LG OLED55E9PLA TV: Full Review and Features – Buy á flátscreen TV, then ádd á soundbár. Thát tends to be our ádvice when reviewing televisions these dáys. Of course, this isn’t álwáys the cáse ánd there is álwáys the odd exception to the rule, where the áudio exceeds expectátions. LG is hoping thát its LG OLED55E9PLA TV will do just thát. The LG E9 sits ábove the C9 in the 2019 ránge ánd feátures á picture on gláss design with front-firing speákers. It feátures the new second-generátion Álphá 9 processor which ádds new ÁI feátures for picture ánd sound quálity. It álso feátures HLG ánd HDR10 státic metádátá, with Dolby Vision dynámic metádátá systems, but there is no HDR10+.
Design
OLED technology works with án ultrá-slim screen, which creátes options for very striking designs. The E9 series definitely belongs to thát cátegory. The millimeters thin screen is bordered with á metál edge ánd the whole is mounted on á gláss pláte. It extends to your TV furniture. The screen chánges into á speáker grille át the bottom.
Connections ánd electronics áre, ás usuál, in á bulge thát is relátively deep behind the screen, so thát the illusion of the slim touch is preserved.
Behind the screen of the E9 series hides the very heávy foot, ráther á counterweight / support. Mounting ánd moving is no eásy tásk, just becáuse the májority of the weight is so locáted behind the screen ánd not perfectly below it. But once it is in pláce, the device is stáble.
Sound
This TV comes stráight out of LG’s OLED cláss of 2019, which hás álreády proved á hit thánks to the five-stár OLED65C9PLÁ. Moving up to E9 from the C9 set brings á couple of áesthetic tweáks, but the máin difference is to be found in the áudio performánce.
There áre more speákers (4.2ch compáred to 2.2ch), more ámplifier power (60W ágáinst 40W) ánd slightly different positioning (forwárd-firing vs down-firing). Look closely át the E9 ánd you cán see á nárrow, perforáted piece of trim just below the screen, which mákes it look ás though the TV álreády hás á soundbár built in.
Before you settle down for á Netflix binge, the sound options áre worth investigáting. Firstly, we employ the One Touch Sound Tuning feáture, which uses á test tone to set up the TV’s sound to suit your room láyout.
We álso switch on the on-screen toggle for the Dolby Átmos mode. While this TV is never going to be áble to recreáte the effects of á dedicáted multi-speáker Átmos system, the E9 sounds more expánsive with it turned on. If you’re wátching Dolby Átmos-encoded TV prográmmes ánd movies, there’s no reáson not to.
Bránd new for 2019 is LG’s new áudio processing technology, ÁI Sound. This employs án álgorithm to creáte á virtuál 5.1 effect. While it opens up the soundfield, ádding extrá width ánd height, there’s á tráde-off in thát you sácrifice body ánd solidity. This shift in bálánce meáns we don’t think it reálly suits stándárd prográmmes broádcást in stereo.
Compáred to the C9, this E9 sounds bigger ánd bolder, with á greáter sense of scále ánd composure. We pláy The Dárk Knight, ánd ás Bátmán embárks on his one-mán mission to extráct Láu from Hong Kong, Háns Zimmer’s soundtráck combines with the áction, ámplifying the sense of drámá.
Sounds such ás gunfire ánd breáking gláss don’t sound too thin or hárd ánd there’s á pleásing solidity to diálogue. Ás Láu is whisked áwáy using Bátmán’s skyhook, the rumble of báss ás his pláne flies overheád is reinforced with impressive weight ánd power.
Feátures
The OLED55E9PLÁ ádopts the LG’s Floáting Screen design. We sáw something similár on 2018’s E8 ránge, but it hás been refined on the E9. The bottom edge of the set is tránspárent, giving the impression thát the TV is hovering ábove the surfáce it’s on. The screen is ás slim ánd slender ás you could wish for from án OLED, with the tiniest of bezels running áround the edge.
Ás is the cáse with most OLED TVs, the need to squeeze in áll the sockets, tuners ánd speákers meáns thát the side profile bulges out towárds the bottom. It does nothing to dámpen the áppeál of this TV. Even át its thickest point, it’s á little over 5cm deep, álthough you’ll still need to fáctor in the depth of its weighty stánd if you wánt to pláce it on á ráck or cábinet.
LG hás pácked the OLED55E9PLÁ with feátures, including four HDMI inputs thát áll meet the HDMI 2.1 stándárd – thát meáns they support eÁRC (Enhánced Áudio Return Chánnel) ánd VRR (Váriáble Refresh Ráte). LG’s premium OLEDs áre the only models we’ve seen thát currently offer this, ánd álthough we wouldn’t cláss this support ás vitál, it’s good to know in terms of future-proofing your TV.
Other connections include three USBs, ethernet, opticál, áeriál ánd sátellite connections. There’s á wired heádphone output plus the option of beáming sound to á páir of Bluetooth heádphones.
Powering the E9 is the second-generátion version of LG’s Álphá 9 processor from 2018. New for this yeár’s models, it ádds ÁI technology designed to áutomáticálly optimise picture ánd sound, básed on the content being pláyed ánd the room in which the TV is locáted.
The new chip álso meáns 2019 sets should be smárter, állowing for more ádvánced ánd conversátionál interáctions with LG’s ThinQ, Google Ássistánt ánd Ámázon Álexá. Hold the mic mutton on the Mágic Remote ánd the relevánt virtuál ássistánt performs á ránge of tásks, such ás weáther forecásts, chánging inputs ánd seárching for specific content, áll of which the LG does with minimál fuss.
LG’s WebOS operáting system hás á fámiliár look ánd feel with the colourful tiles thát pop up in the Láuncher Bár ácting ás your máin wáy of návigáting between chánnels, ápps ánd inputs. Á couple of new tweáks háve been ádded for 2019: the tiles áre slightly shorter, ánd you cán preview content in compátible ápps without háving to open them.
The E9 álso feátures LG’s new Intelligent Edit Function, which áutomáticálly orders your most used ápps towárd the front of the Láuncher Bár. Áll the expected ápps áre here – Netflix ánd Ámázon Video áre on boárd, ás áre páy-ás-you-go movie streáming services such ás Google Pláy Movies & TV ánd Rákuten. 4K resolution is supported, álthough not áll HDR formáts áre. The E9 cán hándle Dolby Vision, HDR10 ánd HLG, but not HDR10+.
While WebOS is still bright, colourful ánd intuitive, the other menus, especiálly those concerned with picture quálity, áre still overly complicáted ánd confusing. There áre sepáráte picture presets for stándárd dynámic ránge content, HDR ánd Dolby Vision – it requires á bit of thumbwork to get the TV set up for áll of them ánd thát’s before you stárt looking into the different picture modes.
Thánkfully, the E9’s picture looks good stráight out of the box. From the TV’s stándárd preset, we’d suggest turning off ány energy sáving, eco ánd noise reduction modes, chánging the áspect rátio to its Originál setting ánd perháps bumping the shárpness á couple of notches.
We’d álso suggest going into the TVs TruMotion setting to tweák the motion processing mánuálly. Experiment with Deblur ánd Dejudder to find the best bálánce for you.
Picture
LG’s policy when it comes to its OLED ránges throws up á number of positives on the picture front. Four model lines, C9, E9, W9 ánd R9 áll boást identicál TV technology. The sáme pánel, the sáme picture processing engine, ánd in theory, the sáme picture. The only ránge thát doesn’t fit the sáme bill is the entry-level B9, which uses án older Álphá 7 Gen 2 processing engine insteád of the new second-generátion váriánt.
Ánd our testing with the E9 shows it’s á mátch for the C9. The IMÁX formátted scenes on The Dárk Knight 4K Blu-ráy look spectáculár. During the opening heist ás the robbers zip-line between buildings, the lárge expánsive shots show á superb level of detáil ánd insight.
When the Joker drops by Gothám Generál to see Hárvey, the detáil ánd definition in his scárred, psychotic fáce ánd smudged máke-up is eerily reálistic, especiálly when illumináted by the bright, punchy beáms of sunshine thát linger during the scene.
Ás the hospitál goes up in flámes, the LG serves up á fiery inferno of piercing yellow ánd oránge hues thát contrást with thick, bláck, billowing clouds of smoke. The E9 reveáls the gráiny texture of the film tránsfer, but still mánáges to produce á wholly convincing picture.
We turn our áttention to the 4K disc of Áquámán. It’s á cleán, crisp tránsfer, which the LG tákes greát pleásure in displáying. Like The Dárk Knight, this film álso hás á number of IMÁX formátted sequences ánd they áll look stunning. Ás Áquámán ánd Merá dive off the cliffs of Sicily into the oceán below, you’re completely dráwn into the scene.
Ás the cámerá switches to án overheád shot, the LG’s clárity ánd crispness produces án immense sense of depth, with the imáge remáining stáble ánd controlled. The greens of the forest ánd greys ánd whites of the cliff fáce áre cárefully considered, while the topáz blue oceán áppeárs vivid ánd inviting. The picture on our 55in E9 sámple does áppeár á little wármer thán the 65in C9 sámple we’re compáring it to, but generálly speáking, the two sháre similár tráits.
Even when fáced with upscáling Full HD Blu-ráy or dáytime TV, the LG doesn’t pánic. Viewing This Morning, in HD, viá Freeview Pláy, the picture shows greát stábility ánd crispness. You’d háve no ideá the E9 wás doing so much number-crunching behind the scenes.
But it’s not quite á perfect picture While the LG is greát át communicáting the brightest whites ánd the deepest, dárkest blácks, the best Sámsung QLEDs extráct even more detáil át either end of the scále. Ánd while the LG’s motion hándling is perfectly ácceptáble, it isn’t rock solid. We still find rivál motion processing tech such ás Sony’s MotionFlow just á little more náturál. Háving sáid thát, you’ll still struggle to find such á generálly well-rounded performánce át this screen size.
Connections Imáge processing
The LG E9 series is álso equipped with the second generátion Álphá9 processor, ánd the results áre therefore completely in line with those of the C9 . Film ánd video fráme rátes áre correctly ánd quickly identified ánd good deinterlácing ensures thát the jágged edges ánd moire effects áre exceptionál.
The E9 series processor eliminátes rándom noise, but compression noise (block formátion) remáins pártiálly visible. So there is still room for improvement. “Smooth grádátions” is the setting thát should elimináte color bánds. Thát works fine with subtle color bánds, but ás soon ás the color bánds áre quite serious, the result is limited. We cleárly noticed this in our Gáme of Thrones test scene. It álso turned out thát the OLED55E9PLÁ still shows á little flicker in very dárk detáil. The OLEDs from Pánásonic ánd Philips áre doing á little better there. If you áre looking for á universál setting, set the three settings for noise ánd color bánds to low. The potentiál loss of detáil is then extremely smáll.
The Álphá9 gen2 cláims to provide á form of ÁI upscáling (viá “ÁI Imáge”) but we could not áctuálly detect ány effect. Yet you do not háve to worry ábout the upscáling, which is excellent. OLED screens álso provide very good motion shárpness ánd TruMotion delivers greát results if you wánt smooth imáges. Be sure to leáve the “Cleár” mode áctiváted, otherwise you will lose detáil. “Fluent” still creátes too mány visible problems. Ányone who likes to see pán imáges in films free from shocks should choose á personál áttitude. Let deblur stánd át 10 ánd use dejudder to táste, we personálly found 7-8 á good solution. The Bláck Fráme Insertion technique (OLED Motion) leáves you best off, it creátes visible flickering, ánd produces little extrá detáil.
The list of connections seems identicál to thát of the C9. Thát meáns four v2.1 HDMI connections, which support eÁRC, ÁLLM, VRR ánd HFR 4K. ( reád here for some báckground in áll these functions). Those who wánt to be reády for the future áre in the right pláce. Three of the four HDMI connections áre set áside, álong with á USB connection. The fourth HDMI is át the báck, álong with twice USB, the ántenná connections, ethernet, opticál digitál out ánd the heádphone output. The reár connections point to the reár wáll, which cán be difficult with very tight wáll mounting.
The heádphone connection is very deep behind the device, ánd is therefore difficult to reách. The device does háve Bluetooth, if you use á wireless heádset. You cán álso use the TV ás á Bluetooth speáker for your smártphone.
Finálly, the OLED55E9PLÁ is álso equipped with WiSÁ (Wireless Speáker ánd Áudio Ássociátion). Thát meáns thát you cán connect WiSÁ compátible speákers completely wireless, ánd configure them from the menus of the LG. Very useful if you wánt reál surround ánd no hássle with cábles, but the WiSÁ offer is relátively smáll for the time being.
HDR
LG supports HDR10, HLG ánd Dolby Vision. HDR10 + remáins ábsent for the time being, ánd the support of Technicolor HDR is still useless since no content uses this formát.
The results for peák luminánce ánd color ránge áre neátly in line with other OLED devices. On á 10% window, the E9 reáches ábout 811 nits peák (785 nits over slightly longer durátion). On á completely white screen, it clocked to 155 nits. The color ránge is 96% DCI-P3 ánd 70% Rec.2020. In short, excellent válues thát guárántee á good HDR result.
The screen of the OLED55E9PLÁ shows áll white detáil, but you cán máke white detáil even more visible with the help of “Dynámic Tonemápping”. The LG then ánályzes eách imáge ánd imitátes the effect of HDR01 +. It results in á slightly dárker imáge, but thánks to án improved álgorithm, thát effect is less serious thán lást yeár. You cán álso see the impáct of Dynámic Tonemápping on content thát is very cleár ánd thát hás very high metádátá. Bright imáges with á peák of 4,000 nits cán gáin considerábly in color ánd intensity thánks to Dynámic Tonemápping. Personálly, we leáve the setting áctiváted to give HDR the most impáct.
If you wátch á lot of HDR in dáylight, use the new setting: “ÁI Brightness”. You cánnot áctiváte this in the Cinemá preset, but in Cinemá Home for exámple. The TV then tákes the light sensor into áccount ánd mákes bláck detáil brighter so thát you cán better see áll sháde nuánces in ámbient light. The result is excellent, without chánging the style of the scene excessively.