highest and solely reaches forty six.9mm at rock bottom. That doesn’t leave a great deal of area for speakers, however LG has applied some clever AI process to supply natural philosophy help.
To start with, you'll truly optimise your new C9 for the particular area you’re victimisation it in. There’s a brand new One bit Sound standardization feature that uses the mic within the remote to analyse the space from your main listening position and set-up the TV consequently.
Once the AI acoustic standardization has finished, you'll compare before when before saving the settings. This feature extremely works, and therefore the sound retains wonderful detail and crisp clarity. There area unit 3 modes further, with the quality choice providing the foremost balanced results. However, if you're feeling like boosting the treble or bass you'll, and therefore the results area unit spectacular.
There’s conjointly Associate in Nursing AI Sound mode that up-mixes two.1-channel audio to virtual five.1 surround sound. because of the clever application of psychoacoustic trickery the sound advantages from staging that appears larger and additional open. The dialogue remains clear however music and effects area unit additional close, whereas the bass is amazingly deep.
As with previous years, the C9 supports Dolby Atmos. you cannot apply AI process during this mode, on the other hand why would you? Dolby Atmos is natively encoded with separate surround channels, and though the TV is making its sound field with solely a try of speakers, the results area unit usually extremely immersive. The audio capability of those trendy TVs is nothing wanting superb.
Sound TL;DR: The sound quality is exceptional considering however ultra-slim this TV is. The AI-enhanced process extremely works, as will the acoustic standardization.
The LG C8 OLED is that the forerunner to the C9 and still one in every of the simplest OLED TVs around.
Other panels to cogitate...
It’s still early within the 2019 TV unleash schedule, however that will mean if you’re on a good budget last year's LG C8 OLED is being heavily discounted. whereas the C9 is Associate in Nursing improvement over last year’s model, the C8 remains an excellent 4K OLED. There’s conjointly the choice of the cheaper LG B9 OLED returning later this year that doesn’t use the Alpha9 processor however retains most of the opposite new options.
If you’re thinking of other makers, Sony has already discharged its new AF9 Master Series OLED TV. This wonderful 4K model delivers spectacular image accuracy and includes Dolby Vision, in conjunction with Sony’s clever Acoustic Surface. but the panel is kind of dim, and there’s no support for HDR10+.
Probably of bigger interest area unit the Panasonic GZ1000 and Philips 804 OLED 4K TVs. whereas neither of those models is kind of as feature-packed or sensible because the C9, they are doing support each Dolby Vision and HDR10+, therefore pleasing anyone desire to hide their high dynamic vary bases.
Finally if you favor Associate in Nursing LCD panel, then check up on the superb Samsung Q90 uses direct QLED backlighting to deliver near-OLED blacks, improved viewing angles and a high peak brightness. It conjointly includes a terribly low input lag and won’t suffer from image retention or screen burn, creating it a good alternative for each HDR and play.
Final finding of fact
The LG C9 could be a actually exceptional 4K OLED TV that takes what was thus spectacular concerning last year’s C8 and builds on that. the key distinction is that the inclusion of the 2d generation Alpha9 processor, that uses AI enhancements to deliver stellar SDR and HDR pictures, and helps build the upscaling and process second-to-none with unbelievable levels of detail and image fidelity.
As is that the case with all OLEDs the panel brightness pales in comparison to Associate in Nursing LCD TV, however brightness isn’t everything. absolutely the blacks and element level of preciseness afforded by the self-emissive technology ensures that HDR appearance gorgeous. There’s support for Dolby Vision further, and solely the absence of HDR10+ disappoints.
Finally, the TV’s sensible platform remains progressive, and currently boasts the inclusion of each Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. webOS has been tweaked however still includes a comprehensive choice of streaming services, whereas AI powers the advice options. Meanwhile, the new Home Dashboard turns your TV into a hub for your sensible home.
Overall, the LG C9 represents a transparent evolution within the development of OLED, and it not solely delivers superb photos and sound, however is additionally the neatest 4K TV on the market.
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