LG OLED C4 vs Sony X75WL

The results of HDR materials are definitely among the better ones. Practically every film significantly exceeds the 700 nits barrier, which allows for a very realistic image. Of course, none of them surpasses the magical thousand, however, the combination of such results along with unlimited contrast and black effectively boosts the visual outcome. The last of the scenes, featuring a fullscreen sun burst, is indeed less bright than the others, although it still represents a respectable level. It's also worth mentioning the excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, which will enable the achievement of exceptionally vivid colours.

The luminance chart for the X75WL Sony television showed a maximum value of 350 nits, which unfortunately is not an impressive result. The television does not surprise with its brightness, and all the HDR scenes we tested lacked depth and the appropriate lighting effect that should accompany HDR content. Additionally, the tragic coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette makes it difficult for the television to reproduce rich colours, which significantly affects the overall viewing experience of HDR content. The lack of adequate brightness and poor colour coverage means that HDR effects are very limited in this model.

The best factory mode implemented in the tested television was "Filmmaker". That was the one we used during all tests. This mode, in terms of colour reproduction, turned out to be quite decent, although other flaws effectively detracted from the enjoyment of the viewing experience. Starting with the most basic one, which is white balance, it was easy to notice that this was marked by a dominance of red, which completely altered the characteristics of the picture. We could see a strong yellowing of the whites and a shift of all colours to warmer tones. The gamma, which is a graph as equally important, if not more so, was quite severely reduced, resulting in a significant drop in contrast, except for the start of the graph, where the television insidiously lost details. That’s all regarding SDR materials. Looking closely at films with a wide dynamic range, we can observe exactly the same phenomenon of white balance yellowing as in films with a standard colour palette. The EOTF curve, which replaces the gamma chart for us, is practically perfect and cannot be faulted.

Colour reproduction tests for the model Sony X75WL are conducted in film mode, which offers the best picture settings but also has its flaws. The biggest issue with the X75WL Sony is the white balance – for both HD and 4K HDR content – which is characterised by a dominance of blue. As a result, the entire image feels too cool. The colour checker confirms these errors, showing that colours lean towards cooler shades. Regarding brightness characteristics, the contrast gamma is at quite a decent level; however, the same cannot be said for the EOTF curve. There are significant issues with maintaining the appropriate brightness – the image is either too bright or too dim, which affects the visual perception of the content.

As we mentioned earlier, LG televisions are equipped with advanced tools for carrying out the calibration process. We used them to model the picture in line with what the director envisioned. And without modesty, we must admit that we achieved this phenomenally. Both SDR and HDR materials present a level that clearly indicates this is how a film should look. It's worth taking a look at the colour errors on the "ColorChecker" palette, where practically none of them exceed "1", except for two samples.

X75WL Sony is one of those cases where image calibration may not be heavily spectacular, but it provides a very good improvement in colour perception. The white balance, both for HD and 4K materials, has been significantly improved – we no longer have a strong dominance of cooler shades. The gamma curve also appears more stable, which translates to better image quality. However, the biggest issue remains the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness in 4K materials. Due to the technological limitations of the television (IPS panel and lack of local dimming technology), it's hard to talk about significant improvement, as we can't squeeze more out of this model. Despite these limitations, the tonality of the image has been significantly improved.

Once again, we will take a look at the feature responsible for gentle gradation, but we will also address the one that aims to enhance the quality of lower-quality materials. The default smoothing of tonal transitions, as we could see, was not the worst, but it can be improved further. The function has a slider that allows us to adjust its intensity. We recommend using the former, as it produces very good results and does not blur important details.

Image scaling on LG C4 is quite good, however, it cannot be said to be without flaws. The image is slightly sharper by default, although not in a very noticeable way. While jagged edges of trees can be seen, it is not a major issue when compared to other manufacturers.

In the case of low-quality tonal transitions, the Sony X75WL television performs poorly. The lack of any feature to improve tonal transitions results in noticeable imperfections in colour gradation. However, it can be noted that the digital processing is quite good – the image is displayed without overscan, and the overall presentation is relatively good thanks to the added slight sharpness, which some users may appreciate.

The maximum refresh rate we can set on the LG G4 is 144 Hz. Naturally, this is only possible when connecting the TV to a very powerful PC. Otherwise, we will operate at a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is recommended if we primarily want to watch sports or content with a lot of motion dynamics. For those who require high fluidity of the image, the manufacturer has implemented a multi-level motion smoother called "TrueMotion". It has been divided into two separate sliders that adjust the sharpness of moving images (De-Blur) and judder (De-Judder). Both sliders can be set in the range of 0 to 10, with each degree affecting the level of smoothing, allowing everyone to find their sweet spot.

The panel of the LG OLED C4 features an average response time of less than 1 ms (which directly results from our measurements), enabling the achievement of an extremely clear image, unattainable for LCD TVs, which can have response times of up to several milliseconds. This is clearly evident in the images from the "UFO Test," which show no trailing blur behind the object.

The X75WL Sony television features a 60 Hz panel, making it more suitable for watching movies than for fast-paced gaming. This model includes a motion smoother called Motionflow, which allows the user to adjust the picture on a 10-point scale. Smoothness adds intermediate frames, thus increasing motion fluidity, and the image becomes more theatrical while minimising the judder effect. Clarity reduces motion blur, which is especially useful during fast-paced scenes, such as sports or dynamic action in films. With this feature, the user can tailor the fluidity and sharpness of motion to their own preferences.

We can now say that LG C4, like practically every OLED television from the manufacturer, is exceptionally good in terms of cooperation with consoles and PCs. Thanks to the implementation of four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports at 48 Gbps, the manufacturer has embedded all the features that enhance gaming comfort, including simultaneous support for FreeSync and G-Sync technologies. With such a tandem, players with graphics cards from AMD or nVidia can safely choose C4. However, what should please gamers demanding the highest possible quality the most is the simultaneous implementation of HDR Dolby Vision and HGIG mode. The former is particularly important as it operates with extremely low input lag in all settings.

A standard feature in televisions from the Korean manufacturer is also the implementation of GameBar, allowing for quick adjustments of settings "on the fly," without the need to exit the game. It also allows for image adjustments for people with visual impairments, which is an incredibly nice touch. Another important piece of information is that when VRR technology is enabled, we won’t experience a drop in contrast. This is, of course, due to the design of the panel and the absence of conventional backlighting. It is, however, normal for shades of grey to flicker slightly, although this is a characteristic feature of this function regardless of the manufacturer and television.

In summary: LG C4, just like all the manufacturer's OLEDs equipped with high-refresh-rate panels and HDMI 2.1 connections, creates a harmonious whole with consoles. In practice, it is a complete television, and if we expect the highest possible efficiency in gaming, C4 will be an ideal choice.

X75WL is not the best TV for gamers. It only has the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature and a basic Game Bar, which are not sufficient to satisfy more demanding users. In this price range, one would expect support for features such as VRR or 120 Hz refresh rates – although in FULLHD, which are already standard – unfortunately, they are lacking here. This is a big downside for Sony, as the competition offers much more for gamers in a similar budget.