Can LG’s 4K-ready televisions make broadcast TV look worthy of the big screen? It’s a tough task

WITH 4K content in short supply, LG promises its latest televisions can make more of broadcast shows. We put a 65-inch monster to the test.

PERHAPS the best feature of LG’s newest ultra high-definition television is not the scale of its 65-inch screen, its attractive, curved metal stand, its internet-savvy apps, or its motion-sensitive remote control.

No, one of its most important upgrades is hidden inside this television: a six-step upscaler that makes broadcast television look better than you’d expect on a very large, high-resolution canvas.

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The upscaler may sound like a subtle change but it’s the difference between watching television broadcasts akin to haphazardly streamed internet videos and TV shows that look crisp, even at close range.

4K future ... LG UF850T 65-inch Ultra High-Definition television shows more than 8 million pixels.

It also delivers something closer to 4K content, which is where this TV really shines.

Despite being a 65-inch TV, this screen does not sit atop LG’s 2015 TV’s range, coming in cheaper than its ColourPrime models that use Quantum Dot technology for higher contrast and its OLED range that LG touts as the “future of television”.

Its position undersells its quality, however.

Being an ultra high-definition TV, the UF850T offers four times the resolution of full HD screens; an addition that becomes obvious when connected to a 4K Netflix stream.

Shows like the company’s Marco Polo can look sharper than reality on this screen, capturing your attention with subtle ripples in the paper from its opening sequence. The detail is almost distracting.

Tiny border ... LG’s 4K range of TVs come with small metal borders to limit distractions.

That 4K vision is only attainable if you have access to a 20Mbps broadband connection, however, but this TV’s handling of it shows that it will be ready for future developments.

The 65-inch screen on this television is framed by a narrow metal bezel that keeps attention on the main show, and fast-moving pictures are ably handled by a 200Hz refresh rate. If anything, users may want to dial this back in the settings to prevent an unnatural appearance.

Another serious advantage becomes apparent when you press the Home button on its motion-sensitive remote control. That delivers the smart TV menu, now powered by WebOS 2.0.

This menu displays refreshingly simple menus with Netflix, ABC iView, and SBS On Demand apps pre-installed and ready to stream shows. Social networks, games and a web browser are also available over its built-in wi-if connection and operate swiftly thanks to a quad-core chip.

Being lower in the TV range, however, this 65-inch screen comes with some compromises.

TV smarts ... LG’s 2015 TV range comes with WebOS 2.0 software that delivers apps including Netflix.

Its blacks are not nearly as dark as those delivered on an OLED screen, and do not match a Quantum Dot TV either. Movie fans are well advised to turn down the backlighting when they turn off the lights.

Its LED lighting is also situated on the edges of this TV which, despite local dimming, leads to inconsistent lighting noticeable in some scenes. LG has also added just one TV tuner to this model, which may be an issue for TV recorders.

Despite some quibbles, this 65-inch TV offers a picture to behold, particularly when given 4K content to display. Thanks to its upscaler, it also makes regular television broadcasts look better than you could reasonably expect.

LG UF850T 65-inch Ultra HD TV

LG / 4/5 / $4999 / lg.com.au

Originally published as Can LG’s 4K-ready televisions make broadcast TV look worthy of the big screen? It’s a tough task