Compare: Blaupunkt UGC5500S vs LG OLED G6 (G64LW, G66LS)

Blaupunkt UGC5500S is a textbook example of a very cheap television that has primarily two major advantages: the Google TV system and an extremely low price. It is these two elements that make it an attractive option for many people. During testing, we also found it has another great use, which is working with a computer. Thanks to exemplary font readability and good viewing angles of the IPS panel, Blaupunkt surprisingly performs well as a budget monitor. However, one must be aware that this device is typically budget-oriented, and that savings are reflected in the image quality. The panel is simply dark, making it difficult to perform well in tougher lighting conditions, not to mention creating any real HDR effect. Additionally, despite the good viewing angles, the black levels on this model leave much to be desired – in the evenings, it will tend to appear dark grey, which is a typical characteristic of the IPS technology used here. From a price perspective, this is a device that aims to compete in the market not on image quality, but rather on the amount on the receipt. Blaupunkt UGC5500S is perfectly suited as a secondary television in the home, equipment for the holiday house, or for a less important room, where the image just needs to be there, and we want to enjoy all the benefits and applications that Google TV offers.

Without a doubt, the LG G6 is an outstanding television in many aspects. Thanks to the new generation 2 Tandem OLED panel, it does something that no other glossy screen on the market has managed so far – it superbly suppresses light reflections while maintaining perfect, unblemished image quality. When we add record brightness and the unique properties of the panel itself, the G6 can produce images that can literally knock you off your feet at times. The excellent webOS system and features for gamers further reinforce the belief that it is a worthy successor to the G5 model. However, this is only one side of the coin... because in a device of this class, the expectations are the highest they can be. During detailed testing, we encountered issues with digital image processing in scenes close to black. We're talking about overly aggressive dithering and slight flickering of details in dark sequences. Although during normal viewing from the couch this flaw does not stand out drastically and does not negate the overall admiration for the contrast, a trained eye will easily notice that LG's engineers stumbled at the last hurdle during the panel tuning. When buying a pretty expensive flagship product right here and now, perfection is simply expected from the first turn on.

Despite this obvious blunder, the LG G6 is still absolutely at the forefront of the market and one of the most interesting televisions of this year. It has a solid foundation to become the ultimate screen. We firmly believe that the manufacturer will quickly diagnose the problem and release an appropriate software update – if that happens, the competition will again have nothing to look for. We promise to keep monitoring the situation continuously, and as soon as a patch appears, we will definitely verify its effectiveness.

To put it bluntly: when it comes to black levels, it's just very poor. Our measurements on test patterns only confirmed what we could see with the naked eye – a result around 1000:1 is, these days, even in this price range, a disappointing outcome. In movie conditions, that "black" simply doesn't exist. To avoid being all talk, we fired up one of our favourite test scenes – the helicopter flight in "Sicario 2" (you can actually see it in the video we've linked below). Instead of inky, deep night, we got an image that is... navy blue. Everything on the screen that should be dark and mysterious actually glows a dark blue. This is the price we pay for using an IPS panel. On one hand, we get quite decent viewing angles, so if you're watching TV with the whole family from different angles, the picture doesn't lose much in saturation. On the other hand, if you're planning evening screenings with the lights off, this lack of contrast is going to sting your eyes from the very first minute.

As the LG G6 is based on OLED technology, specifically the WOLED TANDEM 2nd gen matrix, when it comes to black levels and contrast, we’re talking about perfection, which is confirmed by our lab measurements – in every test scenario, the TV achieved an absolute infinity mark. The ability to independently control each pixel gives it a significant advantage over any LCD panel on the market. This translates to a brilliant, plastic depth of image that immediately pulls you into any possible viewing experience. This is clearly visible in the example of a dark, challenging scene with a helicopter from the film Sicario 2. While traditional screens with local dimming (including Mini-LEDs) can generate an annoying “halo” effect in such moments, lighten black bars in films, or lose details in the shadows, the LG G6 handles it flawlessly. Black, where it needs to be black, remains pitch-black and perfectly separated from bright points.

*A small note: during this test, a quite strong grain and flickering of the image are noticeable. However, we do not take this into account when assessing the contrast itself and this part of the review – we will describe this specific issue in the further section. Paragraph: "Smoothness of tonal transitions".

We won’t beat around the bush here – if you’re looking for a TV strictly for cinematic HDR experiences, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Unfortunately, the Blaupunkt UGC5500S is not a machine built for such challenges. This is primarily due to its very low brightness, which we measured during our tests. A result of around 250 nits on movie screens speaks for itself. It’s simply too little to even consider any real HDR effect. To be honest, everything displayed in this format can confidently be seen as a somewhat “enhanced” SDR mode. We expected this, as practically every device in this price range falls short in this area, but we feel it’s our duty to warn you. Manufacturers love to brag about HDR compatibility on the boxes, but in reality, this format simply doesn’t exist here – it lacks the “fuel” in the form of brightness.

The situation is further complicated for Blaupunkt, as we’re dealing with a panel that has very basic coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, reaching only about 80%. You won’t find any advanced coatings to expand these capabilities (like quantum dots), which means scenes that are supposed to burst with richly saturated colours appear simply underwhelming on this screen. Therefore, we have a particular piece of advice for you: don’t force HDR mode on this model. If you have the option in the streaming app settings – just turn it off. By sticking to the classic SDR mode, you’ll be sure that the TV won’t try to “enhance” something that it can’t handle hardware-wise.

The LG G6 is currently one of the brightest OLEDs on the market. Its peak brightness reaches nearly 2500 nits and, best of all, this translates directly to real movie scenes. The TV flawlessly extracts details in the bright areas of the image. And this is regardless of whether we are talking about very small points in the form of stars in the sky or slightly larger elements on the screen. Naturally, with full-screen, uniformly white scenes, the brightness of the G6 drops due to the panel protection system (ABL). However, in real, varied movie shots, this value still hovers around an impressive 2000 nits, which can be considered a remarkable result. The coverage of the color palette also deserves praise. The new 2nd generation Tandem OLED panel has brought about only a cosmetic change, but still an improvement. The coverage of the DCI-P3 color space reaches nearly 99.5%, while the ultra-wide BT.2020 is around 84%. These are very good results, although it's important to remember one thing: at extremely high brightness levels, the volume of colors will be lower than in QD-OLED panels from Samsung Display due to the use of white sub-pixels (WOLED). However, in everyday content and most films, capturing this difference will be very difficult.

We also took a close look at how Blaupunkt handles colours in movie mode, and here the matter is, to put it simply, twofold. We must once again clearly separate what we see in the standard SDR format from what happens when HDR is switched on, as they are two completely different worlds. Let's start with the better side of the coin. If you're planning to watch traditional TV, YouTube, or older films on this television, you can count on really well-tuned colours. In our test sample, the white balance in movie mode performed exceptionally well, which honestly surprised us. Of course, to avoid being too rosy, we noticed some drawbacks. Looking at the gamma charts, we observed that the processor struggles with properly dimming the image in its brightest areas. Additionally, there is quite a strong, at times overly aggressive, red saturation, which resulted in visible errors in reproducing certain shades. Despite this, overall, the image in SDR is simply solid and watchable without a grimace on your face. Unfortunately, the magic fades when we re-enter the world of HDR. Here, Blaupunkt behaves as if we suddenly switched it to store mode, and in its worst rendition. The excess blue in the white balance is so significant that it’s glaring, ruining any realism in the scene. Furthermore, the television interprets brightness very loosely, which, upon analysing the EOTF curve, clearly showed that for most of the time, colours simply appear washed out and lacking depth. This is also perfectly evident in the colour errors that become apparent in this mode. Once again, we are left with the same conclusion: Blaupunkt in SDR mode looks significantly better and more natural than in HDR, which seems to be forcefully added without proper refinement.

We tested the LG G6 in the best factory mode for colour fidelity, which is FILMMAKER MODE. In the case of our test unit, this mode was reasonably well tuned straight out of the box. In SDR content, the only issue we noticed was the white balance, which leaned towards warmer tones. This made the image occasionally appear slightly yellowish, but overall, it wasn't a significant problem. The G6 performed a bit worse in HDR content. There, the white balance showed too much blue component. This caused the image to veer towards cooler shades, resulting in quite noticeable errors. As can be seen on our ColorChecker chart, the colours shifted towards these cooler registers. Nevertheless, considering the factory settings, the television presented a perfectly decent level. However, we know that OLED screens – particularly those from LG – respond exceptionally well to professional calibration, so we immediately proceeded to do just that.

It may sound like a joke – pulling out professional measuring equipment for a TV that costs around a thousand złoty / 250 dollars, but we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t check it. The question is: does such cheap gear give us any leeway in terms of calibration? To your surprise, the answer is: yes, absolutely. In the Blaupunkt UGC5500S menu, we found surprisingly many options that allowed us to effectively work on the picture. These aren't just empty sliders; these are concrete tools that enabled us to make use of our measurement sensors and software. In SDR mode, the effects were visible to the naked eye. We successfully eliminated the problem we mentioned earlier – that excessive, almost artificial saturation of reds. We also fixed the issue with the incorrect dimming of the brightest parts of the image. After calibration, the picture in standard format became significantly more balanced and simply correct. When it comes to HDR, the situation was more complicated again. While we managed to “tame” that aggressive blue tint in the white balance, it was clear that we were fighting a bit of a losing battle. Even after changing the settings, the TV still tried to interfere with the picture in its own way, as if the electronics knew better than we did how the scene should look. To top it off, there's the hardware barrier that no slider can overcome – colours in HDR still remain undersaturated. This simply results from the quality of the panel itself; it physically cannot produce the most vivid colours. To summarise this point: if any of you ask whether it’s possible to calibrate a TV for “a grand”, we respond with complete conviction: it is possible.

After completing a professional calibration, we gained complete control over the panel, and we managed to align all parameters to nearly zero. We were able to tune the white balance perfectly, which removed the factory's cool and warm tints from the screen. The effects are visibly clear in the ColorChecker test – the average colour reproduction errors dropped below the critical value of 1-2. And what does this mean? PERFECT colours, without any distortion! However, as a reviewer’s duty, we must point out how the LG G6 arbitrarily manipulates brightness, which is due to the EOTF curve's behavior. When we look at the standard synthetic graph, it might seem that the line is quite straight. However, the situation changes when we turn on the measurement filter, which shows how the television interprets brightness in actual, moving film scenes (EOTF in MOVIES). Then, it is clear as day that some of the smallest fragments on the screen are slightly overly brightened by the algorithm. Of course, for the average viewer, such a deviation will practically go unnoticed, but in the test of such an expensive screen, it’s worth noting – especially since we are talking about a model that has huge aspirations for the title of the best television of the year.

Looking at our test photographs, it’s really hard to pick at anything. Most of the colours in the attached images blend together almost perfectly, creating smooth gradients without noticeable "jaggies". And indeed, in most scenes where we took these shots, it looked surprisingly good. However, the problem arises when we stop analysing still frames and start simply watching the films. In motion, the situation changes dramatically. During dynamic scenes on screen, artefacts begin to pop up, which are a direct result of simply having a poor image processor here. Unfortunately, a static photo can't capture that "tearing" of colours, but you have to take our word for it: what looks clean and smooth in the photo can really stand out and simply irritate during viewing. This is where our rather low rating in this category comes from.

Unfortunately, we arrive at the least cheerful part of this review. If we were to evaluate solely the fluidity of tonal transitions, the G6 would score high marks. The blending of colours is at a very good level, and at times it resembles what we've seen from Samsung's QD-OLED panels. This is great news because until now, unsightly, layered bands in dark shades have been the bane of WOLED panels. In this category, we would easily give a strong 8.5 out of 10.

Note: Unfortunately, the final score in this section drops significantly, and the culprit is very aggressive dithering. In dark scenes, the image literally "shakes," and in areas close to black/dark grey, the television can flicker annoyingly. We don’t know exactly what this is due to, but looking at the tests from other reviewers around the world – everyone has encountered exactly the same problem. We hope that LG will fix this as soon as possible with some sort of update. We know that LG is capable of responding quickly to negative user feedback, which can already be read online. We will keep an eye on this and will inform you in case of any improvements.

If you're hoping that the processor in this model will magically "fix" the poor quality signal from your cable TV or old movies from YouTube, we must disappoint you. The capabilities of this television end at absolutely basic upscaling, which is simply stretching the image to a higher resolution. It does this correctly in that the image is not blurry, but there is no mention of any intelligent sharpening or adding details. Worse still, Blaupunkt is completely devoid of any functions to reduce unwanted tonal transitions. If the material being viewed shows what is known as banding (ugly "steps" instead of a smooth transition of colours, e.g., in the sky), this television will display them in all their glory. Additionally, the television has a tendency to slightly crop the edges of the image. Instead of displaying 100% of what the source sends, Blaupunkt slightly zooms in on the frame, causing us to lose details that are at the very edges of the screen. In summary: in the category of digital "enhancement" of the image, Blaupunkt simply performs poorly. We receive a raw, unprocessed signal, with all its flaws.

No matter what one might say about the G6's issues with near-black signal, it must be fairly acknowledged that it handles heavily compressed material and lower resolution content extremely well. All unwanted, ugly tonal transitions are effectively reduced here by the "Smooth Gradation" feature. At the "Low" setting, the algorithm works flawlessly – effectively masking the artifacts resulting from strong compression without destroying the sharpness and details in the frame. Higher levels of this feature do further smooth the image, but they start to blur the real texture elements of the objects, so we recommend keeping this slider at a low level. As for the actual upscaling to 4K, the processor does an excellent job – edge sharpness and detail reconstruction are at the highest level, and in this respect, the G6 is on par with the global leaders.

When it comes to motion fluidity, Blaupunkt has nothing to defend itself with. A 60 Hz panel at this price is standard, so none of us expected a perfectly sharp image in fast action scenes or during a match. However, the biggest drawback of this model is that you won’t find any digital motion smoothers in the menu. The manufacturer hasn’t given us any room for manoeuvre – nothing can be smoothed out or the image adjusted to our personal preferences. The picture is always "raw" and we receive it exactly as it is transmitted by the source. For fans of cinematic "jumping" images, this might be good, but the rest simply has to get used to the lack of any motion enhancement.

The LG G6 is an OLED television, so in the category of motion fluidity, it traditionally deserves the highest marks. The TV supports very high refresh rates of up to 165 Hz in 4K resolution, but most importantly – there are absolutely no signs of blurring on the screen. The response time of the matrix is virtually instant, ensuring that dynamic images remain perfectly sharp.

When it comes to gaming on the Blaupunkt, we weren’t expecting miracles and indeed – the list of features isn’t very long. However, there are two interesting points worth mentioning, as they might be significant for some of you at this price. The first advantage is that the TV quite smoothly detects the connected console. Thanks to the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, the device knows when you start gaming and automatically switches to low latency mode. This is convenient because you don’t have to fiddle with settings every time to ensure input lag doesn’t spoil the fun. The second point is a real curiosity that surprised us. Despite it being a 60 Hz panel, the Blaupunkt can display a 120 Hz image at Full HD resolution. Sure, we lose 4K details, but for those playing more dynamic, online shooters where smoothness is more important than resolution, this is a really nice and unexpected addition in such an affordable device. Other than these two points, you won’t find anything more here. There are no advanced smoothness enhancement systems for gamers or extensive gaming menu bars. It’s a simple screen for occasional gaming.

The LG G6 is a true beast for gamers and one of the best-equipped TVs on the market in this regard. The manufacturer didn't compromise and equipped this model with four full HDMI 2.1 ports with a maximum bandwidth of 48 Gbps. This means that no matter which port you plug in your PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or powerful PC, you'll get the absolute maximum performance out of them.

The TV supports a full suite of gaming technologies: from VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), to AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. Let's add to that a remarkably low, almost imperceptible input lag and an excellently functioning game panel (Game Optimizer), which allows you to constantly monitor signal parameters. Gaming on this screen, with the perfect black of OLED and powerful refresh rates, is pure pleasure.

An important point for every gamer is, of course, input lag, which is how quickly the television responds to our movements on the controller. Here, Blaupunkt has something to boast about, although the results are quite specific. At 4K resolution, the lag is only 12 ms. That's an excellent result. With such a lag, gaming is simply phenomenal, and the response is almost instantaneous. However, it's a bit disappointing that the situation changes when switching to 1080p. Here, the input lag increases to around 30 ms. Just to be clear: that's still not a terrible result. For most people, it will be "more than acceptable," and during casual gaming, you probably won't even notice it. Nevertheless, it's a pity that such good parameters couldn't be maintained as we saw with full 4K. Nonetheless, in the overall assessment, as a budget screen for console gaming, Blaupunkt really performs admirably in this regard.

When it comes to signal delay, the results are remarkably low. With a standard 120 Hz signal, the Input Lag is just 5 ms. At 60 Hz, this value increases to 13 ms, which is still excellent and completely imperceptible latency. The only thing we need to criticise is the TV’s behaviour when providing the Dolby Vision Gaming signal. In this format, the Input Lag nearly doubles, reaching 13 ms for 120 Hz and 22 ms for 60 Hz. Despite this jump, we believe these values in gaming are so low that absolutely no one will feel any discomfort during gameplay.

If you're planning to connect a computer to this television, it's absolutely crucial to find and enable the PC compatibility option in the menu. Once you do this, magic happens – the implementation of Chroma 4:4:4 and font readability jump to an exemplary level. The readability of text is simply excellent here. Of course, our editorial diligence wouldn't let us pass this equipment without taking a look "under the hood." In very specific tests with thin, dark text, we noticed that the horizontal and vertical matrix masks differ slightly in brightness levels. However, we want to reassure you: this phenomenon is so subtle that, during normal use, writing emails or browsing the web, you won't be able to notice it with the naked eye. We maintain our opinion that as a monitor strictly for dynamic gaming on PC, it isn't the ideal choice (as we mentioned in the context of the 60 Hz refresh rate), but if any of you are wondering whether you can comfortably work on such a Blaupunkt – we say: yes, it absolutely can be done.

As we mentioned earlier, the LG G6 offers an outstanding display for gamers as well as for casual computer users. With full support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync technology, as well as a high refresh rate of up to 165 Hz, this television performs brilliantly as a massive gaming monitor. However, daily office work with text looks a bit worse (though in our opinion still very good), which is a typical characteristic of every WOLED-type screen. Due to the specific arrangement of four subpixels (with an additional white subpixel), rather than three like in classic computer monitors, system fonts can have an additional, in this case red glow around black or white letters. This is directly due to the new structure of the second-generation Tandem OLED matrix, which now operates in an RGWB arrangement (last year's first generation Tandem OLED used a BWRG arrangement). In our opinion, the sharpness of font edges has slightly worsened because of this, but it is definitely not something that will immediately catch your eye during occasional document work or web browsing.

Here it's really very good. Whether we were sitting straight on or on the edge of the couch, the colours didn't lose their saturation. This is a big plus if you're planning to watch matches or movies with a larger group – no one will complain that the picture looks worse for them. Although IPS panels are known for their good viewing angles, in this particular model, when viewed from a sharp angle, the picture noticeably loses brightness. Interestingly, the colour saturation still remains in place, but the screen simply becomes darker. It's not something that disqualifies this television, but it's worth knowing.

As befits an OLED panel, the viewing angles on the LG G6 are really good. A TV viewed from the side does not lose drastically in brightness or colour saturation. In this regard, the image quality is miles better than any LCD TV – and this applies to both IPS panels and especially to VA panels that lack special wide-angle coatings. In this area, the only better screens on the market remain QD-OLED panels from Samsung Display, where the angles are simply perfect, as well as older WOLED panels with MLA (microlens) technology, which LG abandoned in this series two years ago. Unfortunately, we assess the viewing angles in this year's model to be slightly worse than last year. We noticed that the 2nd generation Tandem OLED panel tends to take on a greener hue at a steep angle, while last year's model maintained greater neutrality in this regard.

In terms of daytime performance, Blaupunkt is simply average. It all comes down to the low brightness of the panel, which – as we mentioned, hovers around 250 nits. That’s definitely too low for the screen to comfortably "cut through" the strong light coming into the living room. As a result, in bright sunlight, the image loses its clarity and appears somewhat washed out. However, there is one bright spot in this category: the satin coating of the panel. Thanks to this, we don't have to deal with the mirror effect, which often means instead of watching a movie, we're seeing our own couch reflected. The satin nicely diffuses reflections, which somewhat saves the situation. Nevertheless, we can’t cheat physics: while the coating bravely fights against reflections, the low brightness ultimately capitulates in the face of the sun's rays. If you plan to watch something in the middle of the day in a very bright room, prepare yourself for the necessity of drawing the curtains.

LG G6 will perform wonderfully as a television in a well-lit room. Thanks to its impressive peak brightness, the TV can easily cut through most external light sources. Best of all, the new generation of Tandem OLED panel has brought significant improvements in reducing reflections. Although the screen coating is still glossy (which helps maintain well-saturated colours even in challenging conditions), it effectively dampens glare. It does this far better than traditional OLED screens with a standard glossy coating. We could confidently compare this level to glossy QD-OLED panels, but with one key advantage for LG. Unlike the competition's technology, in this model, deep black in a bright lounge remains intact. There’s no grey or purple tint from ambient light – the black in the G6 during the day is just as perfect as it is at night.

In terms of Smart TV functionality, the Blaupunkt UGC5500S is a classic example of a device where the system is both its biggest asset and its greatest flaw. On one hand, we have full Google TV, which is a huge plus at this price point. We gain access to a massive library of apps and basically all the functionality we know from brands using this software. Nothing has been cut out forcefully, which is really refreshing in such an inexpensive TV. Unfortunately, it must be honestly admitted that in the case of Blaupunkt, this system operates quite clumsily. This is a typical issue with low-budget TVs running Google TV – the processor barely keeps up with the software. Navigating through the menu isn’t as smooth as we would like, and the remote can react with noticeable delays, giving the impression of being "dull." Of course, once you launch a specific app and start a movie, everything works steadily, but just browsing through the interface requires a bit of patience.

When it comes to classic TV features, Blaupunkt offers nothing extraordinary. It’s a simple device for basic tasks. The remote is a plus, featuring a traditional numeric keypad, which is just convenient for hopping through cable channels. We also have Bluetooth, so you can easily connect wireless headphones or a speaker. The TV also has a physical mini-jack headphone output. At a time when manufacturers are mass-eliminating this connection, the presence of a "jack" is a nod to those with older audio equipment or simply those who prefer classic wired headphones. It’s a small thing, but it’s appreciated.

webOS System and Smart Features

The television runs on the latest version of the webOS system. Although it is a closed platform, it supports absolutely all the key streaming apps on the market. You can also easily access useful wireless connectivity features like built-in Chromecast, AirPlay, and classic screen mirroring. However, the biggest standout feature of the LG platform is the brilliant Magic remote. While it is quite compact and lacks a physical numeric keypad, it does something that competitors still can't replicate – it functions like a wireless mouse. It is equipped with a gyroscope, allowing you to move an intuitive cursor across the screen, which dramatically speeds up entering passwords or navigating menus. Additionally, LG has one of the best voice assistants for controlling the device, and this combination with the Magic remote provides excellent capabilities for navigating the system. The only thing that can be quite irritating here is the intrusive ads and sponsored tiles, as LG increasingly clutters the main screen of the system. Despite this, the lack of Google TV is not a detriment to the G6 – considering the smooth operation of webOS, one can confidently say it is even an advantage.

Features for Traditionalists

In terms of traditional television, the LG G6 also performs excellently and does not forget about traditional users. Despite the minimalist remote, it includes a plethora of useful features. The manufacturer did not skip on the PVR function, which allows recording programs from the built-in tuners directly to external USB storage or a hard drive. We also have a smoothly functioning TimeShift for pausing live TV and a recording scheduling option. These features can prove to be a great advantage during the upcoming FIFA World Cup, when matches will be played late in the evening and we may not be able to watch them live. Of course, standard features are also included, such as the ability to connect wireless headphones via Bluetooth.

In terms of playing files from USB, Blaupunkt performs quite solidly. We tested several of the most popular formats and basically everything that matters worked without any fuss on the factory player. So you're not forced to immediately download additional software right after pulling the TV out of the box, because the equipment is simply self-sufficient ‘out of the box’. Nevertheless, taking advantage of the charms of Google TV, we still recommend installing some external software, like VLC or Kodi. The factory player is adequate, but it's in those external applications where you'll find the most configuration options, better subtitle support, or just a more convenient interface. Since the system gives you that freedom, it's worth taking advantage of it to get as much as you can out of your multimedia.

The inability to install an external file player (as is the case with systems based on Android) is actually not a problem for the LG G6. The built-in factory player works great and seamlessly supports most audio, video, or photo formats that we provided from our USB drive. However, during testing, we encountered some shortcomings – namely, a rather strange lack of support for subtitles in the popular .txt format. We do believe that this option will soon be available on the G6 with the next software update.

In terms of audio, Blaupunkt performs really well, especially considering it's a typical budget television. You can see, or rather hear, that the brand hasn't forgotten its roots and for such an inexpensive build, the sound is actually superb. Of course, there's a noticeable lack of bass, but overall it's loud, and surprisingly clear. What matters most to us – even at higher volumes, the sound isn't heavily distorted, which is rare and a pleasant surprise at this price point.

Despite its very flat body, the LG G6 sounds surprisingly good. The manufacturer has managed to pack quite decent speakers under the display that can produce a sound that is fairly “spatial” – if you can even call the limited physical capabilities of the TV that 😉. The sound is clear, has good dynamics, and is flawless for everyday viewing of news programmes or series. The TV also supports the very popular Dolby Atmos spatial audio codec without any issues.

Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, there is no support for the DTS:X format. Be that as it may, it has recently been quite unpopular in streaming services, but a premium TV in terms of price and quality, in our opinion, simply should not limit users regarding audio format support. Additionally, we have to criticise LG for somewhat downgrading the audio menu itself. We missed more advanced settings and predefined sound profiles, which were definitely more abundant in last year's model.

Blaupunkt UGC5500S vs LG OLED G6 (G64LW, G66LS)

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

Daytime performance

Panel details

TV features

Classic features:

Smart features:

Sound connection options

Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):

Senior accessibility

webOS System and Smart Features

Features for Traditionalists

Apps

Playing files from USB

Sound

Sound Quality Test

Acoustic Measurements