Event Coverage

LG’s nano cells-equipped Super UHD TVs are here to challenge quantum dot TVs

By Ng Chong Seng - 20 Apr 2017

LG’s nano cells-equipped Super UHD TVs are here to challenge quantum dot TVs

 

All about colors and HDR

In addition to new OLED 4K TVs, LG has also announced availability details of its 2017 "Super UHD TVs".

For the uninitiated, LG’s Super UHD TV lineup is also the company’s flagship 4K LCD TV lineup. Designed to compete directly with premium 4K LCD TVs from other brands, they’re also more wallet-friendly priced compared to LG’s own high-end OLED offerings.

Here’s a summary of what to expect from this year’s SJ957T, SJ950T, and SJ850T Super UHD TV series:

  • “Nano Cell” technology - Of the trio, the SJ950T and SJ850T Super UHD TVs use a “Nano Cell” technology - basically uniformly-sized particles that measure approximately one nanometer in diameter - to improve picture quality. In addition to more subtle and accurate colors, this new display tech is able to reduce color bleeds and contrast dips through the absorbing of excess light wavelengths. Put simply, off-center viewing experience will get a boost: according to LG, there’s no color difference whether you’re seated in front of or at a 60-degree angle to the TV.

    (To be clear, for the most part, the SJ957T is the larger, 86-inch version of the 65-inch SJ950T. Engineering difficulty on such a large panel is the main reason why LG couldn't put the Nano Cell display tech into this model.)

  • Four HDR formats - Like its 2017 OLED cousins, all three Super UHD TV series support four HDR formats: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), and Technicolor’s Advanced HDR. The first three are available out of the box, with Advanced HDR coming later this year via a firmware update. LG’s Active HDR dynamic metadata generating and processing system is also present on the Super UHD TVs to further improve the quality of HDR content that use static metadata (e.g., HDR10). And on the other end, there’s an HDR Effect feature that will attempt to make SDR content more HDR-like. You won't find Dolby Atmos support on these Super UHD TVs though.

  • Technicolor Expert Mode - The new Super UHD TVs’ calibration system has a new Technicolor Expert Mode to “deliver the most accurate colors possible”. This option will be enabled in second half this year after a firmware update.

  • WebOS 3.5 - The new Super UHD TVs run LG’s WebOS 3.5 smart TV platform. Compared to last year's models, startup time should be faster and system interactions should feel more responsive. The updated Magic Remote now has dedicated buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and a Magic Link button will let you quickly find related content and access information about the characters and actors on screen. And with Magic Zoom, you can enlarge and record any part of the screen. You can even connect a smartphone or PC to the TV to watch 360-degree content, and navigate this content with the Magic Remote.

  • No 3D - Like the OLED TVs, none of this year's Super UHD TVs support 3D. If you've amassed a lot of 3D Blu-ray discs, sorry.

The two biggest draws of this year's Super UHD TVs: better colors due to the Nano Cell tech and better HDR through Dolby Vision.

Due to its large 86-inch panel, LG was unable to get the Nano Cell display tech onto the SJ957T.

The Super UHD TVs use the same black Magic Remote as the C7T OLED TV.

 

Pricing and availability

The SJ850T Super UHD TV is available in 55 and 65-inch screen sizes, and both are already in stores at a price of S$3,588 and S$4,888 respectively. The SJ950T only comes in 65 inches and will be available in June, with pricing yet to be announced. The ginormous 86-inch SJ957T is also available now at a price of S$18,888.

Here’s the spec sheet of LG’s 2017 Super UHD 4K LCD TV models, courtesy of LG Electronics:

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