B7 is LG’s most affordable 2017 OLED TV and one of the most affordable OLED TVs. Period. Nonetheless, it still features everything you would expect from a modern TV, including 4K and Dolby Vision. In addition, LG has added support for Dolby Atmos and equipped B7 with the latest version of its webOS platform. For this review we have also replaced the base with LG’s SJ8 soundbar.
That sounds like a recipe for success but LG is this year facing some serious competition from Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Loewe, and others in the OLED segment. In this review we will examine B7 to see how it holds up.
We have the European version of B7. The TV has a different stand in the US but is otherwise identical.Price and retailers:
Specifications
65" Ultra HD (3840x2160)
HDR10 , HLG, Dolby Vision, & Technicolor HDR (later firmware)
DCI-P3 color space
UHD Premium certifiedOLED Stand (fixed or SJ8 soundbar)
Wall (VESA 300x200)(HxWxD) 83.1 x 145.2 x 4.8 cm (without stand) 23 kg (without stand) 4x HDMI (4x 2.0b)
3x USB
Ethernet
1x CI+Optical
HDMI-ARC
Headphones2.2 stereo (2x 20W)
Dolby Atmos supportDVB T/T2/C/S2
WiFi (ac standard)MPEG4
HEVC
VP9 Profile2webOS 3.5 Magic Remote
Remote smartphone appManual
Magic RemoteSubscribe to our Newsletter, Facebook, twitter or RSS to receive notice when new reviews are publishedFirst impressions
For this review, LG had sent us a sample of the SJ8 soundbar, which can serve as a base for LG B7 by using a special mounting kit that must be bought separately. It makes the TV and soundbar look like a semi-integrated solution. More on that later.
B7 is LG’s most affordable 2017 OLED and while it does not have the same visual elegance as the E, G, and W series, it is still an impressive TV. The OLED panel is, as usual, razor-thin. It is so thin that it can be quite daunting to unpack it due to fear of breaking it. Of course it still has the bulky electronics box on the lower half, which takes away from the elegance.
Around the OLED panel is a silver-colored bezel. It is very thin but compared to LG’s E series, we found it a little distracting to the eye. We like the clean glass plate look of LG’s more expensive OLED models and that is something you have to live without when picking B7, which is of course also considerably cheaper. This is a matter of personal taste but it should be emphasized that B7 is made mostly from plastic. It lacks the premium feel that permeate more expensive OLED TVs.
Turning our attention around back, we immediately noticed that several ports face out towards the wall, which may be a deal-breaker for those buyers who wish to hang the TV on a wall. The section is slightly lowered into the white box but it will nevertheless prove a challenge to connect cables to HDMI3 and HDMI4. The two other HDMI ports are located on the side. This is something that manufacturers should address sooner rather than later, especially on TVs in the price segment.
Like all other OLED TV panels (they’re all produced by LG.Display), B7 has a glossy surface that reflects bright objects in your surroundings. However, due to the fact that OLED panels are made from only one layer, the picture still looks very crisp and contrast-rich even in bright environments. OLED panels are now bright enough to be used in all types of living rooms.
User experience & features
LG B7 is based on webOS 3.5 and the same SoC as all other LG 2017 OLED TVs, including the most expensive W7 range. We have already examined webOS 3.5 in depth so we refer to our review of LG E7 for more details.
The three main differences between B7 and E7 that we want to highlight are:
1. The remote control
2. The lack of dual tuner (in Europe)
3. SpeakersRemote control & operation
The remote control is a slightly smaller black version. It still includes the motion sensor to let you control webOS by waving the remote around in the air. At one point, LG tried to get rid of the legacy buttons but some customers forced LG’s hand and we are back to status quo; a cluttered remote control. It even has dedicated buttons for Netflix and Amazon.
Seeing what Samsung is doing with its latest remote control, we feel that LG should up its game in several areas. LG’s remote looks and feels cheap. It works just fine but is a confusing mess of buttons.TV channels, recording & sound
The TV guide and all channel related features are identical to webOS 3.5 on E7 so check that review for more information. Except one detail. B7 lacks the dual tuner that is available in the European version of E7 to allow users to record TV shows onto a USB hard drive. If you don’t record broadcast TV this is 100% irrelevant for you.
Lastly, B7 has a different speaker system. It still technically supports Dolby Atmos, like the more expensive LG 2017 OLED TVs, but the speakers are not powerful enough to do much with the object-based sound format.
For our review, LG had sent us a sample of the SJ8 soundbar, which can serve as a base for B7. It works simply by using a support arm that must be bought separately, which attaches to the TV to take the place of the standard base. The soundbar fits into the arm, making it look like a semi-integrated installation.
The soundbar can be connected to B7 via optical or HDMI, with the latter being the best choice if you want to control everything via the TV remote. By connecting it via HDMI to the TV’s HDMI2 port, you have full HDMI ARC support as well as HDMI CEC controls, meaning that the soundbar turns on and off with the TV and that you can regulate sound volume via the TV remote.
The soundbar comes with a dedicated remote but in this setup it is only required to install and adjust the soundbar. HDMI CEC control worked as expected.
Technically, you lose Dolby Atmos but since the integrated speakers in B7 are not really capable of doing much with Atmos, we think that this is acceptable. On the other hand you gain with SJ8 a more powerful speaker bar and an external subwoofer. LG also sells the more expensive SJ9 soundbar, which supports Dolby Atmos.
So, how does it sound? Well, the difference is noticeable when the soundbar’s subwoofer kicks in but mostly because you gain bass and depth in the sound space.
We tried turning off the subwoofer to switch between SJ8 and the built-in speakers, and without the subwoofer the difference is far from dramatic. It is perhaps worth pointing out that we had the 65” version of B7 with a larger cabinet to accommodate speakers so the difference may be more significant if you compare SJ8 to the 55” B7 but we had hoped for more.
SJ8 managed to reproduce vocals with more clarity and also had a better grip on high tones but it does not hold a candle to more expensive soundbars from Hi-Fi brands. That may sound like an unfair comparison but if you spend extra money on a soundbar you expect it to significantly improve sound.
This little exercise kind of made us wish that the subwoofer could be bought separately and be paired directly to the TV.
Using SJ8 as a base for B7 looks decent enough but be aware that in a very dark viewing environment light from the OLED panel reflects into the top layer of the soundbar cabinet, which we found to be a little distracting (see photos in picture quality section). We are not convinced that the SJ8 soundbar is a must-buy for B7, despite the subwoofer lifting the sound experience somewhat.Calibration
I could include my usual rant, telling you how the default picture settings ruin an otherwise excellent OLED panel through perverse measures such as artificial sharpness, strange motion artefacts, and a default color mode that pulls colors out into a too wide color gamut, resulting in wildly inaccurate colors. Well, I guess I just did but I don’t want to go into all of this in more detail. If you have read some of our previous reviews you will know that no TV manufacturer today rises above the rest. It seems as if the default color mode has become an exercise in the most extreme colors where each manufacturer tries to one-up the next.
Luckily, LG has included two ‘ISF Expert’ modes – one for dark room viewing and one for bright room viewing – and these are in a totally different league. The two color modes offer very accurate colors and with relatively modest adjustment we reached an impressive result. A few years ago, you would encounter some challenges when calibrating an OLED TV but LG has managed to make the panel more and more consistent (partly because of less aggressive ABL), which means that it is now far easier. As you can see in the graph, we reached relatively low dE values for colors and an almost spot-on grey scale only by using the simple 2-point settings. If you want to go more advanced, the TV offers a full CMS and 10-point setting options.
As you can also see in the diagrams below, we measured DCI-P3 to around 96% percent coverage, which is the norm for the 2017 OLED panel. We do not calibrate for HDR yet but should probably say that doing so requires a little more effort than described above (for SDR) because the default HDR modes are not as accurate as the ISF Expert modes. We are not convinced that you can reach a spot-on result either based on the limited tools available in the menu for HDR calibration.
Measurements | Out-of-box | Calibrated |
---|---|---|
Black level | 0.00 cd/m2 | 0.00 cd/m2 |
Black level (HDR) | 0.00 cd/m2 | 0.00 cd/m2 |
Brightness | 221 cd/m2 | 180 cd/m2 |
Peak brightness (HDR) | 730 nits 783 nits (Cinema Home) | - |
Contrast | Infinite | Infinite |
Contrast (HDR) | Infinite | Infinite |
Input lag | 96 ms | 21.4 ms (Game Mode) |
DCI-P3 | 96% | - |
Rec.2020 | 69% | - |
Power consumption | Out-of-box | Calibrated |
---|---|---|
SDR | 170 W | 130 W |
HDR | 230 W | - |
Standby | 0.2 W |
Time measurements | Time |
---|---|
Start-up (until responsive) | 10 s |
Start-up (until picture comes on) | 10 s |
Netflix app start-up | 8 s |
Youtube app start-up | 3 s |
Amazon app start-up | 10 s |
Google Play app start-up | 8 s |
Video file / source | Specs | Status |
---|---|---|
Amazon 4K HDR | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 10 bit colors - Rec.2020 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – HEVC | Works |
Netflix 4K HDR | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 10 bit colors - Rec.2020 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – HEVC | Works |
YouTube 4K HDR | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 10 bit colors - Rec.2020 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – VP9 Profile2 | Works |
Dubai 4K | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 23.976fps – 10 bit colors - BT.709 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 51.4 Mbps bitrate – HEVC - .ts file | Works |
Costa Rica 4K | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – BT.709 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 12.71 Mbps bitrate – VP9 - .mkv file | Works |
Terrifying Pyroclast 4K | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – BT.709 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – variable bitrate – VP9 - .mkv file | Works |
Big Buck Bunny HD (.ts version) | HD (1920x1080 pixels) – 8 bit colors - YUV color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 2.5 Mbps bitrate – 60fps - HEVC - .ts file | Works |
Big Buck Bunny HD | HD (1920x1080 pixels) – 8 bit colors - YUV color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 60fps - 2.2 Mbps bitrate – HEVC - .mkv file | Works |
LG Arctique 4K | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 8 bit colors – YUV color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 50.0 Mbps bitrate – 29.970fps - AVC - .mp4 file | Works |
Eutelsat 4K demo | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 10 bit colors – YUV color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 23.1 Mbps bitrate – 50fps - HEVC - .ts file | Works |
Cymatic Jazz HLG | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 60fps frame rate – 10 bit colors – BT.2020 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 20.8 Mbps bitrate – VP9-2 – HLG | Works |
HFR (100fps) test file | 4K (3840x2160 pixels) – 100fps – 10 bit colors – Rec.2020 color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 23.7 Mbps bitrate – HEVC - .ts file | Works (but has stutter) |
Ghost Towns 8K | 8K (7680x4320 pixels) – variable frame rate – 8 bit colors - YUV color space – 4:2:0 subsampling – 20.7 Mbps bitrate – AVC - .mp4 file | Fails |
Group | Setting | Value |
---|---|---|
Picture profile | ISF Expert Dark | |
Aspect ratio settings | Aspect ratio | Original |
Just scan | On | |
Global | OLED Light | 60 |
Contrast | 85 | |
Brightness | 50 | |
H Sharpness | 10 | |
V Sharpness | 10 | |
Color | 50 | |
Tint | 0 | |
Expert | Dynamic contrast | Off |
Super resolution | Off | |
Color gamut | Auto | |
Edge enhancement | Off | |
Gamma | 2.2 / BT.1886 | |
White balance | Color temp | Warm2 |
Method | 2 point | |
R High | -11 | |
G High | 10 | |
B High | -1 | |
R Low | -3 | |
G Low | 0 | |
B Low | 1 | |
Picture settings | Noise reduction | Off |
MPEG noise reduction | Off | |
Black level | Low | |
TruMotion | Off |
Price and retailers:
Click for a more detailed explanation of the score system and our Awards.
Fantastic picture quality
HDR picture quality
Dolby Vision support
Best TV for HDR gaming (& low input lag)
Color accuracy in SDR
Perfect black
Value for money
No webOS updates year-over-year
Rear-facing inputs
Cheap remote
Some artefacts in darkest tones