We've all gotten used to big LED TVs, so what's so special about the LG 55EA9800 OLED TV reviewed here?
If you look at images of the TV, you'll note that it's curved, and I'll get to the relevance of this a little later. The second thing more astute readers may have picked up is that there is an added 'O' in it's model name, making it an OLED - organic light emitting diode - TV, and this represents a paradigm shift in TV technology.
The obvious question is, what makes OLED better or different to all the LED TVs already on the market, and selling for much less than this LG OLED model?
And the simple answer is that LED TVs aren't LED TVs at all. They are all LCD TVs that use either white or a cluster of red, green and blue LEDs as a back-light. Manufacturers have moved to using LEDs as a back-light for TVs as they're more efficient, longer lasting and smaller - leading to thinner TVs than CCFL lamps used in older LCD TVs.
As LCD/LED TVs have a back-light that's always on, a small percentage of light will bleed through the screen. This means LCD TVs can't display deep black levels. Technologies such as local dimming and dynamic contrast can help enhance overall black levels, but sometimes these introduce as many ills as they cure. The liquid crystals in LCD TVs have a response time - the time it takes them to transition from one level to the next - and this response time, if not quick enough, can lead to smearing as images move across a screen.
Another LCD TV downside is that depending on the type of LCD panel being used - with the most common being TN and IPS - LCD TVs can have narrow viewing angles.
OLED TVs have no back-light; they have clusters of white, red, green and blue light emitting diodes (in LG's case). Each cluster of LEDs is one pixel, and these only emit light when being told to. With no bleed through the screen and pixels that only turn on when being told to, OLED TVs have substantially better contrast ratios and black levels than LCD TVs.
They are more efficient, even thinner - the 55EA9800 is only 4.3mm thick - have extremely wide viewing angles with no colour drift, and according to LG, the response time of the OLEDs is 100 times faster than that of LCD panels. The claim here is that motion is far better.
Of course, every manufacturer goes to great lengths to tell us why their new technology is the best, even if it isn't.
My aim then, when I was given a few hours alone with the 55EA9800, was to ascertain if OLED was as good as it's made out to be.
I began by simply looking at the various aspects of the TV, and what I can say without any fear of contradiction is that it is probably the best looking TV around, from almost any angle. Even its carbon fibre rear panel looks better than the back end of other TVs.
LG says a curved screen is optimal in that it provides equal distance viewing from all parts of the screen. This, of course, is correct if you only ever watch from the one single point in your room where you are equidistant from all parts of the screen.
I liked the look of the curved screen, but I reckon that LG curved the screen because it could, and then justified it with marketing. I also liked the crystal stand that incorporated clear speakers. I would have appreciated the stand and speakers even more if the speakers sounded good. I don't want be too harsh about the TV's audio capabilities, or lack thereof. What I will say is that if you can afford the R200 000 for the TV, you should splurge a bit and buy an audio system that will deliver good sound.
And now, on to actual performance...
When I first turned it on, the TV looked like most new TVs. Too bright, with over-saturated colours, overly cold and harsh.
Perhaps not the best first impression for a R200 000 TV.
On the TV's side, it had just come off a series of countrywide tours - it is the only one in SA at the moment - and it had been set up to look brighter and more vivid than anything else in bright showrooms.
Fortunately, LG has probably the best consumer-oriented set-up system, called Picture Wizard II, and this quickly and efficiently gets you into the image quality ballpark.
After running through the Picture Wizard process, the TV's image quality was far better and already approaching the best I've seen recently.
To get the best out of the TV, you need to use special measurement software and hardware - I use Calman v5 and a SpectraCal C6 colorimeter - and move into the TV's advanced settings. LG supplies every setting you need, and in a relatively short space of time, I managed to get all important measurements to below visible limits.
Post calibration, I can think of only one word that sums up the performance: stunning.
Here is a TV that has the capability of displaying texture without looking harsh - which usually happens when images are over sharpened. It displays smooth and natural colours and impressive detail in both shadow and bright areas of a scene simultaneously. Many TVs, particularly those that use processing to enhance contrast, show detail in highlights or lowlights, but not together.
Another claim that was met was that of good motion control, and here I can confirm that in the limited time available for my review, I was impressed with the way the TV displayed moving objects.
There are two areas I haven't spoken about, 3D and features.
A lack of time meant I didn't get to test the TV's 3D capabilities, but based on its performance everywhere else, I'm going to assume it would perform well in 3D.
On the features side, it has every feature I think LG could throw at it. It doesn't make coffee, but it does have a built-in hard drive recorder.
I finish most reviews by asking if I would want the product I've just reviewed, and the answer here is an unreserved yes.
Perhaps, though, a more pertinent question is, would I buy it?
My answer here is a little different. While I loved the TV's performance, looks, feature set and its eco-friendliness, I'll wait until OLED prices come down before committing my cash.
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