LG OLED C4 vs Philips OLED769

The HDR performance of the LG OLED C4 is impressive, firmly placing it in the higher tier. Most films exceed 700 nits, delivering a highly realistic image. While none surpass the 1,000-nit mark, the combination of these results with the TV’s infinite contrast and perfect blacks significantly enhances the visual experience. The final scene, with a full-screen flash of sunlight, is slightly less bright than the others but still maintains a solid level of brightness. Another highlight is the excellent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage, which ensures incredibly vibrant colours. The HDR technology in the LG OLED C4 delivers exceptional colour and detail reproduction. The dynamic tone mapping feature optimises brightness levels, ensuring ideal light reproduction in every scene, even in the most demanding high-dynamic films.

The Philips OLED769 performs admirably in film scenes featuring small bright elements. With peak brightness reaching around 800 nits, the TV handles light sources like street lamps or stars with remarkable vividness and detail. However, its limitations become evident during scenes with full-screen brightness, such as sun glare, where brightness drops to approximately 250 nits. This is a common challenge for more affordable OLED models, which often struggle to sustain high brightness across the entire display.

The best factory mode on the tested television was "Filmmaker," which served as the basis for all evaluations. In terms of colour reproduction, this mode performed reasonably well; however, certain flaws significantly detracted from the overall viewing experience. The most fundamental issue was the white balance, which exhibited a noticeable dominance of red, skewing the image characteristics. This resulted in a pronounced yellow tint to whites and a general shift of all colours towards warmer tones.

The gamma, an equally crucial—if not more important—aspect, was notably lowered, leading to a marked reduction in contrast. Additionally, the television frequently lost detail at the start of the gamma curve. These issues were most apparent in SDR content.

When examining HDR materials, the same yellowing effect in the white balance was observed, as seen with SDR content. However, the EOTF curve, which replaces the gamma curve for HDR, was near perfect and left little room for criticism.

The "Film" mode on the Philips OLED769 proved to be the most faithful factory setting for preserving the source material, and it was the basis for our tests. However, like other factory presets, it has a few flaws. Let’s break down the key issues observed in SDR and HDR content.

In both formats, the white balance exhibited a noticeable dominance of green and red tones. This led to a yellowish tint across the image, resulting in yellowed whites and slightly unnatural skin tones. This was particularly evident in the "ColourChecker" palette, where colour samples leaned toward warmer shades.

In terms of contrast and brightness, two critical graphs tell the story: the Gamma curve for HD content and the EOTF curve for 4K HDR content. For SDR, the gamma value dips below the ideal 2.4 level, causing lighter parts of the image to appear overly bright. This overexposure reduces detail and depth in bright areas. In contrast, the EOTF curve for HDR content performed admirably, accurately maintaining details in both bright and dark regions. This ensures realistic, dynamic scene reproduction that enhances the overall viewing experience.

As mentioned, LG televisions come with advanced tools to facilitate an accurate calibration process. By utilising these tools, we meticulously adjusted the image to align with the director’s original vision. Without overstating, the results were outstanding. Both SDR and HDR content now achieve a level of visual fidelity that reflects how films are intended to be seen.

Examining the colour accuracy on the "ColourChecker" palette reveals impressive results, with almost all colour errors falling below a delta of "1," aside from two minor exceptions. Post-calibration, the LG OLED C4 demonstrated a marked improvement in colour reproduction, particularly in SDR and HDR modes. Testing the TV after calibration highlighted its capacity for delivering exceptionally accurate colours, underlining the high calibre of this model. The LG C41LA offers a stunningly precise colour palette, sure to satisfy even the most discerning viewers.

After professional calibration, the Philips OLED769 truly excels in colour accuracy. Any yellow tint previously seen in HD and 4K content is now eliminated. The Colour Checker test shows minimal deltaE errors, occasionally exceeding a value of 2, which indicates a nearly perfect representation of the director's intent.

When it comes to contrast, the results are equally impressive. For 4K materials, there was little room for improvement initially, but the gamma curve has been significantly refined. This leads to a more accurate rendering of dark and bright areas, resulting in a dynamic and realistic viewing experience.

Thanks to the calibration, the full potential of the television has been unlocked. The Philips OLED769 now delivers vibrant, natural, and high-quality images, making it an excellent choice for movie lovers and multimedia users.

Let us revisit the function responsible for smooth gradation and consider its role in improving lower-quality materials. The default smoothing of tonal transitions, while decent, can be further enhanced. The feature includes a slider for adjusting its strength, and we recommend selecting the first option. This setting strikes a balance, offering excellent results without compromising important details through unnecessary blurring.

The image scaling on the LG C4 is commendable, though not entirely without flaws. By default, the image appears slightly sharper, though not to an intrusive degree. While jagged edges on elements like trees are occasionally visible, this issue is relatively minor compared to similar offerings from other manufacturers.

When it comes to lower-quality materials, the distortion reduction in the Philips OLED769 does well in smoothing tonal transitions, especially at the minimum setting. It's worth noting that film grain is not blurred, which is a positive surprise, as such negative phenomena often occur with other manufacturers. Overall, this is quite a decent solution. However, it should be pointed out that this setting does not work in HDR mode, where gradation issues are much more pronounced. In HDR mode, the TV struggles with smoothing tonal transitions and may exhibit more noticeable distortions and noise, reducing image quality in dynamic scenes.

As for digital processing, the Philips OLED769 performs well. The model in the photo is not overly jagged, and the branches in the background lack characteristic jagged edges. The TV achieves this effect thanks to the absence of artificial sharpness, which may be an advantage for some users. However, others may find this less attractive as they prefer a more pronounced, sharper image instead of a subtle effect. This effect can be mitigated using a higher setting for the "Sharpness" parameter.

The LG G4 supports a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz, achievable only when connected to a high-performance PC. Otherwise, the television operates at a maximum of 120 Hz, the recommended setting for viewing sports or content with fast-paced motion. For those prioritising smooth image quality, LG has included a versatile motion smoothing feature called "TrueMotion." This function is split into two adjustable sliders: De-Blur, which sharpens moving images, and De-Judder, which reduces jitter. Both sliders offer a range of settings from 0 to 10, enabling users to fine-tune the motion smoothness to their preference.

The LG OLED C4 boasts an impressive average response time of less than 1 millisecond, as confirmed by our measurements. This results in exceptional image clarity, far surpassing LCD televisions, which often have response times of several milliseconds. This clarity is evident in tests like the "UFO Test," where no trailing blur is visible behind moving objects.

The Philips OLED769 features a multi-stage motion smoother called "Motion Style," which will satisfy users who value the ability to customize motion fluidity in movies. Thanks to this function, the image can be set to be more frame-like or fluid, resembling a theatrical effect. This is a great solution for those who want to match the displayed content to their visual preferences. Gamers will also be pleased, as the TV, like most OLEDs, is equipped with a 120Hz panel. This provides extraordinary fluidity and image dynamics. Unfortunately, the Philips OLED769 lacks BFI (Black Frame Insertion) functionality, which could further improve motion fluidity and sharpness. Despite this limitation, it offers excellent visual experiences for cinema and gaming enthusiasts, one of its main strengths.

The LG C4, like nearly all OLED televisions from the manufacturer, excels in its compatibility with consoles and PCs. With the inclusion of four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 48 Gbps, the TV incorporates a range of features to enhance the gaming experience. Notably, it offers simultaneous support for FreeSync and G-Sync, making it an ideal choice for gamers using AMD or Nvidia graphics cards. For those seeking the best possible gaming quality, the integration of HDR Dolby Vision and HGIG mode is particularly impressive. HDR Dolby Vision operates with remarkably low input lag across all settings, ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay.

A standout feature in LG's televisions is the GameBar, which allows users to adjust settings in real-time without leaving the game. This includes options for customising the image for viewers with visual impairments, a thoughtful addition. Additionally, enabling VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) does not result in a loss of contrast—a benefit of the OLED panel's self-emissive technology, eliminating the need for conventional backlighting. While some slight flickering of grey tones may occur, this is a characteristic of VRR technology across all manufacturers.

In summary: The LG C4, like the brand's other OLED models equipped with high-refresh-rate panels and HDMI 2.1, provides a seamless and immersive gaming experience. For gamers demanding top-tier performance, this TV is an outstanding choice.

The Philips OLED769 was created with gamers in mind, offering full compatibility with consoles and the highest-quality gameplay. The television received the maximum rating in this category, providing everything one could desire. With HDMI 2.1 ports fully supporting ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), the television ensures smooth and hassle-free gaming. ALLM automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, and VRR eliminates stuttering and screen tearing, resulting in fluidity and stability in gameplay. The Dolby Vision feature for gamers is another advantage, though it only works at 60 Hz. Most casual gamers are unlikely to feel the lack of a higher frequency, but more demanding users may have some reservations. This allows for enjoying a dynamic range of tones and realistic images, enhancing the gaming experience. PC gamers will also not be disappointed, as the Philips OLED769 offers full compatibility with Nvidia graphics cards, thanks to support for G-Sync. This technology synchronizes the TV's refresh rate with the graphics card, eliminating tearing and stuttering, translating to excellent image smoothness.

The Philips OLED769 is a television that perfectly meets the needs of gamers, offering a wide range of advanced features and technologies that significantly improve game quality and user comfort.