LG UT8100 (IPS) vs Philips OLED770

The LG UT8100 television unfortunately does not meet expectations in the HDR effect category. A peak brightness of only 300 nits on the luminance chart is well below the required value to fully enjoy HDR effects. In practice, the image resembles SDR quality more than true HDR, which is particularly evident in demanding high-contrast scenes. The coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette is only 82%, which further limits the ability to present vibrant and rich colours. Instead of impressive visual experiences, we receive a muted and washed-out image. For those looking for a television to fully utilise HDR content, the LG UT8100 model turns out to be quite disappointing.

The Philips OLED770 doesn't try to compete with the brightest OLEDs on the market, and it's actually hard to expect that, as it's the entry-level model in Philips' range for 2025. In our measurements, it reached a maximum of around 700 nits, which allows for enjoyment of HDR effects in scenes where light appears in spots – for instance, in the flash of headlights or a starry sky. In such moments, the picture can truly amaze. However, it's different when there are more bright elements on the screen. The TV, like many cheaper OLEDs, restricts luminance at that point, and the entire image noticeably dims. This was best seen in a scene from the movie The Meg, where the sun rises behind an oil platform – the brightness dropped to around 250 nits, which is almost three times less. The HDR effect remains pleasing to the eye, but it's worth being aware that this model performs best in scenes with less intense light. Fortunately, the OLED770 also has an ace up its sleeve – the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette is as high as 99%, so colours in movies and games are vibrant and very close to what the creator intended.

The Filmmaker Mode on LG UT8100, while theoretically the best for watching movies, has significant issues. The biggest problem is the white balance – drops in blue cause a noticeable yellowing of the image, visible in both HD and 4K content. These issues are confirmed by measurement results in the Colour Checker test, which indicate significant deviations in colour reproduction.

In terms of brightness characteristics, both HD and 4K content exhibit a large tonal boost. The gamma curve in both cases remains well below the reference value of 2.4, which leads to excessive brightening of darker elements of the image. A similar problem is evident in the EOTF curve – in the case of 4K content, the TV struggles to manage brightness correctly, resulting in issues with screen brightness. This means the factory settings of this model require significant adjustment to achieve better picture quality.

The first measurements already show that the factory settings of the Philips OLED770 have a lot to improve, even in Filmmaker mode. The white balance chart clearly indicates a lack of blue, giving the image a slightly yellowish tint. In practice, white is not snow-like, but leans towards warmer hues – which some may even find appealing, but from a precision standpoint, this is a deviation from the norm. The gamma, on the other hand, tends to be on the darker side – the average value is around 2.6 instead of the reference 2.4. In mid-tones, the image appears muted and more saturated, which can look too "cinematic" but detracts a bit from the naturalness. However, the most significant issues are visible in colour reproduction. The average error is relatively high, and some colours – particularly shades of grey – deviate significantly from what should be seen. In everyday viewing, this means that sometimes colours may look less natural than we would wish.

After calibrating the Filmmaker Mode, the gamma has been aligned to practically perfect, reference values, which has significantly improved the overall tonal characteristics in HD content. 4K HDR content also looks better, although some issues are still visible at the extreme ends of the graph, where the curve deviates from the ideal. The EOTF curve performs worse since the TV struggles to maintain the correct brightness values. As a result, the image in some scenes may be too bright or slightly dim, which stems from the device’s design. Nevertheless, the calibration brought significant improvement, particularly for HD content, where the tonal balance and colour reproduction are now at a much higher level.

Philips OLED770 had shown signs from the start that it harboured significant potential, but it was hard to fully appreciate this in its factory settings. The image was often too warm, and some colours appeared as if they had lost their naturalness along the way. Calibration revealed that this television was very amenable to work – it responded to every adjustment and almost immediately unveiled another layer of its capabilities. The white balance was set in both SDR and HDR so that the yellowish haze disappeared and a neutral, clear white emerged. Gamma stabilised closer to perfection, which helped restore the naturalness of mid-tones, while shadows ceased to be artificially darkened, perhaps even with a slight brightening effect. The result was obvious... Movies are watched with greater ease; the image has cinematic depth without the feeling that something is overly darkened. However, the most interesting aspect was working on the colours. Factory errors were not dramatic, but slightly noticeable – skin tones could be too warm, and grey wasn’t always the shade we expected. After calibration, the error values dropped to around 2, and in many cases even below 1. This is a level that is definitely lower than the threshold of discernibility for the human eye. In other words, after correction, the colours finally “clicked” into place. Looking at the screen, we felt like the television had begun to speak with a full voice. Like an instrument that had finally been properly tuned.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is also correct, although the effect depends on the settings. The update improved the operation of the smooth gradation function, smoothing transitions better than before, but introduced minor issues with detail loss, e.g. on textures.

Image scaling on LG UT8100 performs very well. The image presents itself decently, with no major issues regarding edge aliasing. Details are preserved at a satisfactory level, making materials of lower resolution look really solid on this television. As a result, users can enjoy watching older content without any noticeable defects in quality.

The problem of the previously mentioned colour connections can largely be mitigated thanks to the "distortion reduction" function, which is an algorithm for smoothing tonal transitions in Philips. It works best at a low level – effectively eliminating unwanted colour bands while not introducing strange artifacts or losing image detail. This is one of those features that is truly worth keeping on.

The issue of upscaling is somewhat less impressive. Images from lower resolution can be too soft, while in some parts the characteristic "jaggies" appear. The impression is that the algorithm is trying to reconcile two contradictory directions – smoothing and sharpening – and ultimately fails to find the golden mean. As a consolation, it's worth noting that the television does not have problems with overscan, meaning it does not cut off the edges of the image, which can sometimes happen in other competing models.

LG UT8100, equipped with a 60 Hz panel, is particularly suited for those watching movies. The television offers the TruMotion system with a de-judder effect adjustment, which allows users to tailor the smoothness of the picture – from more choppy to exceptionally smooth, resembling a soap opera effect, depending on user preferences.

The issue of the panel in the Philips OLED770 is not entirely straightforward. The manufacturer claims a 120 Hz panel, but our measurements showed that the screen can accept a 4K signal even at 144 Hz. This sounds like great news – because who wouldn't want an additional mode for PC gamers at this price? However, the reality turned out to be more complex. With 120 Hz content, the television behaves like most OLEDs – the image is absolutely clear, with no trace of blurring or smearing, ideal for both dynamic games and sports broadcasts. The problem only arises at 144 Hz. Unlike models with official support for this frequency, here we see the phenomenon of so-called frame skipping. This means that the television is unable to display all the frames – some of them are skipped, causing motion to lose smoothness and double outlines to appear on the screen. The effect resembles the operation of the BFI function, which Philips does not offer in this model anyway.

LG UT8100 offers basic features for gamers, such as ALLM and Game Bar, which makes it easier to access settings. The TV also supports HGiG, improving picture quality in HDR games. Unfortunately, the lack of support for Dolby Vision and VRR limits the device's capabilities, as does the 60 Hz panel, which excludes support for 120 Hz resolution. This model is more suited for less demanding gaming applications.

If someone is looking for a TV for gaming, the Philips OLED770 is a candidate that's hard to overlook. The mere fact that this is an OLED gives it a great starting point – perfect blacks and infinite contrast make evening sessions in atmospheric games look like they've been taken straight out of a cinema. Added to that is the Ambilight system, which uses LEDs on the back of the TV to extend the image onto the wall behind the screen. The effect is such that even just playing FIFA can look like a small spectacle, and in horror games, the atmosphere becomes really thick. On the technical side, it's also quite decent. The Philips OLED770 supports variable refresh rate (VRR) up to 120 Hz, has an automatic mode for gamers (ALLM), and for those using an Xbox Series X, Dolby Vision support in games is also available. You just need to know that in this mode, the input lag is slightly higher than standard, although still at an acceptable level. As a bonus, we also get the 'Game Bar', which is a special tool strip for gamers. It's not the most conveniently designed solution, but it allows for a quick view of key parameters without exiting the game. Overall, this gives a picture of a TV that has all the most important gaming features on one hand, and on the other can add something unique – Ambilight. And it's this mix of technology and visual effect that makes the OLED770 one of the better screens for gaming in a home environment.