If you’ve been spending as much time at home as I have this year, you know how important television has become – and necessary. With little to do during the quarantine, watching a favorite show or movie on one of the many streaming services out there became an evening ritual, which later became a comforting routine. But overwhelmed with a cheaper TV, and well, sometimes waiting for a clear and delay-free experience can be as risky as an underdeveloped chess move The Queen’s Gambit.
That’s why we’re looking to update our television viewing experience in 2021, starting with a look at LG’s 8K OLED TV.
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There are many words in the official name of the LG 8K TV set – officially titled “LG SIGNATURE ZX 77 inch Smart OLED TV class 8K with AI ThinQ®”. Part of the wave of 8K TVs unveiled at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, the only thing you really need to know is that this is a beast of a television set, which will transform the way you see – and experience – your content.
While 4K technology is basically the new industry standard, when it comes to streaming shows and movies on your TV, several studios are starting to create 8K content as well. As the name suggests, 8K offers four times more details than traditional 4K and a 16 times higher resolution (7,680 x 4,320 pixels) than HD. In short, the best 8K TV sets promise more vivid and realistic images on larger screens and a wider color palette.
We tested the 77-inch LG SIGNATURE 8K OLED TV, which incorporates LG’s renowned OLED technology with the ability to display 8K resolution on an elegant end-to-end screen. The TV (which technically measures 76.7 inches diagonally) uses more than 33 million self-illuminating pixels that offer more than a billion color combinations, with perfect blacks and incredible contrasts. What it means: All 76.7 inches of the screen are sharp, detailed and color-correct, with no smudging or darkening. While cheaper TVs focus on the action in the center of the screen (and often get confused at the edges), LG’s OLED TV creates sharp, sharp images even at wide angles.
It can be difficult to find 8K content out there, so LG provided me with a link to a special video that they produced in conjunction with the American Ballet Theater in New York, which captures The Nutcracker in impressive 8K quality. It is no exaggeration to say that the family ballet really appeared on the 8K set, with even the fine details (ie the texture on the dancers’ clothes) coming through the display. What was most impressive, however, is how realistic and engaging the performance looked on the screen, as if – and this is not hyperbole – you were there, watching every arabesque and pliers from the first row. LG says this is thanks to the television’s α9 Gen 3 AI processor, which is specifically designed to increase 8K performance. The advanced processor also eliminates any crashes or delays, creating a virtually continuous, step-by-step, hop-by-hop viewing experience. The movement was impeccably clear and precise, and it was easy to see everything on the screen, even in the fastest sequences and spins.
After watching The Nutcracker at 8K, I found myself watching 8K videos on YouTube (one of the few streaming sites with real 8K content). LG SIGNATURE ZX supports HEVC, AV1 and VP9 codecs, so it’s easy to watch 8K videos on YouTube or, say, 8K from a USB stick. Even non-8K content is automatically enhanced to the closest possible 8K resolution. For me, that meant an evening watching nature documents on YouTube and then switching to favorite action sequences and chase scenes from movies like Clown and the latest from Christopher Nolan, Principle.
8K upscaling together with LG’s OLED technology meant smooth action and well-defined images created from a wide color palette. While watching a documentary on nature in the Pacific islands, each ripple in the ocean was displayed in a different shade of blue, making it incredibly real. This scene of theft of opening Clown? LG’s OLED Motion technology made everything rotate and rotate on the screen without stuttering, while the 8K resolution added an intensity and clarity to the scene that I had never experienced in previous film previews. The same bold colors and striking images emerged from the screen while watching an NFL game, where the action was smooth and without stuttering. One note: I tried to watch the infamous “Long Night” episode of War of Thrones and it was still dark, so I’m attributing that to Got cinematographer and not my TV.
The reality is that there isn’t a lot of 8K content out there yet, but that shouldn’t stop you from considering this TV. Even in “normal” content, LG’s intuitive 8K technology still elevates everything you see. In fact, LG says its 8K SIGNATURE OLED TVs exceed the official definition of 8K Ultra HD in the industry, as established by the Consumer Technology Association. From the moment you turn on the television, you will notice an immediate difference in the quality of what you are watching.
All in a super slim design with a minimalist frame thinner than most not 8K sets on the market today. The 77-inch set was a surefire start for anyone who entered my family room, and is an impressive display piece for movie buffs and design aficionados.
If you are looking for a really impressive TV for 2021 and want to equip your home entertainment system with the latest technology on the market, this is the ideal TV. At a price of $ 19,999 (easy financing is available via Best Buy), it’s not cheap, but considering all the time we spend at home watching TV these days, consider this an investment to improve not only the quality of streaming, but also the quality of life during quarantine as well.
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