<p>LG proves to John Archer that&nbsp;OLED&nbsp;technology has what it takes to make it in an increasingly&nbsp;HDR&nbsp;world</p>

- John Archer

THE EXPLOSION OF HDR sources has caused more than a few headaches for OLED TVs. Once seen as the next step in image quality, the technology's biggest weakness – a lack of brightness versus LCD displays – has been cruelly exposed by HDR’s expanded light range. LCD-loving Samsung, in particular, has been sticking the boot into OLED’s relatively limited light output at every opportunity.

A fight back started last year, though, as LG crafted almost a third more luminance from its OLED panels than it had managed previously. And now it’s moved even further forward, reaching 800 nits (measured via a 10 per cent white window pattern) versus around 650 nits in 2016.

Adding additional brightness to improved video processing has already delivered appealing results from the ultra-expensive, so-thin-you-can-bend-it OLED65W7 [HCC #272]. And, since LG claims to be using the same core picture engine in all of its OLED TVs this year, I’m hoping for the same level of image prowess from the much more affordable OLED65E7 auditioned here. The W7 sells for a good chunk more, and comes with a soundbar/connections box that makes use in a traditional home cinema setup a faff, and can only be wall-mounted. This model seems a much better proposition for serious AV enthusiasts.

Obviously, the OLED65E7 isn’t as amazing to gawp at as the W7. It looks more like a regular TV than something culled from a sci-fi flick. It’s still

This story is from the January 2018 edition of Home Cinema Choice.

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