Smart televisions are no longer a fad. They are gradually becoming affordable and practical. In fact, smart televisions have the potential to takeover many of the functions now handled by a personal computer in the home. LG 55UH85OT Super UHD TV costs Rs 2 lakh and above and has 4K display.
LG has been at the forefront of innovation in this field. In fact, the first WebOS television is now years old. It was innovative then, and it is smart now. The latest from the Korean tech giant is the Super UHD range for 2016. We tested out the 55UH85OT Super UHD TV.
LG 55UH85OT Super UHD TV
It is almost redundant to say that this 55-inch television is 4K since ultra HD screens are fast becoming the standard in at the top-end. LG has had bezel-less models in the recent past, but this one is not in that breed. There is a thin aluminum frame around the screen, and arced stand to prop up this giant display.
The best feature has to be the air remote, which seems to be a much-evolved version of what LG used to pack in the box with its first smart TVs many years ago.
Specs: 55-inch LED display IPS 4K display (3840 x 2160 resolution) | Refresh Rate (Hz) 200 | HDR Plus | 3D Color Mapping| 3D Type | Two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 Port | Three HDMI 2.0 ports | Digital Audio Out (Optical)| RF IN | Headphone out | Ethernal Port (LAN) | Web OS TV | HI-FI Audio Sound | Magic Remote Control
Price: Rs 209,900
Picture and sound
The picture quality of a 4K television, however, small can leave you in awe. So does the display of this one from LG. It is super crisp even with streamed content and the blacks are consistently deep all across.
The audio quality matches up to the goodness of the screen, though I think it is a bit too partial to base. It helps that there are multiple modes to improve audio quality, especially the preset modes for when you are using additional speakers to boost up the experience.
Software
Given that Android TVs are very practical with absolutely no learning involved, LG has done a great job making its latest webOS 3.0 as seamless and practical as possible. In fact, this TV has the fastest set up I have seen for a smart television. It is intuitive and does not waste time making you do silly stuff.
The wesOS 3.0 design is also very 2016 and smart. The remote has a dedicated button to bring up the smart screen whatever you are doing. It is pre-loaded with a lot of apps, including the most popular ones like YouTube and Netflix. While the YouTube interface has been customised for the remote, I thought the keyboard feature has been really simplified.
The apps are easy to use, though most of them needed an update before I could use them. However, the updates did not take more than a couple of minutes on my 8Mbps Wi-Fi. The only issue I had with the apps was with Netflix, which just failed to recognise my login even though I had the same credentials on my phone. Also, this prevented me from using Chromecast to beam Netflix to the TV. I tried some games too, and the remote just makes it easy and fun, so much so that my four-year-old could master a couple of the simpler games.
LG has added some really innovative features with this new model. For one, after simple setup where you select your service provider, the remote can control your set-top-box too. In fact, I did not use the TataSky remote during the entire duration of the review. And this means you seamlessly switch between boring DTH content, and YouTube or Netflix.
The other feature in the addition of a Live Zoom functionality so that you can view Amitabh Bachchan’s face even closer than the 55-inch can otherwise afford. I am not sure this is a feature you will use a lot. However, this module also comes with a single button capture mode, which is very handy. The screenshots are saved in the pictures folder.
You can also save music/movies directly on the TV or stream it from a hard drive. However, the 4GB storage might prove a bit less for 4K movies. This space can also be used to record live TV, however this feature is not active in India at the moment.
There is also a multi-screen mode for playing content from multiple sources at the same time. And you can buy and attach an extra webcam. Given the price, I guess LG should have added this component in the box like most of its competition does.
Verdict
Given the usability and versatility of webOS 3.0 and the superb air remote, the LG S UHD series comes across as one of the best smart TV options available at the moment. Picture quality, including 3D, has never really been a challenge for this Korean company. However, there is competition in the market from both Sony and Samsung as well as cheaper Indian options.
