Probably the finest television of the year for all purposes, LG OLED55C1PTZ is without any major compromises, delivering the sharpest visuals we have seen this year. After all, LG’s OLED panels is about offering infinite contrast and perfect blacks. After reviewing it for a fortnight, one has to ask if this is a television set or a gaming monitor. The line has been blurred. And don’t judge the TV by its price tag because the technology that it’s offering remains cheaper than on rival sets.

Out of the box

The review unit was the 55-inch variant and it’s as sleek as TVs can get. Though the set-up process is simple, we suggest that you get an expert to put it all together because of how slender the screen is. In case you want to be the mechanic, don’t throw away the styrofoam pieces because once you pull it out of the box, lay it down gently on these protective slabs. You will need a slightly wide TV unit to keep the new purchase on because it’s roughly one metre in width while depth is around 29cm.

Connected to a power unit, the set-up is simple: Choose to install via mobile device or TV (the latter seems simpler), connect to your Wi-Fi hub and when the options appear to toggle between on and off for AI Picture Pro and AI Sound Pro, we suggest you keep it on; the performance is significantly better.

Picture perfect

Remember, this is OLED, so a very bright environment (like near a window) will not do justice to the picture quality. Though it gets bright enough, QLED TVs hold a slight advantage in bright rooms but only by a wafer-thin margin.

There is zero issues viewing the C1 from any angle, which explains why it is a hit among cinephiles and gamers. Though the panel may seem like it’s the same as last year’s CX, most people obviously don’t update TV sets every year. Chances are you are trading in a five- or six-year-old TV set to buy this one, and so will experience a huge transition in picture quality.

Though a fortnight is too short a time to talk about long-term display performance but going by fellow reviewers in other countries, there are no signs of burn in or dirty screen effect or lack of uniformity in displaying solid colours over time.

This is 4K OLED and even while watching SD content, the upscaling is at a different level. We tried watching content via TataSky (HD and SD), YouTube, Blu-ray discs and old DVDs, besides some gaming (which we will talk about later). Everything appears crystal clear.

Where the TV did justice is while streaming Apple TV+ which presents sharp videos. Watching a few episodes of See was followed by Truth Be Told and the output was spot on. Then came movies like The Godfather on DVD and there was very little to complain about upscaling while Woodstock on Blu-ray was a treat. To ensure that content is free of soap opera effect, play around the options under clarity, keeping output to cinematic mode (which worked well for me). At the same time, there are a lot of options in ‘picture mode’ — Vivid, Enhanced, Eco, Cinema, Sports, Filmmaker, Expert… each offering a different feel to the picture. Cinema works well with most viewers.

Staying on with picture, HDR performance is stunning while Dolby Vision gives content a clarity that’s missing on most OLED sets. Playing back something on the lines of Avengers: Endgame or See brings out plenty of shadow details and the pattern on the clothes are clearly visible, which usually go unnoticed.

Among the many other winning features is audio output. Even though it’s a very slim TV set, the audio is loud enough for most rooms and rarely will you feel a need for a soundbar.

Calling gamers

The nature of the display panel significantly reduces input lag during gaming. The time taken for the TV to register your joystick movements is among the shortest you can experience at the moment. Remember, there is support for Dolby Vision HDR at 4K (120Hz) for gaming, enhancing the playing experience. Use the game optimiser to make in-game adjustments, to the point of being able to select the “game genre” — standard mode, FPS, RPG and RTS. You can also smoothen the gameplay and reduce blue light. The new Game Dashboard is a simplified menu that lets you quickly check or make adjustments to certain game settings on the fly — all during gameplay. One game that takes great advantage of the TV is Ride 4, which is not the easiest of titles but once you get the hang of riding a bike, hours will be spent glued to the TV.

The remote control has been redesigned and is easier to use. The Telegraph

Software and remote

Let’s talk about the remote first because there are a few changes to it. The scroll wheel appears smaller but one can exercise more control over it. Plus, the design is far better than before. In way of software, it’s clean and highly responsive but the way you jump in and out of menus can be improved. The clustering of TV programmes can also be handled better.

Should you buy it?

With enough ports on the back and the side, you are covered for years. The new remote control looks refined and be it gaming or streaming, the picture quality is stunning. LG offering plenty of options only show that it cares about viewers. If I had to pick a TV which connects to every device and can become the hub of home entertainment, then this is it. LG OLED55C1PTZ is clearly going for the TV-of-the-year crown.

At a glance

Device: LG OLED55C1PTZ

Price: Rs 175,990

Connectivity: HDMI input — one on the rear and three on the side, eARC, USB — two on the rear and one on the side, RF input, LAN, headphone out, digital audio out (optical)

High notes

• Among the best OLED panel in the market

• Excellent display for gaming

• Enough ports for all kinds of needs

• Speakers are loud enough

Muffled note

• The interface can be confusing for some