When the nice guys from LG's Israeli public relations office reach out and offer to send an OLED TV for a review - you say yes. Naturally, I graciously accepted and received a new 65" OLEDB6 TV. Here's my hands-on review of LG's new TV.
The OLEDB6 was launched in early 2016, and is actually LG's entry-level OLED TV for 2016, alongside the curved OLEDC6. The B6 features a flat 4K WRGB (WOLED-CF) OLED panel, LG's latest WebOS 3.0 operation system, HDR support and LG's Color Prime Pro technology. The TV does not support 3D, but strangely LG did bundle a couple of passive 3D glasses with the TV. The B6 comes in two sizes - 55" and 65".
First impressions
It's very hard to ignore the size of this TV - 65" is huge. Granted, my own TV is a 40" LED LCD (oh, the shame) by Philips. In my ordinary-sized living room this TV definitely stood out - and it took a couple of days to get used to it. Admittedly this did not take long - now it is like having my own cinema screen at home. And I love it.
LG's TV is very thin - but the connector box on the back adds a considerable bump - and this hampers the effect of a thin TV, and as always I wonder why LG didn't choose to retain a thin panel and provide a connector box that connects via one cable to the TV panel. This would have made much more sense in such a thin TV!
With the exception of the bump on the back, the TV is great looking. When the screen is off, it is very reflective, with a reddish hue - but when turned on it is actually not very reflective. In fact DisplayMate, the display measurement expert, says that this is the lowest reflectance TV ever tested.
The TV comes with LG's WebOS 3.0 smartTV platform, and a 3D air remote. The remote is a joy to use and is highly intuitive. It took only a couple of minutes to setup the TV, connect my streamer and Wi-Fi. I also tried connecting an external hard-drive and it was great to see that the TV was able to show all the content there - even with Hebrew subtitles (which is no small feat).
Image quality and WebOS 3
LG's OLED provides a superb image. You notice the deep blacks right away - especially when playing a game or navigating a menu in the TV. 4K resolution is amazing, but unfortantly there's not much 4K content available yet. Even a Full-HD image looks excellent in this TV, you notice so many details and the color depth and contrast really shine.
I watched several types of content on the TV, to test different scenerios. Dark scenes feel extra clear and details are still noticeable. This is the place where I fell the OLED really shines. Lively music and highly colorful and bright children shows are also terrific on this TV. Colors really pop and everything is so lifelike and fun.
One of the advantages of OLED displays is the low response time. Fast moving images do not smear and fast action scenes are a joy. The huge size of the TV, coupled with the great colors and contrast really make for an immersive experience - that any TV buff will enjoy.
The TV uses LG's WebOS 3.0, which turned out to be very intuitive. The TV comes with several applications pre-installed and several VOD options (even some Israeli-specific content, which was a nice touch). My two daughters (ages 6 and 8) learned how to use it in 5 minutes - including how to install new games and applications. The 3D air remote is very fun and easy to use.
What do people say?
I had a few friends over to check the new TV out, and I listened to what they had to say. Everybody pretty much said that the TV looks wonderful and that the image quality is superb. I got more than one offer to buy the TV, or organize an insurance scam. This is surely a desirable screen - and a great way to make everyone jealous.
I am not sure, though, whether people really notice the image quality: high-end LCD TVs offer such a good image quality these days, that it is hard to see the difference without a side-by-side comparison. So while this is an excellent TV with surely the best image quality on the market - my conclusion is that it is difficult to notice the difference in a glance. After you spend a little time with an OLED TV, however, it will be difficult to go back.
My two daughters, by the way, really love it - though I suspect this is mostly because of its size, the games they can play on it and the fact that it is brand new and none of their friends have this kind of TV yet...
Is it worth it?
The 65" OLEDB6 now costs $2,999 in the US. In Israel, it is sold for around 19,000 NIS - or about $5,000 - almost double the US price. This is a wonderful TV that offers the best image quality ever, operates smoothly and looks terrific even when off. If you can afford it, it's a great TV to have, I do not think you will regret it.
Black Friday is coming soon - so keep your eyes open for OLED TV discounts and special promotions!
