A chance to talk to FlatpanelsHD's reviewers.
#17094
I knew I wasn’t crazy. First of all, excellent review as always by flatpanelshd. Super in depth. But I wrote about how terrible the blooming and blacks were in my reviews over at Amazon and Best Buy and I’m just surprised at how many 5 star reviews this TV still gets. Like how FPHD says, it’s just painful to sit there and watch, particularly in dark scenes. Glad I swapped this out for a C9. No regrets. :)
#17110
I own this TV and whilst I recognise the concerns you raise the odd thing is that it is very dependent on the source material, it 'can' look exceptional. For example Bladerunner both Bluray and 4K HDR are stunning even at night - both blacks and bright lights. But on The Revenant for example the HDR sucks. I think it is an issue with LG's firmware or it is an on purpose thing in the interest of product differentiation that has gone a little too far. Planet Earth II also looks amazing in both versions (4K HDR and 1080p Blu Ray). Hopefully they will fix with an update. Interestingly I have an LG computer monitor with HDR that has similar inconsistencies. To add even further to this HDR on youtube videos seems to work well and so does HLG videos on youtube. Despite all this most of the time I find myself surprised and pleased but I do wish they would sort this out with an update.
#17126
Hi Guys,

First of all, Fantastic review, many thanks.

My issue with most (if not all) 4K Tvs is that they simply cannot display low bitrate, SDR sources and this one is no exception.

Here in the UK, we have very little 4K content and loads of low bitrate, SDR channels from our TV companies.

Until something dramatic changes this situation, I will have to stick with my old, 1080p Panasonic Plasma.

Regards,

Paul
#17651
Hi guys,

are you absolutely sure about what you write in this review about the alpha7gen2?

> SM90 is not equipped with LG's most advanced Alpha 9 processor like the
> OLED models but rather a second generation Alpha 7 that has less
> processing power (unlike Alpha 9, it cannot do 4K HDR at 120Hz)

and that as a consequence neither the B9 will be able to do 4k HDR at 120Hz as it has the same alpha7gen2 processor?

I have found this info about the alpha7gen2 nowhere else on the internet...

kind regards

remostio
#17653
It was confirmed to us by LG during CES 2019 and we double-checked with LG before the publication of our SM90 review. Like Alpha 7 before it, Alpha 7-2 still has this limitation. It can do 4K 120Hz but only in SDR.

If 4K HDR 120Hz - and next-gen console gaming - matters to you, then opt for the LG C9 or higher.
#17657
Rasmus Larsen wrote:You're welcome :)
You 100% sure about this and the rep isn't sure your talking about HDMI 2.1 sources and not internal apps video ?,

It has been mentioned in avsforums and elsewhere that LG has two dedicated chipsets inside it one which is the Alpha and the other actually handles the HDMI 2.1 functions.

LG as far as I can see have no warnings on their Alpha 7 gen 2 products like the SM9000 and B9 OLED that they are incapable of supporting a HDMI 2.1 4K 120hz HDR signal.

If it's true then that will cause some anger, you should do a new post on the site warning people if so.
#17665
There are multiple signal paths (HDMI, HEVC decoding, tuners) but all feeds eventually reach the video processor.

We can't be 100% sure about it until there are certified HDMI 2.1 sources available so we can do our own tests. None exist at this time. So it's what we've been told by LG, i.e. Alpha 7-2 is similar to Alpha 7 when it comes to this limitation.
#18490
The plot thickens :-)

Somebody took your info over to the rtings b9 forums and asked there. Then a lot of people started worrying and asking around. LG support directly. Feedback from there is conflicting "not true" or "yes is true" depending on rep. Others asked in comments sections of anybody releasing reviews of any TV with alpha7gen2.

Like HTTVTest who got in touch with "high-level LG Picutre Quality engineers":
Code: Select all
HDTVTest had their review of the B9 go up today: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq5Bh2NjiBg

From the comments section:

HDTVTest 3 hours ago
“Despite rumours to the contrary, LG engineers have verbally informed us that the B9 is capable of 4K@120Hz in HDR (especially important for gamers). However, due to the lack of true HDMI 2.1 sources at the moment, there is no way we could verify their claim”

Venuspower
3 hours ago (edited)
On their US Forums one of their support guys said this when asked about 2160p@120@HDR:
“…the B9 does support HDMI 2.1 but the HDR out put would be at 60 hz.”

HDTVTest
2 hours ago
Venuspower That’s why we specifically clarified the situation with high-up LG picture quality engineers. :-)

Great news!

Would be SO swell if you could reask your LG contact, adding above statement. Maybe reach out to HDTVTest and have your contact talk to their LG engineer contact?

A lot of LG TVs with hdmi 2.1 have the alpha7gen2 processor. So a lot of people's buying decisions depend on if it can handle 4k120 in HDR or not.

anyway....thought an update to this thread would make sense anyway...it is kinda the epicenter of where this alpha7gen2 quake all started ... and has been linked to in different posts....
#18557
@rkunreal93

OLED might be problematic for gaming depending on how often you play the same game and how the HUD is colored (brighter = worse)

Now hdmi 2.0 only TVs for gaming at the tail end of 2019. That's just stupid in my opinion. You just loose so much future proofing even IF tasty stuff like VRR and low latency mode get back-supported to hdmi by the TV makers.