The LG B1 is one of the more affordable OLED TV series that LG launched in 2021. But this does not mean that we are talking about a cheap TV. After all, it has the highest parameters, and the OLED display technology is still very complex. This puts B1 in an interesting position. On the one hand, its availability as an OLED TV is welcome.
On the other hand, for the sake of this, the manufacturer cuts off some characteristics in order to position itself in the “low” price range. This may not be the same as what some people think of a premium TV. In the proposed review of the LG 65OLEDB1RLA 4K TV HDR, we will get acquainted with the functionality of the new product, along the way finding out what had to be abandoned in the movement towards accessibility.
Design
The LG B1 TV has a distinctive center stand style just like the 2020 LG BX OLED. It is also very similar to the LG C1 OLED, with the only difference that the B1’s stand is smaller and made of plastic. Overall, this is a beautiful modern TV. The internal components of the B1 TV are housed in a thin rectangular compartment attached to the back of the panel, which may be thinner than a smartphone.
The ultra-thin 0.9 cm bezel is barely visible. Its main role appears to be to secure the panel to the center stand of a trapezoidal stand. I would like, of course, to see something fresher from LG. But this form still seems to be more optimal and durable than moon-shaped, boomerang-shaped and other stands.
The LG B1 is very thin (about 4.7 cm at its deepest) and won’t protrude much when wall-mounted. With the stand attached, the TV becomes thicker, but still doesn’t take up much space. There are no complaints about the build quality.
Image quality
OLED TVs are capable of achieving near-ideal black levels thanks to self-luminous pixels, and it’s hard to overestimate how positively this affects overall picture quality. It is true that QLED (Quantum Dot) TVs can be twice as bright as B1. But these TVs are backlit.
Their searing highlights are highlighted along with black areas of the scene, which cannot get as dark as on OLED. So so far, no QLED TV has been able to recreate the secret sauce of contrast that OLED TV has. Like most OLED TVs, the LG 65OLEDB1RLA’s color reproduction is excellent.
The LG B 1 offers rich, voluminous reds and greens that combine with virtually infinite contrast. Lab tests show that the B1 covers a whopping 97% of the extended color gamut of the P3. This means that high-quality HDR content will look remarkably vibrant.
Motion processing and game mode
When it comes to motion processing, the native refresh rate of the LG B1 OLED 65 is 100 / 120Hz. There’s also a suite of technology tools to improve motion while maintaining smoothness and realism, whether you’re watching a movie or playing a video game.
LG’s adjustable “De-Judder” slider works best at lower settings. You can change the parameters of motion interpolation to a smoother one, to a more “soap opera”, this is your own business. In addition, enabling the “OLED Motion” option on a B1 OLED TV will allow the insertion of a black frame, limiting the blurring. But this can darken the image.
The delay in displaying the image (input-lag) is about 15 ms. Content with lower frame rates has slight stuttering due to very fast response time (approx. 4ms).
Smart TV
LG B1 OLED comes with an updated webOS 6.0 operating system . Instead of the ribbon of tiles from previous versions, there is now a smart hub with various widgets and applications. It’s responsive and easy to use. The home control panel controls all smart devices connected to a single network.
LG Store has a very large selection of applications, they are easy to install and easy to operate. The new Magic Remote is now thinner. A large number of shortcut buttons for streaming apps and voice assistants make it easy to control your TV. Voice commands can change the input used, open applications, and search.
Sound quality
When it comes to sound, the LG B1 65 has a perfectly acceptable mid-range performance and is quite capable of meeting your expectations. An inevitable consequence of a downward-facing sound system is a limited stereo field. Therefore, the sound is perceived more like monaural, but the result is great for everyday viewing.
There is a suitable volume and depth, thanks to the declared power of 40 watts. This is very similar to what you will hear from C1 brand models. Sure, there is a Dolby Atmos decoder in the box, but with onboard audio it doesn’t really matter much. The good news is that the LG OLED 65 B1 can stream Atmos to a soundbar or AV receiver for more impressive sound.
Native AI audio processing is disabled during Dolby Atmos playback. We definitely recommend pairing one of the best LG soundbars with the B1. The selection of LG 2021 soundbars is quite rich – take the LG SP11R , the flagship audio system, for example .
Connections
The LG B1 comes with ample connectivity options to satisfy both casual users and dedicated home theater fans. Like the LG C1, the B1 has four HDMI ports, but only two of them, as stated above, are version 2.1. In addition, the 3rd HDMI input supports eARC – Audio Return Channel .
The rear panel also houses three USB ports (1 x 2.0, 2 x 3.0), a LAN Ethernet port, antenna inputs (the number depends on the region), an optical audio output and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Wireless communication is provided by built-in Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth v5.0 adapters.
Conclusion
The LG B1 is an OLED TV with brilliant performance at a competitive price point that gamers will especially love. No other OLED TV maker offers gaming hardware support like LG, whether it’s fast 4K 120p HDMI inputs, VRR and ALLM, or NVIDIA G-SYNC PC-centric support.
Image quality is also extremely good, and while the Alpha 9-based B1 siblings have the edge in nuance and image resolution, the differences are less obvious than you might imagine. If you want contrast, brightness and detail, the TV will not disappoint you.