LG QNED87T6B vs LG NANO82T6B

The QNED87T6B provides a solid HDR performance, delivering an impressive visual experience in many aspects. With a brightness approaching 500 nits, it offers good visibility of fine details in high-dynamic scenes. Support for HDR10 and HLG ensures the content appears well on the screen, though the absence of more advanced formats like Dolby Vision or HDR10+ limits the potential for optimal brightness and detail in certain scenes. Without dynamic metadata, the TV may struggle to reproduce fine details in very bright areas, where these advanced standards would typically make a difference. However, its excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut (96.4%) provides vibrant, natural colours, enhancing the overall visual quality of 4K content.

The brightness of the LG NANO82T is rather average, especially compared to other TVs in a similar price range. With a peak brightness of approximately 280 nits, it falls short of many competitors offering levels exceeding 400-500 nits. This limitation impacts the viewing experience, particularly for HDR content. Bright areas of the image may lack definition, and the HDR effect fails to deliver the dramatic impact expected from higher-end displays, making the overall image less striking in well-lit scenes.

The LG QNED87T6B, even in its best factory setting, Filmmaker Mode, exhibits issues with colour reproduction. A significant problem is the white balance, where the blue colour tends to drop on the graph, causing a shift towards yellow. This results in a warmer hue than intended, which affects the naturalness of color reproduction, especially in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. The Colour Checker test confirmed that certain colours are distorted and do not accurately reflect reality, which can make movie scenes seem less lifelike and distort details.

In terms of contrast, there are notable issues with the gamma graph, showing significant drops where the optimal value should be around 2.4. This results in the TV displaying darker areas brighter in some scenes, which reduces depth and dynamic range. Additionally, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) curve, which corresponds to brightness reproduction, shows an unnatural drop at the start, leading to lower accuracy in dark scenes. This diminishes the TV's ability to convey full black depth, causing details in darker areas to be lost. As a result, more demanding scenes may appear less realistic, with a noticeable loss of detail in shadows and dark areas.

The colour reproduction in the LG NANO82T in Filmmaker mode, while the best factory setting available, does have flaws. The primary issue lies in white balance, where measurements reveal a drop in the level of blue. This shifts towards yellow hues, making the image warmer than intended. Such deviations prevent natural colour reproduction, especially in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. For instance, in Star Wars, where numerous elements should appear white, the colours deviate noticeably. The Color Checker test corroborates this, showing some shades "escaping" into others, further highlighting the lack of accurate colour rendering.

In terms of contrast, the gamma graph analysis showed a drop to 2.1, falling short of the optimal 2.4. This leads to darker parts of the image appearing brighter, reducing depth and dynamism. Additionally, the EOTF curve, which governs brightness reproduction, shows a slight spike at the start. This can result in an excessive brightness boost in the brightest areas, causing a loss of detail in very bright scenes.

After calibration, the LG QNED87T6B delivers impressive results with SDR content. The white balance has been improved, resulting in natural, harmonious tones across various scenes. The precise gamma tuning allows for accurate reproduction of details in both dark and bright areas, making the TV perform excellently in everyday use. The overall image is vivid and well-balanced, with solid colour quality in HD. The contrast has also improved, with the gamma chart showing fewer significant errors, providing a more refined viewing experience.

In 4K HDR, the white balance continues to perform well, though some errors remain at the end of the chart. These might be linked to the TV's aggressive local dimming, which can affect colour accuracy in certain scenes. While the TV does not fully improve brightness as indicated by the EOTF curve, its inherent construction limitations prevent it from achieving perfection in this area. The Colour Checker test highlights an issue with colour saturation, as the TV, despite offering a wide colour gamut, cannot fully capture what the director intended.

Nevertheless, the overall picture quality after calibration is considerably better than before. The improvements in white balance and gamma tuning result in more vivid and realistic colours, enhancing the viewing experience despite the remaining shortcomings.

After calibration, the colour reproduction in SDR content on the LG NANO82T is impressive. The white balance has been effectively corrected, resulting in natural, balanced tones across various scenes. Gamma adjustments ensure more precise rendering of details in shadows and bright areas, enhancing the viewing experience. These improvements allow the television to perform well in everyday use, delivering solid colour accuracy and well-balanced images in SDR mode.

Unfortunately, the situation with HDR content is less satisfactory. The TV lacks support for a wide colour gamut, limiting the depth and richness that HDR can achieve. The EOTF curve deviates from the ideal, leading to overemphasis on details in brighter areas. This causes noticeable colour reproduction errors, as confirmed by Colour Checker tests. Additionally, the panel's low brightness further hampers HDR image quality, diminishing dynamic range effects and causing colours to appear washed out.

Overall, the TV significantly improves after calibration, particularly in SDR mode. The enhancements to white balance and gamma elevate image quality, offering more natural and cohesive colour reproduction. Compared to its pre-calibration state, the difference is evident, and the television now performs noticeably better in standard dynamic range scenarios.

When it comes to lower-quality content, the LG QNED87T6B performs admirably, with smooth gradation effectively addressing problematic areas in the image without negatively impacting the film grain. For optimal results, setting the "Smooth Gradation" feature to a low level delivers the best effect, significantly enhancing the viewing experience of lower-resolution materials by making them smoother and more visually appealing.

The TV handles digital processing well, ensuring the image is displayed without overscan or clipping. While slight jaggedness may be noticeable on certain fine details, such as branches against a background, the overall presentation remains impressive. Users will be satisfied with the quality of the image when watching lower-quality content, such as standard television, as the TV does an excellent job of enhancing the visual experience.

The LG NANO82T features a "Smooth Gradation" option for handling tonal transitions in low-quality materials. The "Low" setting improves the most problematic transitions, providing a noticeable and helpful enhancement. However, the "High" setting, while further smoothing tonal transitions, sacrifices some detail in the process. This can be a compromise that not all viewers will appreciate.

The image scaling on the LG NANO82T has some limitations, particularly when displaying lower-resolution content. The TV applies a subtle artificial sharpening, which makes the image appear sharper, but this effect is mainly due to artificial contours. Some users may find this beneficial, as it highlights details more prominently, but for others who prefer a more natural image, it may appear overly processed and artificial. This is a subjective preference that varies from viewer to viewer.

The LG QNED87T6B delivers decent motion smoothness, particularly with the "TruMotion" feature, which allows users to adjust motion smoothing on a scale from 0 to 10. The "De-Judder" setting helps regulate the smoothness of motion, while the "De-Blur" option enhances motion sharpness. This provides flexibility for users to choose between a more traditional cinematic effect with slight judder (lower settings) and a smoother, more theatrical image, which, while slightly deviating from the cinematic standard, can be appealing to many viewers.

For gamers and sports fans, the 120Hz panel ensures an immersive experience, while the IPS technology offers better response times compared to comparable VA panels at a similar price. This results in smoother gameplay and more dynamic viewing of fast-paced sports events, making the QNED87T6B an excellent choice for those seeking high-quality motion performance.

LG televisions, including the NANO82T, come with an interesting motion smoother called TruMotion providing users with control over the quality of films they watch. The TruMotion feature allows adjustment of the motion fluidity on a 10-point scale, offering a personalised visual experience.

However, when it comes to more dynamic content, such as games or action films, the performance falls short. With its 60Hz panel and relatively slow pixel response, motion fluidity is less than ideal. This results in noticeable trailing and less smooth playback during fast-paced scenes.

Overall, the LG NANO82T is a good option for those who primarily watch movies and prefer more subdued content. Viewers who prioritise fast, dynamic motion, may prefer an alternative model.

The LG QNED87T6B is a top-tier choice for gamers seeking high-performance features. It is equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing seamless connection to the latest consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This ensures full functionality, including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which provide a smoother and more responsive gaming experience. The Game Bar feature enables easy management of gaming settings, allowing users to adjust VRR, ALLM, Multi View, and monitor the frame rate without navigating complex menus.

Additionally, the TV supports G-Sync and FreeSync, which are crucial for gamers using Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. These technologies synchronize the TV's refresh rate with the graphics card, reducing screen tearing and stuttering. With a 120Hz panel, the LG QNED87 delivers exceptional motion smoothness and image clarity, while the Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, available at 60Hz and 120Hz, further enhances visual fluidity. Overall, the LG QNED87T6B meets the demands of even the most discerning gamers, offering a comprehensive range of features that elevate the gaming experience.

When playing on the console, the LG NANO82T offers several features that can enhance the gaming experience, though it also has some limitations. Notably, the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature stands out, automatically adjusting picture settings to switch the television to low latency mode, which is especially beneficial for gamers requiring quick reactions. Another advantage is the support for HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group), ensuring HDR games are displayed as intended by the creators and providing vibrant and realistic visuals. These features contribute to a solid gaming experience, but there are some drawbacks, particularly in fast-paced scenes.

The LG NANO82T has limitations when it comes to advanced gaming features. It lacks support for variable refresh rate (VRR), which affects gameplay smoothness, especially in more dynamic games. The TV's 60Hz panel restricts the ability to use higher refresh rates, a significant downside for gamers seeking smoother gameplay at higher resolutions. Additionally, the absence of G-Sync technology limits image synchronisation, potentially leading to tearing and stuttering during gameplay.

These limitations mean that while the LG NANO82T offers a good gaming experience for casual gamers, it may not meet the expectations of more demanding players seeking advanced features and maximum image fluidity.

These shortcomings may mean that the LG NANO82T does not meet the expectations of the most demanding gamers looking for advanced features and the highest image fluidity.