lg |

Manufacturer: LG

Release Date: 02/18/2018

MSRP: $2,999.99

TVs aren’t something this household gets very often. With this being only my third TV in 10 ten years I made sure I got what I really wanted this time. My first choice for a TV this time around was LG as they seem to be ahead of the curve with OLED TVs which are the next step for 4K TVs as they show clearer, deeper, and more vibrant colors than LED or even LCD, and the prices have finally come down to something reasonable. LG’s brand of TVs comes with “a” processors which help process HDR and the webOS built into the TV. One thing I couldn’t stand with my last Samsung 4K TV I reviewed was the slow as molasses OS that was buggy and never really got updated over the 3 years I had it. Sure, it looked great for the technology at the time, but LG has a silky smooth OS and UI that just can’t be beaten by any other company right now.

The TV itself is actually the heaviest and bulkiest thing I have ever purchased despite how paper-thin it is once you get it out. This thing has a very heavy base where all the main components sit and the screen sticking out is nearly paper-thin. The stand was a bit complicated to put together as I had to YouTube it as LG’s instructions are pretty much useless, and this TV DOES require two people to unpack and set up or you will most likely damage something. It’s too big and cumbersome for one person.

So, out of the box that’s something you will notice first is the amazing OS. This TV also comes with an awesome smart remote that uses motion tracking like the Nintendo Wii so you can actually point and click at what you are doing which is a huge step forward in smart TV interactivity. The TV recognizes most inputs when they are turned on, and you can customize each input with its own picture and sound settings which is nice. One of the biggest selling points of this TV for me was the Dolby Atmos processing and Dolby Vision and HDR by Technicolor which displays the most vivid HDR picture I have ever seen on a TV. It’s truly stunning and turns heads for sure.

I tested the TV out with an Xbox One X and a few HDR-ready games and I was just blown away by the stunning colors this TV displays. They are so deep, rich, and vivid that it seems impossible that a TV can look this incredibly visceral. The TV has plenty of picture enhancement options for older content as well as the ability to turn it all off in the Game mode and HDR picture modes. HDR is automatically detected and the picture settings are actually perfect out of the box. LG is known for having the best-calibrate out-of-the-box displays from TVs to monitors, and of the 4 LG products I have owned in the past recently I can attest to this. I don’t have to mess with anything even though I feel like I somehow have to. The options for calibrating are incredibly deep with actual dark and bright room calibration picture profiles for professional calibrators. Most of us just have to choose the content we are watching and stick with that profile.

The TV’s speakers are surprisingly decent with 40W speakers which are slightly bigger than the average 20W speakers most smart TVs come with and it is equipped with Dolby Atmos built-in. The smart features of this TV are incredibly diverse from being able to connect it to Google Assistant and Alexa so the TV can be connected to either for smart home use. The content share and Bluetooth features are great for streaming to form a smart device or listening to music off of your phone. There are just so many apps and features in this TV that it just feels truly like another smart device rather than a TV stuck in limbo like my previous Samsung TV that is slow and buggy and doesn’t quite have as many features as saying my phone would have.

Overall, the LG C8 is a fantastically amazing TV and the best in its class with maybe only Sony being able to come close to picture clarity and features. LG’s WebOS is a buttery smooth experience, the Magic Remote is a step in the next generation direction for interacting with TV menus, and the number of picture options will make a video nut blush. If you have the money to spend, just go for the best on the market.

Manufacturer: LG

Release Date: 2/1/2016

Price: $339.99

Colors: White, Black

Display Type: LED

Resolution: 1080p

Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Size: 32″

Inputs: HDMI, VGA, AUX

Monitors aren’t something I buy very often, in fact, I’ve only ever bought one type and that was the Dell S2740L and that was 3 years ago. It was my first real monitor that didn’t come with a setup and was fantastic, but it was time to upgrade to something more modern and bigger. I’m not going to lie, I’m not very savvy with monitors or TVs. I don’t buy them often enough to do constant research or keep up with trends. I usually go into a store with a budget and research on my phone as needed. I started out by looking for other 27″ monitors that just looked super clear and crisp, had a minimal design, and maybe some fancy settings. I first looked at the Asus MX279H because it had a fantastic-looking screen and was LED. I want to move away from LCD and it’s a fading technology. I then noticed larger screens that were around the same price, but then there were Ultrawide displays that were over $500. There was a $400 29″ LG monitor with AMD Freesync, but the 21:1 ratio was a little off-putting as almost everything is made for 16:9.

That was my major dilemma; do I sacrifice dual monitors for an Ultrawide or just get another 27″ monitor? My next thought was I just want a 1080p monitor as most gaming above that requires multiple GPUs and I don’t have the money or set up for that. So here I was looking at 1080p monitors that were bigger than 27″. I never thought in a million years I would ever get a 32″ monitor as that is the size of most entry flat screens. 3 years ago a 32″ monitor was close to $1,000. I was also switching to a new brand that I don’t own anything from LG. So, I settled on the 32MP58, and no I didn’t know what IPS was at the time, but it’s for the most true-to-life color you can get. Comparing an LED monitor next to an LCD is a huge difference, and the size is perfect for gaming.

So, I took my new monitor home and took down one of the 27″ Dells, and plopped it down. It takes up a lot of desk real estate, so be prepared to have a large desk or nothing else on it. I had to slide my other 27″ Dell all the way to the edge of the desk to make them both fit. I can now use the LG for gaming and video and the Dell for tasks like web browsing and file management.

The setup was easy enough, and I’m shocked this monitor is VGA or HDMI — both extremes. Either go fully digital or full analog. I don’t know why in 2016 anything has VGA anymore, but it’s there. I was surprised to not see DVI-I or DVI-D at all which I had my Dell monitors set up as. Either way, most new GPUs come with two HDMI ports and two DVI. After installing the curved stand (which is minimal and sleek) I plugged it in and on it went.

The monitor detected the video right away and turned it right on. The OSD button is a four-way switch underneath the power light which is awkward and weird. There are many settings and most of these are universal across all of LG’s newest monitors. I chose the Gaming preset and for the most part, this monitor needs very little adjustment. I used the Windows Color Calibration and nothing needed adjusting. I then did a little research on some LG-exclusive settings like SuperResolution. It sounds awesome on paper, but this is for anything that doesn’t render or display natively in 1080p and needs upscaling. This is great for older game consoles, but not necessary for PC games as it just makes everything overly sharp and ugly. There are so many settings in this monitor such as adjusting every single color under the sun, not just RGB. There’s a great black stabilizer that keeps everything from getting too dark and washed out which is a nice feature. I also found this to be an extremely bright monitor and as the sun went down I had to change it from the already bright 75 down to around 47. 100 brightness is just not ideal and not needed at all.

There are other features like Response Time for fast-moving objects (games in 60FPS or 60FPS movies) and some other features, but mostly not many need to be touched and that’s how it should be. There’s no software involved with this monitor like there is for Dell which is just fine as most people don’t like that kind of thing. So settings-wise and physical design there isn’t much to complain about. I wish this was an edge-to-edge display, but the bezel is embossed which isn’t awful, but the back is bulky. There’s also a headphone jack in the back that allows audio to stream through and can be controlled via the monitor OSD which is also awkward and bizarre. I also have to mention this is a very wobbly monitor if your desk isn’t quite stable. I had to push my two monitors together to keep each one balanced. If you have a wobbly monitor issue you need to buy a stand that has braces for each side.

Overall, the games and video looked amazing on this monitor. Some of the best picture quality I have seen on any monitor to date. With my older Dell and this side-by-side, I can see the difference and even the size makes a huge difference. Should you go larger than 32″? Maybe 34″, but that might be pushing it. I won’t be purchasing another monitor anytime soon, probably not for a few years, but I am very happy with this purchase and $300 is quite fair for what you get. With a sharp and crystal clear display, beautiful colors, and great physical design you can’t go wrong here.