In addition to the 55B7V, LG is launching the 55C7V, a 55-inch 4K TV using a classic OLED panel. No screen curvature, nor 3D on the menu. It is a 10-bit panel displaying an ultra high definition of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels and using the same electronics as the previous models from the South Korean manufacturer. This model is displayed under the bar of 3,000 euros and is also available in a 65-inch version around 5,000 euros.
For those who still doubt it, OLED is really the ultimate in terms of colorimetry and contrast. And this TV is blatant proof. Even if it is based on the same basis as the previous models and if the only real modification lies in the integration of a more neutral anti-reflection filter, the festival of colors is still there. The measurements show that the image initially wanted by the director and his chief operator, then transferred to Blu-ray or encoded in 4K on Netflix, is indeed displayed in all its splendor on this television.
Contrasts: to infinity and beyond
The contrasts are endless. Remember that OLED technology allows individual pixels to be turned off and therefore absolute black. Thus, whatever the brightness on the white, the blacks remain below the value measurable by our probes. The TV is therefore capable of reproducing all the shades of gray and filling up on details, even in very dark scenes. In UHD with HDR mode activated, this is where the rendering is most striking, as long as the room is not too bright (the TV’s brightness is measured at 323 cd / m²). As with the colorful images of Pan, the hectic images of Everest, the sandy ones of Mad Max: Fury Road or the twilight ones of Game of Thrones, the image quality is invariably there.
Real acoustic qualities
On the sound level, this television gives, there too, full satisfaction with bass present on The Ancestor of Darlingside (in Dolby Atmos) and a pleasant reproduction of the voices on the films. Even on classic, the rendering is surprisingly good. This is despite the fact that the audio section is no longer provided by Harman / Kardon. On this model stamped Dolby Atmos, LG has integrated two speakers and two boomers powered by a digital amplifier of 40 watts (4 x 10 watts). And even if the restitution is not as voluptuous and precise as on the cadors of the circuit, this LG TV is doing it hands down. The icing on the cake: the Magic Sound Tuning mode which allows you to use the microphone integrated in the Magic Remote to determine the acoustics of the room and obtain a suitable calibration.
Interface and gesture control
LG’s trademark, we find gestural control on this television. This is all the more pleasant as version 3.5 of webOS is even faster, smoother and more colorful, with animations for each selection and above all clear explanations for each of the proposed settings. In fact, little penguins animate the different options, providing details and explanations of the effects expected for each of them. What constitutes a real “plus”. The most popular applications are obviously integrated into the Smart TV section, including Netflix, Pluzz, MyTF1, Google Play Films or Deezer. They open at lightning speed and take advantage of the “quick resume” option which allows you to wake up the TV in less than 2 seconds and resume an application where it was previously stopped (Netflix in particular).
A TV open to home automation
Other new features: compatibility with SmartThinQ technology allowing you to control certain connected household products from the TV screen (fridge, washing machine, dryer) and the QuickAccess function which allows you to assign the 9 keys on the numeric keypad of the remote control a specific action. This programming is very simple and the interest for the user quickly becomes evident.
Slightly extended multimedia compatibility
The multimedia player is very efficient and supports Ultra HD content, as well as most codecs and audio / video containers on the market, except ISO images of DVD / Blu-ray. Added to this is compatibility with song lyrics on music files and with 360 ° videos captured with the LG 360 CAM spherical camera module, for example.
It’s Magic!
Finally, unlike its two more upscale cousins, the 55C7V only comes with a single remote control that offers direct access keys to Netflix and Amazon Prime, and has a relatively precise gyroscope, as well as a microphone for voice searches.
However, we regret somewhat that the manufacturing quality of the remote control is not up to the standing of the TV. The design is quite plain and the keys should have been backlit. Fortunately, pointing technology works well.
