LG OLED G4 vs Sony Bravia 8 (XR80)

LG G4 guarantees an incredibly vibrant HDR effect, placing the television firmly at the top of the rankings. The highest model in the manufacturer's 2024 portfolio, equipped with the second generation of microlens technology (MLA), has achieved a maximum brightness level of 1474 nits in real scenes. The only area where the product of the Korean manufacturer may fall short compared to LCD televisions with Mini LED backlighting is during a full-screen scene featuring a lot of white. If we were to disregard the latter scene, the average result would be even higher. It's also worth mentioning scenes with very fine details, where each one shone at full intensity, which is not as evident in non-OLED televisions. The combination of such brightness and wide coverage of the DCI-P3 color space ensures that HDR materials are more engaging than ever before.

Sony Bravia 8 performs reasonably well in terms of HDR brightness. A maximum brightness level of 880 nits is satisfactory and allows for well-rendered lighting effects in most scenes. In the tested segments of the films Life of Pi and Sicario 2, the TV presents itself quite well, offering vibrant and detailed images that fully capture the atmosphere of these productions.

However, a greater challenge arises in a scene from the film The Meg, where the screen is entirely very bright. In such situations, the limitations of OLED technology become apparent, as the TV loses brightness, dropping to around 450 nits. Such a drop is less satisfying, especially when the entire scene requires intense lighting. Despite these limitations, Sony Bravia 8 remains a competitive model, offering excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut and 74% coverage of the BT.2020 standard. This results in rich colours and precise details, significantly enhancing the quality of HDR content viewing and making for a pleasurable experience.

The best factory mode in terms of colour reproduction was "Filmmaker". This is the one we used during our tests. Let's check how its characteristics looked before the calibration process. Taking a closer look at the white balance first, we can notice a significant dominance of red and green colour. As a result, the image had a warm yellow tint. This is the kind of characteristic we usually observe in "Cinema", "Filmmaker", or similarly named modes. The effect of such a colour balance was clearly visible in both SDR and HDR content, which, after switching from "Standard" mode, was distinctly yellowed. Now let's move on to two graphs that are responsible for brightness characteristics, and consequently, image contrast. The first one (Gamma), representing materials with a standard colour palette, performed decently. For most of the time, the midtones and bright whites were represented very accurately, however, it noticeably lost the darkest details which blended into a black patch. On the other hand, HDR materials, represented by the EOTF curve graph, exhibited a significant drop in contrast due to a strong boost in brightness. There was also an issue with the colours themselves as seen on the "ColorChecker" graph since they were noticeably undersaturated.

The best factory mode available on the Sony Bravia 8 television is IMAX Enhanced, which provides the most cinematic experience, although it is not set up perfectly. The TV tries to replicate cinema settings as faithfully as possible, however, certain shortcomings are noticeable. Starting with white balance, both for SDR materials and 4K, there is a clear dominance of blue. This makes the picture appear too cold, taking away its naturalness. Tests using Colour Checker show that colours shift towards cooler shades, which may lead to less accurate colour reproduction and makes the image less realistic.

As for brightness and contrast characteristics, gamma shows a significant drop at the end of the graph. This means that dark details may be too dim, while bright elements are too bright, causing them to lose subtlety and become less visible. As can be seen in the sky - in the comparison photo. Meanwhile, the EOTF curve is significantly above the reference value, causing the bright elements of the image to be too intense. As a result, users may perceive the image as unnatural, and bright areas may lose detail, negatively impacting the overall viewing quality.

The manufacturer has been implementing extensive support for the calibration process in their LG televisions for many years. Therefore, we used 2- and 20-point grey scale adjustments along with an advanced CMS (Color Management System) and got to work. As you can see, thanks to the procedure carried out, each of the parameters has significantly improved. The use of tools has resulted in extremely beneficial effects, which include: studio colour reproduction, recovery of details in dark areas of the image, appropriate brightness characteristics, and proper colour saturation. Thus, we have maximised our approach to the reference image, or the one that the film director saw on the preview monitor. It is worth noting that the LG G4 televisions are the only ones that allow for even deeper intervention in image quality due to the capability to calibrate with 3D LUT matrices. However, this solution is recommended only for post-production or graphic studios.

The calibration process of the Sony Bravia 8 television has brought significant improvements in image quality. The white balance has been distinctly enhanced, both for SDR content and 4K HDR, with minimal errors in the middle section of the graph. Gamma proved to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the calibration – it has been completely stripped of previous drops, which significantly affected brightness stability and better detail reproduction in dark parts of the image. The EOTF curve has also been levelled out, making bright elements of the image appear more natural, and the overall tonal dynamics are now more balanced.

However, the most attention should be paid to colour reproduction, where despite the calibration, there are still some issues. Sony has omitted the use of a CMS system in this model, which allows for very precise control over colours. Consequently, the Colour Checker test for 4K materials still shows significant errors in colour samples. Despite these difficulties, we recommend carrying out the calibration, as the effects are noticeable and significantly enhance image quality, especially in terms of brightness and contrast.

The tested television did not perform well with content rich in tonal transitions, resulting in a strong posterisation effect. However, there is a partial remedy for this ailment. The manufacturer has equipped the LG G4 with a smoothing system called "Gentle Gradation," which we can apply at three levels: Low, Medium, and High. Each of these options guarantees quite high smoothing effectiveness on bright colours, though low on darker ones. We recommend primarily using the first one due to the fact that the other two interfere with directorial intentions, removing film grain.

When watching lower-quality content, the efficiency of the television during upscaling is extremely important. The image from the tested television is sharp and clear. However, attention should be paid to the jagged edges of fine details and minor issues around characters, such as the creation of a halo effect, which occurs due to the sharpening imposed by the LG G4 even when the slider is set to the lowest value, which is 0. It is worth noting that this is a change in relation to the LG G3, which did not impose such strong image sharpening, even when the appropriate slider was set to position 0.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in low-quality materials on the ChooseTV 8 is lacking. Unfortunately, the gentle gradation feature (which was available in previous models) is missing, which is a significant downside. The digital noise reduction function can improve tonal transitions quite well, but it also tends to remove some details, such as clouds in scenes from the film The Martian, which may not appeal to everyone. When it comes to digital processing, the Sony XR80 TV performs quite well. The model in the test scenes is displayed without noticeable errors, and the branches in the background are not overly jagged. This shows that ChooseTV 8 is capable of processing complex image details at low resolution well.

The maximum refresh rate that we can set on the LG G4 is 144 Hz. Naturally, this is only possible by connecting the LG G4 to a very powerful PC. Otherwise, we will be operating at a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is recommended if we primarily want to watch sports or content with high motion dynamics. For those who require high fluidity of 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 from 0 to 10, with each increment affecting the degree of smoothing, so everyone can find their sweet spot.

The LG OLED G4 panel features an average response time of 0.78 ms (which directly results from our measurements), allowing for an incredibly clear image, unattainable by LCD televisions, which have response times of even several milliseconds. This is clearly visible in the "UFO Test" images, showing the absence of any trailing blur behind the object. Furthermore, the LG OLED G4 test showed that the television offers the ability to precisely adjust motion smoothing functionality, allowing users to choose the ideal level of image interpolation. We particularly appreciated this during fast-paced action in video games, where the LG G4 performed exceptionally well, minimising any blurriness. Thanks to OLED technology, this model eliminates so-called ghosting, ensuring that the image remains sharp even in the most dynamic sports or movie scenes.

Sony Bravia 8 offers a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, which lays the groundwork for smooth viewing of dynamic content such as sports and games. As a result, movements are sharp and fluid. For more demanding users, the Sony XR80 television is equipped with an advanced motion smoothing system, which is divided into three segments: Smoothness (Film), Smoothness (Camera), and Clarity. The first two are responsible for adjusting the level of blur and smoothing of the image. The third option, concerning clarity, will be described in more detail below. Each of the parameters can be tailored to personal preferences, allowing users to find the optimal setting suited to their individual needs.

The LG G4 television supports all features that make up the HDMI 2.1 standard. During testing, each feature activated without any issues, which allows us to consider the television as designed for gaming. Its performance will certainly be appreciated by both console users and those connecting the LG G4 to a computer. It’s also worth mentioning the proper implementation of the HGIG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) mode, which ensures that games mastered to brightness levels beyond the maximum luminance of the LG G4 will correctly map tones, keeping the game image true to the original.

A nice touch is the presence of a special GameBar that we can bring up at any moment to check game parameters, but most importantly, to change them quickly. More importantly, turning on VRR technology does not degrade contrast, which is often a problem in televisions with local dimming or Mini LED backlighting. Of course, this is thanks to the OLED panel itself, characterised by pixel self-emissiveness. As a journalistic note, we will only mention a slight grey flicker, which, however, is somewhat normal when VRR is enabled.

In summary, the LG G4, like practically all OLED televisions, is an ideal product for all kinds of gaming and online competitions. With full HDMI 2.1 ports with a complete bandwidth of 48 Gbit, features such as VRR, ALLM, G-Sync, FreeSync, or HDR Dolby Vision gameplay will bring a lot of joy.

Sony Bravia 8 has significantly improved its compatibility with consoles compared to earlier models. The TV supports variable refresh rate (VRR), which eliminates screen tearing, and is compatible with graphics cards, ensuring smooth visuals. The auto low latency mode (ALLM) reduces input lag, which is crucial in fast-paced games. Dolby Vision with low latency additionally provides impressive HDR effects that look fantastic during gameplay.

The Sony XR80 TV also features a Game Bar, which allows quick access to settings and monitoring parameters while gaming. An interesting option is the ability to enable a virtual crosshair on the screen, which can provide a slight advantage in shooter games.

A downside is the lack of support for 1440p@120hz resolution, which could make gaming easier for users with less powerful graphics cards. Additionally, the Sony XR80 only has two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is typically used to connect an audio system via eARC, limiting the number of available ports for connecting next-gen consoles.