LG’s Newest OLED TV Is Another Small But Definite Improvement

Amidst a swathe of competing high-end screens on show at CES this year, LG has another iteration on its flagship OLED TV. The 77-inch OLED TV W, which will be the first released into Australia under a new ‘Signature’ sub-brand, includes a bundled Dolby Atmos soundbar, supports all of a quickly growing list of HDR standards, and measures just 2.57mm thick.

The Signature OLED TV W sits at the top of a larger and more diverse line-up with 77-, 65- and 55-inch models, but will only be available as a 77- or 65-inch size — currently the two largest single-sheet OLED panels that LG can produce at its factory. The organic panel and image-creating circuitry comes in at a staggeringly skinny 2.57mm thick, but that’s because LG’s thrown all the smarts into the wired, separate soundbar unit.

That soundbar actually supports Dolby Atmos, courtesy of two upward-firing speakers that pop up out of the top of the W7’s standalone speaker unit when it’s switched on. The same soundbar hides all the LG TV’s various video and USB inputs, so you’ll only ever have one thin cable stretching up to the TV when it’s wall mounted or standing on your entertainment unit.

In terms of the quality of the OLED panel itself, the W makes small changes from last year’s best. It’s slightly brighter, which means slightly better contrast, and the TV’s colour accuracy is improved through a Technicolor certification process and expert colour-accurate viewing mode. The changes are only small, but that’s because LG was working from an already excellent starting point.

As well as supporting all four current major HDR standards, the W has an HDR upscaling mode that dynamically boosts shadows and lowers brightness in highlights on non-HDR content. A magnetic bracket lets the Signature OLED TV W sit flush with whatever wall it’s mounted on, and a single thin ribbon cable runs between TV and soundbar in the same way as Samsung’s QLED TVs use a break-out box at the end of a 5-metre optical wire.

The TV has just gone on sale in the US at a price of around $US8000, and LG is already taking expressions of interest from potential Australian customers. Don’t expect change from $10,000 or so on this one, folks — it’s the absolute top of top-end. [LG]


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