In the past couple of years LG have become much better known for their game-changing OLED screens and the whole new image standard they can produce.
However, with the vast majority of the market (and anything below a 55″ screen) still running on LED panels, LG are still producing some screens to be contended with. We test out the 49SJ800V to see if LG have still got it in the LED market.
Straight out of the box, you know you’re not dealing with your run-of-the-mill TV. The brushed metal bezel is a reassuring indicator of quality, and it looks nicer than your standard chrome effect plastic to boot.
The included stand too is neat and discrete; however, it may be inconvenient at its size due to the stand being two feet that fit to the edges of the TV, not ideal for many TV racks or sideboards. If wall-mounting isn’t an option and space is at a premium, you may wish to consider the Panasonic TX50EX750B with its included swivelling, centre mounted pole stand or possibly a Sanus VTVS1 to allow you to do away with the edge feet.
Connectivity shouldn’t be an issue either, with 4 HDMI sockets (all HDCP 2.2 of course), a satellite and aerial (RF) in, the TV is ready for most of your devices as well. It’s also ready for any more advanced (and future) devices with the screen being comprised of a 10-bit panel and 4K capable with support for all three forms of HDR (HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG), making it an excellent option to watch your 4K Blu-Rays on by way of the LG UP970.
Thankfully, the days of manually tuning in your TV and watching the static distort as your TV hunted for channels, then getting all the settings just right are long gone, but LG take this one step further. Their set-up as soon as you power the TV on is simple, easy to understand and intuitive, all the necessary questions about your internet and cabled connections are asked simply with little to no jargon making it easy to set up even if you’re not feeling too confident. The cel-shaded penguin mascots are also a little light relief if you’re easily distracted.
As with previous years, LG have once again, come away with rave reviews for their smart system for its ease of use and large amount of app compatibility, features and sleek user interface. All UK catch up services are currently available as well as access to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV. If you’re into your movie servers, you can also access your Plex account putting your entire movie library at the command of your remote.
The remote is the newest iteration of LG’s Magic Remote; when pointed at the screen it appears like a mouse cursor/pointer, allowing you to quickly navigate the screen and simply click on what you would like. However, if you’re not a fan and find this a little unwieldy, the traditional arrows are on hand to navigate the traditional way as well.
As you would expect with LG, the picture straight out of the box, is excellent. If you do require tweaks or changes and you’re not enthused by the idea of calibrating your screen’s gamma and colour temperature levels etc, you can simply switch between a wealth of viewing options such as Dynamic, Eco, Game and even Bright and Dark Room settings from the ISF (Imaging Science Foundation). Despite being one of LG’s top LED models this year, it’s not real competition for the true blacks and colour control of the LG OLEDB7V, but you’d be far from disappointed.
Being part of LG’s Super UHD range (the top end of 4K TV’s) the screen is comprised of LG’s Nano Cell technology. Simply put, this technology ensures that you keep the same degree of colour accuracy no matter your viewing angle. This means that if your viewing area, like most, isn’t all perfectly lined up like a cinema, those not sitting dead on, still have an excellent quality picture.
On your more standard serial offerings from providers such as the BBC or Channel 4, full HD looks good and is scaled up well with no sense of obvious over-enhancement, the food on Saturday Morning Kitchen looks almost as good you’d expect if it was placed on a counter in front of you.
4K however, is the where the TV can really show what it’s made of. With LG’s being renowned for a more natural, accurate picture than their other Korean counterpart, Samsung, watching a 4K nature documentary shows you fine details and depth to the rainforest and features of the animals being followed simply not visible in HD.
You can of course, simply take our word for how good this TV is, but we’re sure you’d love to see it for yourself as well, so why not drop into your local Richer Sounds?
Click to find out more about the LG 49SJ800V TV.
Author: Steve, Southgate Store
