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

Blaupunkt UGC5500S is a textbook example of a very cheap television that has primarily two huge advantages: the Google TV system and an extremely low price. It is these two elements that make it an appealing option for many people. During testing, we also found a great alternative use for it, which is working with a computer. Thanks to the exemplary legibility of fonts and good viewing angles of the IPS matrix, Blaupunkt surprisingly performs well as an inexpensive monitor. However, one must be aware that this device is typically budget-friendly, and this cost-saving is evident in the image quality. The matrix is simply dim, making it difficult to excel in challenging lighting conditions, not to mention creating any real HDR effect. Additionally, despite good viewing angles, the black level on this model leaves much to be desired – in the evenings, it will be rather dark grey, which is a typical characteristic of the IPS technology used here. Viewed through the lens of price, this is a device that aims to compete in the market not based on image quality, but rather on the amount on the receipt. Blaupunkt UGC5500S will fit perfectly as an additional television in the home, equipment for the holiday home, or in a less important room where the image simply needs to be present, 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 respects. Thanks to the new second-generation Tandem OLED panel, it does something that no other screen with a glossy coating on the market has been able to achieve – it superbly suppresses light reflections while maintaining perfect, unblemished picture quality. When we add to this its record brightness and the unique properties of the panel itself, the G6 can generate images that can literally take your breath away at times. The excellent webOS system and features for gamers only reinforce the belief that this is a worthy successor to the G5 model. However, this is just one side of the coin... because with a device of this class, the expectations are the highest possible. During detailed testing, we encountered a problem with digital image processing in scenes close to black. There was too aggressive dithering and slight flickering of details in dark sequences. While this flaw does not stand out drastically during normal viewing from the couch and does not undermine the overall admiration for the contrast, a trained eye will easily notice that LG's engineers stumbled at the final hurdle while tuning the panel. When purchasing a fairly expensive flagship product here and now, perfection is simply expected from the first power-up.

Despite this evident slip-up, the LG G6 is still at the absolute forefront of the market and one of the most interesting televisions of the year. It has solid foundations 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 once again have nothing to look for. We promise to monitor the situation continuously, and as soon as a patch is released, we will certainly verify its effectiveness.

To put it bluntly: when it comes to blacks, it is simply very poor. Our measurements on test screens have only confirmed what we saw with the naked eye – a result around 1000:1 is disappointing nowadays, even in this price range. In cinematic conditions, this "black" simply does not exist. To be more specific, we fired up one of our favourite test scenes – a helicopter flyover in “Sicario 2” (you can see this in the video we’ve included below). Instead of a pitch-black, deep night, we got an image that is... navy blue. Everything that should be dark and mysterious on screen actually shines a dark blue. This is the price we pay for using an IPS panel. On one hand, we get fairly decent viewing angles, so if you’re watching television with the whole family from different angles, the picture doesn’t lose much saturation. On the other hand, if you plan to have evening screenings with the lights turned off, this lack of contrast will hit your eyes from the first minute.

As the LG G6 is based on OLED technology, specifically the 2nd generation WOLED TANDEM matrix, when it comes to black levels and contrast, we are talking perfection, as confirmed by our laboratory measurements – in every test scenario, the television achieved an absolute infinity score. The ability to independently control each pixel gives it a significant advantage over any LCD panel on the market. This translates into a brilliant, plastic depth of image that immediately draws you into every possible viewing experience. This is perfectly illustrated by the example of a dark, demanding scene with a helicopter from the film Sicario 2. While traditional screens with local dimming (including Mini-LEDs) can generate an irritating “halo” effect during such moments, brighten black bars in films, or lose details in shadows, the LG G6 performs 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 noticeable graininess and flicker of the image stands out. However, we do not take this into account in the assessment of the contrast itself and this part of the review – we will describe this specific problem in the following section. Paragraph: "Smoothness of tonal transitions".

Here, too, we will not mince words – if you are looking for a television strictly for cinematic experiences in HDR, you have come to the wrong place. The Blaupunkt UGC5500S is unfortunately not a machine designed 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 film scenes speaks for itself. It is simply too little to even talk about any real HDR effect. Quite frankly, everything displayed here in this format can be confidently regarded as a somewhat “enhanced” SDR mode. We expected this, as virtually every device in this price range falters in this area, but we feel obliged to warn you about it. Manufacturers love to boast about HDR compatibility with stickers on their boxes, but in reality, this format simply does not exist here – it lacks the “fuel” of brightness.

The situation is particularly difficult for Blaupunkt, as we are dealing with a panel that has a very basic coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, reaching only about 80%. You will not find any advanced coatings to extend these capabilities (such as quantum dots), which means that scenes that should ideally burst with richly saturated colours appear simply under-saturated on this screen. Therefore, we have a specific piece of advice for you: do not force the HDR mode on this model. If you have the option in the streaming app settings – simply turn it off. By sticking to the classic SDR mode, you can be sure that the television will not attempt to “enhance” something that it cannot handle hardware-wise.

The LG G6 is currently one of the brightest OLEDs on the market. Its peak brightness reaches nearly 2500 nits, and what’s best – this has a direct impact on real film scenes. The television flawlessly extracts details in the bright areas of the image. And this is regardless of whether we are talking about very small points like stars in the sky or slightly larger elements on the screen. Naturally, with full-screen, uniformly white scenes, the brightness of the G6 decreases due to the panel protection system (ABL). However, in real, varied cinematic shots, this value still hovers around 2000 nits, which can be considered an outstanding result. The coverage of the colour palette also deserves praise. The new second-generation Tandem OLED panel only brought a cosmetic change but still an improvement. The coverage of the DCI-P3 palette reaches nearly 99.5%, whereas for the ultra-wide BT.2020, it is around 84%. These are very good results, although it’s worth remembering one thing: at extremely high brightness levels, the colour volume will be lower than in Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panels due to the use of a white sub-pixel (WOLED). However, in everyday content and most films, catching 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, in short, twofold. Once again, we need to clearly separate what we see in standard SDR format from what happens when HDR is turned on, as these are two entirely different worlds. Let’s start with the better side of the coin. If you plan to watch classic television, YouTube, or older films on this television, you can count on really reasonably well-tuned colours. In our test unit, the white balance in movie mode performed exceptionally well, which honestly surprised us. Of course, to avoid being overly optimistic, we did notice some shortcomings. Looking at the gamma charts, we observed that the processor struggles with appropriately dimming the image in its brightest areas. Additionally, there is quite a strong, at times excessively aggressive red saturation, which resulted in visible errors in reproducing certain shades. Nevertheless, in general terms, the image in SDR is simply solid and can be watched without a grimace on one’s face. Unfortunately, the charm disappears the moment we again enter the HDR world. Here, Blaupunkt behaves as if we suddenly switched it to shop mode, and in its worst version. The excess blue in the white balance is so significant that it is almost blinding, ruining any realism of the scene. Moreover, the television interprets brightness very loosely, which, when analysing the EOTF curve, clearly showed that for most of the time, the colours appear simply washed out and lacking in depth. This is, by the way, perfectly visible through the colour errors that become evident 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 feels forced and lacking appropriate refinement.

We tested the LG G6 in the best factory mode in terms of colour fidelity, namely FILMMAKER MODE. In the case of our test unit, this mode was quite well tuned straight out of the box. In SDR content, the only issue we could point out was the white balance, which tended to drift towards warmer tones. Consequently, the image could occasionally appear slightly yellowed; however, overall, this was not an bothersome problem. The G6 performed a bit worse with HDR content. There, we noted too much blue component in the white balance, which caused the image to take on cooler hues, resulting in fairly noticeable errors. As can be seen in our ColorChecker chart, the colours indeed drifted towards these cooler registers. Nevertheless, considering the factory settings, the television displayed a perfectly decent level. We do know, however, that OLED screens – particularly those from LG – respond excellently to professional calibration, which is why we immediately went ahead with it.

It may sound like a joke – pulling out professional measuring equipment for a television costing around a thousand złotys / 250 dollars, but we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t check it out. The question is: does such cheap equipment give us any room for manoeuvre when it comes to calibration? To your surprise, the answer is: yes, and very much so. In the Blaupunkt UGC5500S menu, we found surprisingly many options that allowed us to really work on the picture. These are not just empty sliders; they are specific tools that we could utilise using our measuring 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 red saturation. We also fixed the issue of improper dimming in the brightest parts of the image. After calibration, the standard format image became significantly more balanced and simply correct. When it came to HDR, the situation was again more complicated. While we managed to 'tame' that aggressive blue tint in the white balance, it was clear that we were fighting somewhat in vain. Even after adjusting the settings, the television still tried to interfere with the image in its own way, as if the electronics knew better than us how the scene should look. Additionally, there is a hardware barrier that no slider can overcome – colours in HDR still remain under-saturated. This is simply due to the quality of the panel itself; it physically cannot produce the most vibrant colours. To sum up this topic: if any of you ask whether it is possible to calibrate a television for a 'thousand', we answer with full conviction: it is possible.

After professional calibration, we gained complete control over the panel, and we managed to align all parameters to nearly zero. We successfully calibrated the white balance perfectly, which eliminated the factory cool and warm tints from the screen. The effects are clear as day in the ColorChecker test – the average colour reproduction errors dropped below the critical value of 1-2. And what does that mean? PERFECT colours, without any distortion! However, as reviewers, we must point out here how the LG G6 arbitrarily manipulates brightness, for which the EOTF curve is responsible. When looking at the standard synthetic chart, 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 real, moving film scenes (EOTF in MOVIES). Then it becomes evident that some of the tiniest parts on the screen are slightly over-brightened by the algorithm. Of course, for the average viewer, such a deviation will be practically unnoticeable, but in the test of such an expensive screen, it is worth noting – especially since we are talking about a model that has huge aspirations to be named the best television of the year.

Looking at our test photographs, it's really hard to criticise anything. Most of the colours in the attached images blend together almost perfectly, creating smooth gradients without noticeable "steps". And indeed, in most scenes where we captured these shots, it looked surprisingly good. However, the problem arises when we stop analysing still frames and simply start watching the films. In motion, the situation changes dramatically. During dynamic scenes on screen, artefacts begin to appear, which are a direct result of simply using a poor image processor here. Unfortunately, a static photo cannot convey this "jarring" of colours, but you must take our word for it: what looks clean and smooth in the picture can stand out harshly during the screening and is simply annoying. This is precisely why we have a rather low rating in this category.

Here, unfortunately, we come to the least cheerful part of this review. If we were judging solely the fluidity of tonal transitions, the G6 would receive high marks. The blending of colours is at a very good level, and at times it resembles what we know from Samsung's QD-OLED panels. This is great news, as until now, ugly, layered bands in dark shades have been the bane of WOLED panels. In this category, we could easily give a strong 8.5 out of 10.

Note: Unfortunately, the final rating in this section drops significantly, and the culprit is very aggressive dithering. In dark scenes, the image literally 'trembles', and in areas close to black/dark grey, the television can irritably flicker. We do not know exactly what causes this, but looking at the tests of other reviewers around the world – everyone has encountered exactly this same problem. We hope that LG will fix this as soon as possible with some update. We know that LG can respond quickly to negative user feedback, which can already be read online. We will monitor the situation closely and will inform you in case of improvement.

If you expect the processor in this model to magically "fix" the poor-quality signal from cable TV or old films 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 adequately in that the image is not blurry, but there's no mention of any intelligent sharpening or adding details here. Worse still, Blaupunkt is completely devoid of any features for reducing unwanted tonal transitions. If the material being watched has what is known as banding (that is, ugly "steps" instead of a smooth transition of colours, e.g., in the sky), this television will display it in all its 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 enlarges the frame, causing us to lose details at the very edges of the screen. In summary: in the category of digital "enhancing" of images, Blaupunkt simply performs poorly. We receive a raw, unprocessed signal, with all its flaws.

Whatever one may say about the G6’s problems with near-black signal, it must be fairly acknowledged that it handles heavily compressed material and lower resolution content exceptionally well. All unwanted, unsightly tonal transitions are effectively reduced here by the "Smooth Gradation" feature. At the "Low" setting, the algorithm works flawlessly – effectively masking the artefacts resulting from strong compression without destroying the sharpness and details in the frame. Higher levels of this function do indeed smooth the image further, but they start to blur the real elements of object texture, which is why we recommend keeping this slider at a low setting. As for the upscaling to 4K, the processor does an excellent job – edge sharpness and detail reconstruction are at the highest level, and in this regard, the G6 does not fall behind the world leaders at all.

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 were expecting an impeccably 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 has not given us any room for manoeuvre – nothing can be smoothed out or adjusted to our personal preferences. The image is always "raw," and we receive it exactly as the source transmits it. For fans of cinematic "jumping" of the image, this might be good, but the rest of us simply have to get used to the lack of any motion enhancement.

LG G6 is an OLED television, so in the category of motion fluidity, it traditionally deserves the highest marks. The television supports very high refresh rates reaching up to 165 Hz in 4K resolution, but most importantly – on the screen, you will not notice any signs of blurring. The response time of the panel is almost instantaneous, 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 is not very long. However, there are two interesting points worth mentioning, as they might be significant for some of you at this price. The first plus is that the TV quickly 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 each time to prevent input lag from ruining the fun. The second point is a genuine surprise that caught us off guard. Although it has a 60 Hz panel, the Blaupunkt can display images at 120 Hz at Full HD resolution. Sure, you lose the details of 4K, 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 inexpensive device. Besides these two points, you won't find anything more here. There are no advanced smoothness enhancement systems for gamers or extensive gaming menu bars. This is a simple screen for occasional gaming.

The LG G6 is a true monster for gamers and one of the best-equipped televisions on the market in this regard. The manufacturer has not skimped on features, equipping this model with as many as 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 will get the absolute maximum performance from them.

The television supports a full set of gaming technologies: from VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) to AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and even Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. On top of that, it offers remarkably low, nearly imperceptible input lag and an exceptionally well-functioning Game Optimizer panel, which allows you to monitor signal parameters in real time. Gaming on this screen, with the perfect black of OLED and impressive refresh rates, is pure pleasure.

An important point for every gamer is, of course, input lag, which refers to how quickly the television responds to our movements on the controller. Here, Blaupunkt has something to brag about, although the results are quite specific. At 4K resolution, the lag is just 12 ms. That's an excellent result. With such low lag, gaming feels simply phenomenal, and the response is almost instantaneous. It is a pity, however, that the situation changes when switching to 1080p mode. Here, the input lag increases to about 30 ms. To be clear: this is 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. Nonetheless, it is a shame that such good parameters could not be maintained as we saw with full 4K. Nevertheless, in the overall assessment, as a budget screen for consoles, Blaupunkt performs quite admirably in this regard.

When it comes to signal delay, the results are fabulously low. For a standard 120 Hz signal, the Input Lag is just 5 ms. At 60 Hz, this value increases to 13 ms, which is still an excellent and completely imperceptible delay. The only thing we need to nitpick is the television's performance when using the Dolby Vision Game 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 that these values in games are low enough that absolutely no one will feel any discomfort during gameplay.

If you plan to connect a computer to this television, it is absolutely crucial that you find and enable the PC compatibility option in the menu. Once you do that, magic happens – the implementation of Chroma 4:4:4 and font readability jumps to an exemplary level. The readability of text is simply excellent here. Of course, our editorial meticulousness would not allow us to pass by this equipment without taking a look "under the hood." During 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, such as writing emails or browsing the web, you would not be able to notice it with the naked eye. We maintain our opinion that as a monitor strictly for dynamic PC gaming, it is not 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 answer: yes, it is absolutely possible.

As we mentioned earlier, the LG G6 is an outstanding screen for gamers as well as those using computers. With full support for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync technology, and a high refresh rate of up to 165 Hz, this television performs brilliantly as a gigantic gaming monitor. However, when it comes to everyday office work with text, it does somewhat less well (though in our opinion still very well), which is, by the way, a typical feature of any WOLED-type screen. Due to the specific arrangement of four subpixels (with an additional white subpixel), rather than three as in traditional computer monitors, system fonts can have an additional red halo around black or white letters. This is a direct result of the new structure of the second-generation Tandem OLED matrix, which now operates in the RGWB configuration (in last year's first generation of Tandem OLED, it was in the BWRG configuration). In our opinion, the sharpness of font edges has slightly deteriorated because of this, but it is certainly not something that will immediately catch your eye when occasionally working with documents or browsing the web.

It’s really very good here. Whether we were sitting directly in front or on the edge of the sofa, the colours did not lose their saturation. This is a big plus if you plan to watch matches or films with a larger group – no one will complain that the picture looks worse for them. Although IPS panels are known for their good angles, in this particular model, when viewed from a sharp angle, the picture noticeably loses brightness. Interestingly, the colour saturation remains intact, but the screen simply becomes darker. This is not something that disqualifies this television, but it’s worth knowing.

As is fitting for an OLED panel, the viewing angles on the LG G6 are really good. The television viewed from the side does not drastically lose brightness or colour saturation. In this respect, the picture quality is miles better than any LCD television – and this is true for both IPS panels and even more so for VA panels without special wide-angle coatings. In this area, the only better screens on the market remain the QD-OLED panels from Samsung Display, where the angles are simply perfect, as well as older WOLED panels with MLA (micro-lens array) technology, which LG abandoned in this series two years ago. Unfortunately, we assess the viewing angles of this year's model to be slightly worse than last year's. We noticed that the 2nd generation Tandem OLED panel tends to take on more greenish hues at large angles, 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 have mentioned, hovers around 250 nits. This is definitely too little for the screen to "break through" the strong light coming into the living room. As a result, under strong sunlight, the image loses clarity and appears somewhat washed-out. However, there is one bright spot in this category, the satin finish of the panel. Thanks to this, we do not have to deal with the mirror effect, which often means that instead of watching a film, we are seeing a reflection of our own sofa. The satin nicely diffuses reflections, which somewhat saves the situation. Nevertheless, we cannot cheat physics: while the coating bravely fights against reflections, the low brightness ultimately surrenders in the battle with sunlight. If you are planning a screening in the middle of the day in a very bright room, be prepared for the necessity of drawing the curtains.

The LG G6 will perform exceptionally well as a television in a brightly lit room. Thanks to its powerful peak brightness, the television can easily cut through most external light sources. Best of all, the new generation of the Tandem OLED panel has brought significant improvements in the reduction of reflections. Although the screen coating is still glossy (and thus maintains well-saturated colours even in challenging conditions), it effectively suppresses glare. It does this definitely better than classic OLED screens with a standard glossy coating. We could confidently compare this level to that of glossy QD-OLED panels, but with one key advantage in favour of LG. Unlike the technology of competitors, in this model, deep blacks remain intact in a bright living room. There is no risk of greyness or a purple hue due to incoming light – the blacks in the G6 during the day are simply perfect, just as they are at night.

In terms of Smart TV functionality, the Blaupunkt UGC5500S is a classic example of a device where the system is both its greatest asset and its biggest flaw. On one hand, we have full Google TV here, which is a huge plus at this price point. We get access to a massive library of applications and basically all the functionality we know from brands that use this software. Nothing has been cut out forcibly, which is truly refreshing in such an inexpensive television. Unfortunately, we must honestly admit that in Blaupunkt's execution, this system simply works clumsily. This is a typical ailment of budget televisions with Google TV – the processor barely keeps up with the software. Navigation through the menu is not as smooth as we would like, and the remote can respond with a noticeable delay, giving the impression of being "dull." Of course, once you launch a specific application and start playing a movie, everything works stably, but just sifting through the interface requires a bit of patience.

As for traditional television features, Blaupunkt doesn't offer anything extraordinary. It is a simple device for basic tasks. The remote control deserves a plus, as it features a classic numeric keypad, which is simply convenient for flipping through cable channels. We also have Bluetooth, so you can easily connect wireless headphones or a speaker. The television also has a physical mini-jack headphone output. At a time when manufacturers are mass removing this connection, the presence of a "jack" is a nod towards those with older audio equipment or simply those who prefer classic wired headphones. It's a little thing, but it’s appreciated.

webOS System and Smart Features

The television operates on the latest version of the webOS system. While it is a closed platform, it supports absolutely all the key streaming applications on the market. You can easily launch useful wireless connectivity features here, such as built-in Chromecast, AirPlay, or classic screen mirroring. However, the biggest distinguishing feature of the LG platform remains the brilliant Magic remote. Though it is quite compact and lacks a physical numeric keypad, it does something that competitors still cannot replicate – it works like a wireless mouse. It is equipped with a gyroscope, allowing us to intuitively move the cursor across the screen, which drastically speeds up typing passwords or navigating menus. Additionally, LG has one of the best voice assistants for device control, and this combination with the Magic remote provides excellent navigation capabilities within the system. The only thing that can be quite irritating here is the intrusive advertisements and sponsored tiles that LG increasingly clutters the main screen of the system with. Nevertheless, the absence of Google TV is no drawback for the G6 – considering the smooth operation of webOS, one can confidently say that it is even an advantage.

Features for Traditionalists

In terms of traditional television, the LG G6 also performs excellently and does not forget traditional users. Despite the minimalist remote, it is packed with numerous useful solutions. The manufacturer has not given up on PVR functionality, allowing recording of programmes from built-in tuners directly onto external USB storage or a hard drive. We also have a smoothly functioning TimeShift for pausing live television and the option to schedule recordings. These features could prove invaluable during the upcoming World Cup in football when matches will be played late in the evening, and we may not be able to watch them live. Of course, it also includes standard functions, such as the ability to connect wireless headphones via Bluetooth.

In terms of playing files from USB, Blaupunkt performs quite well. We checked several of the most popular formats, and basically everything important worked fine on the factory player. Therefore, you're not forced to immediately download additional software right after taking the television out of the box, as the equipment is simply self-sufficient from the start. Nevertheless, taking advantage of the charms of Google TV, we still recommend that you install something external, like VLC or Kodi. The factory player is adequate, but it is in these external applications that you will find the most configuration options, better subtitle support, or simply a more convenient interface. Since the system gives you such freedom, it is worth taking advantage of it to get as much as possible from your multimedia.

The lack of the ability to install an external media player (as is the case in Android-based systems) is actually no problem for the LG G6. The built-in factory player works great and effortlessly handles most audio, video or photo formats that we provided it from our USB flash drive. However, during testing, we encountered some deficiencies – notably a rather strange lack of support for subtitles in the popular .txt format. However, we believe that this option will quickly make its way to the G6 with the next software update.

In terms of audio, Blaupunkt performs really well, especially considering that this is a typical budget television. It’s evident, or rather audible, that the brand has not forgotten its roots, and for such an inexpensive model, the sound is exceptionally good. Of course, there is a noticeable lack of bass, but the overall output is loud, and surprisingly clear. Most importantly for us – even at higher volumes, the sound is not heavily distorted, which is a rarity and a pleasant surprise at this price point.

Despite its very flat casing, the LG G6 sounds surprisingly good. The manufacturer has managed to squeeze some quite nice speakers under the panel, which can produce a sound that is fairly "spatial" – if one can even call the limited physical capabilities of the television such a thing 😉. The sound is clear, has decent dynamics, and will perform flawlessly for everyday viewing of news programmes or series. The television also easily supports the very popular spatial audio codec Dolby Atmos.

Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, there is no support for the DTS:X format. Regardless of what one might say, it has recently become quite unpopular in streaming services, but a television in the top price and quality tier simply should not restrict users in terms of audio format support. Additionally, we must complain that LG has somewhat castrated the audio menu itself. We missed more advanced settings and predefined sound profiles, of which there were definitely more 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