LG OLED B7 (OLED55B7, OLED65B7) review

Regardless of being a yr outdated at this level, the B7 is a mid-range 4K OLED TV with all toys. You need Dolby Imaginative and prescient on high of business commonplace HDR10? Verify. Fancy a slick design that is not simply one other black bordered flatscreen? You bought it. The B7 was LG’s 2017 entry-level OLED display screen, positioned beneath the beneath the higher (however costlier) C7 OLED, G7 OLED, E7 OLED and W7 OLED fashions. Yow will discover it in each 55- and 65-inch display screen sizes – each of which needs to be accessible at cut price basement costs now that the newer B8 OLED is lastly out available on the market.Whereas LG has made some severe strides with its 2018 OLED televisions, together with enhancements to the Look Up Tables (LUTs), the 2017 fashions are nonetheless fairly formidable TVs in 2018. They nonetheless provide a giant improve for HDR efficiency, and fewer clearly include a lot of improbable options, together with 360 diploma video playback, sensible assistant integration and an OLED nonetheless picture gallery. In the event you’re in search of the most recent and biggest, take a look at the newer LG B8 OLED – however, should you do not thoughts final yr’s tech, the B7 remains to be an awesome worth. DesignAn extremely slim silver bezel and crescent stand, with LG OLED branding, set the B7 aside from its brethren. Construct high quality and end is nice. The silver end extends to the again of the panel, the place it contrasts with a white plastic casing. The look is refined, though the silver body could be distracting when mild catches it. The panel is wafer skinny, however bulks to 48.6mm with electronics and sound system. The display screen has 4 HDMI inputs, all HDCP 2.2 suitable, to allow them to be used for 4K sources reminiscent of a UHD Blu-ray participant, video games console and set high field.There are additionally three USB inputs, considered one of which is a quick v3.zero enter, a digital optical audio output and Ethernet. Wi-Fi is commonplace. There’s additionally a satellite tv for pc tuner and Freeview Play terrestrial tuner. The set comes with a single distant, the most recent model of LG’s cursor-based pointer, used to navigate the display screen’s webOS sensible platform. It is responsive and intuitive to make use of.Design TL;DR: With a minimal silver bezel and hairline again cowl, the B7 isn’t simply one other black-clad body. The panel sits on a chromed crescent pedestal stand.LG B7 OLED SpecsScreen sizes accessible: 55- and 65-inches | Tuner: Freeview Play, satellite tv for pc | 4K: Sure | HDR: Sure | Panel expertise: OLED | Good TV: Sure/ LG webOS | Curved: No | Dimensions: 1229 x 708 x 48.6 mm | 3D: No | Inputs: 4x HDMI, three x USB, EthernetSmart TV (WebOS three.5)LG has made a lot of revisions to the three.5 iteration of its webOS linked platform, however (fortunately) none too radical. The UI is as intuitive as ever, providing easy navigation and highly effective customisation.The Dwelling display screen is constructed round a striped Launch Bar for apps, inputs and options. Dwell TV and HDMI choice declare the early slots, adopted by streaming apps and catch-up TV companies. Carry on scrolling and the record adjustments to options, together with that OLED gallery, Display Share for casting from cell gadgets, and multimedia playback (Pictures, Music and Video). The order of this itemizing could be customised. In the event you Miracast lots, merely seize the Display Share tab with the distant and drag it to the place you need it.The distant management has devoted buttons for each Netflix and Amazon. Relatively neatly, these streaming apps stay open and dwell, even whenever you navigate away from them. This implies you may pause Home of Playing cards, test the information on Dwell TV, after which return to your paused episode.Netflix streams 4K with HDR and Dolby Imaginative and prescient, in addition to Dolby Atmos audio the place accessible. There’s additionally Amazon in 4K with HDR and YouTube in 4K. Different sights embody Now TV, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, Demand 5, All four and Wuaki.TV, plus different sundries.Good TV TL;DR: LG’s webOS was the unique minimalist sensible UI, and it is nonetheless contemporary and interesting right here on this three.5 iteration. Navigation is helped by LG’s intelligent Magic pointer distant.HD/SDR PerformanceOLED’s key image attributes apply equally to HD and UHD content material – excellent black stage depth, lush colors and excessive ranges of element. 1080P channels, upscaled to 21060p, profit from the photographic smoothness this pixel dense panel provides. Colors are wealthy and vibrant. The set does a convincing job with pores and skin tones and vivid primaries. Noise is simply notable by its absence. Amongst the varied picture presets is an HDR Impact picture mode, which could be utilized in variable strengths; nevertheless we’re not satisfied it contributes something constructive and therefore usually opted to depart it off.HD/SDR Efficiency TL;DR: The B7 appears to be like nice with HD content material, its SDR efficiency is vivid and color wealthy. It’ll reinvigorate your Blu-ray assortment.4K/HDR PerformanceNaturally, the B7 comes into its personal with 4K sources. Advantageous element, lovely textures and easy color make this display screen a corker. That stated, you may want to decide on your viewing modes rigorously – and there is satan within the detailImage presets comprise Normal, Eco, Cinema, Sports activities, Recreation, HDR impact, Vivid and two ISF vivid room/darkish room modes. Normal is probably the most dependable on a regular basis setting. It combines total common brightness stage, with profound dynamics. Ostensibly picture high quality is nice, though a glance below the pores and skin reveals just a few points. Out of the field, the set shows moiré patterning with excessive frequency 4K indicators on all picture presets. To be able to take away this artefact go to Facet Ratio and guarantee Simply Scan is turned to On. That is the one manner to make sure that (some) excessive element isn’t being obscured.A 4K zone plate check sample additionally reveals that the display screen can’t resolve extremely tremendous 4K picture element. Its image is considerably much less sharp than the Panasonic EZ952, for instance. That stated, you are unlikely to come back throughout a lot content material which reveals such extremely tremendous 4K decision. Subjectively, UHD pictures look very sharp.The panel has no drawback tone mapping content material mastered at 1000 cd/m2/nits, though there’s some low stage black stage clipping.The set’s color efficiency is fabulous, with deep wealthy, vast hues. We skilled no points with color banding.This OLED is actually vivid sufficient to provide HDR scenes actual punch. We measured peak luminance in a 5 per cent window (Normal mode) at 779 cd/m2/nits. A 10 per cent window drops to only 735 cd/m2/nits. LG provides help for each HDR commonplace that issues – HDR10, HLG and Dolby Imaginative and prescient. It’s early days but for Dolby Imaginative and prescient, nevertheless it’s clear that the expertise itself isn’t any assure of superior picture high quality. Okja (Netflix) is an effective instance of streamed Dolby Imaginative and prescient. This latest Cannes entry is a fantastically shot film, and early scenes of the titular Tremendous Pig meandering although the South Korean forest, dappled by vivid daylight, look excellent. Netflix’s UHD decision is spectacular: the feel on Okja’s cover and the element within the panorama is all extremely spectacular. However the white subtitles are simply too vivid – typically the brightest part in the entire image, their Dolby Imaginative and prescient glare does nothing in any respect for the general stability.Think about additionally Glow, a comedy drama about girls’s wrestling within the Eighties. The Dolby Imaginative and prescient presentation right here is downright terrible – spectral highlights typically look comically overblown – backlight home windows within the girls’s health club beam with atomic radiance, lights burn like small suns (keep in mind on the B7 you may’t hop between Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10 to match). It’s like Vivid mode on steroids. Comparable sequences, streamed from a Hearth TV 4K field in SDR look way more cinematic and pure.In the case of movement dealing with, the B7 does an affordable job. For sports activities protection, we’d advocate the Clear Trumotion setting, with normal TV viewing on Person (de-judder zero/de-blur on 10). For motion pictures although it’s most likely finest switched off fully. Black stage efficiency is predictably excellent, though there’s some low stage clipping, with blacks crushing out near-black shadow element. Tone mapping holds white stage element on content material mastered to 1000 nits.This helps the B7 paint some splendid imagery. With Mad Max Fury Street (UHD Blu-ray), there’s searing warmth within the vivid daylight. When Max rides into the sandstorm, lightning bolts crackle with fierce luminance, fiery exhausts lighting up the electrical gloom.Equally, the catacomb sequence in John Wick Chapter 2 has loads of  depth, whereas torches and uplighters zing by way of the gloom. Regardless of the low mild, there’s element aplenty within the brickwork. 4K/HDR Efficiency TL;DR: LG has cranked up the height brightness for this excessive performing HDR OLED, and color vibrancy is excessive. We might watch this set until the cows come residence.SoundAudio is extra of a conundrum than you may think on the B7. The set incorporates commonplace low-fi downfiring stereo audio system. They’re considerably monophonic, and also you’d actually be suggested to improve them a extra elaborate sonic answer, be it a bar or residence theatre system sooner quite than later.Nonetheless the set additionally has a Dolby Atmos decoder, and (together with different 2017 OLEDs within the LG vary), a Netflix consumer that receives each Dolby Imaginative and prescient and Dolby Atmos streams. The aforementioned Netflix unique film Okja is the primary Netflix content material to supply Dolby Atmos with Dolby Imaginative and prescient. To profit from this, you’ll have to route the Atmos audio out of the set utilizing HDMI ARC to a Dolby Atmos soundbar or AV receiver. Sound High quality TL;DR: The set’s bizarre low-fi TV audio system are nothing to shout about, however since LG launched the firmware replace to allow an Atmos sign to be handed by way of HDMI it is now simple sufficient to hook up an exterior Atmos-enabled sound system. Different panels to ponder…The LG B7 at the moment sits near a lot of equally priced OLED screens. The 55-inch Panasonic EZ952 doesn’t go as vivid and lacks Dolby Imaginative and prescient help, however truly provides a sharper 4K image.  Philips 55POS901F has the good thing about Ambilight, however makes use of a 2016 panel which simply isn’t pretty much as good as both rival.LG’s personal C7 is a potential various. The screens share the identical panel and SoC. With solely beauty variations to the stand, there might be good financial savings available should you luck out on a retail promotion.If you wish to step up a notch, Sony’s 65-inch A1 OLED is properly value saving for. This display screen combines modern Acoustic Floor expertise with a surprising UHD HDR image efficiency.VerdictOverall, the 55-inch B7 is a terrific 4K TV. Providing vibrant, dynamic HDR pictures, it dazzles with the very best of them, and has the power to ship profound black depth. It doesn’t want UHD to look good both – the set does an awesome job with common HD. Admittedly, it’s not the sharpest 4K performer on the market, however any shortfall is compensated by an expansive specification. With Dolby Imaginative and prescient accessible, on high of HDR10 and HLG, consumers ought to really feel fairly lined relating to HDR. On high of that, the set’s linked performance is high notch, WebOS stays a simple Good platform to dwell with, and a full app drawer plus Freeview Play (for UK viewers) ensures in depth catch-up companies. Whenever you stability efficiency, value, design and options, the B7 can finally be thought-about an awesome purchase.