{"id":117168,"date":"2021-01-13T06:30:14","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T06:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=117168"},"modified":"2024-02-24T14:08:19","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T14:08:19","slug":"lg-sm9000-review-4k-tv-with-interesting-gaming-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/tv\/lg-sm9000-review-4k-tv-with-interesting-gaming-features\/","title":{"rendered":"LG SM9000 Review \u2022 4K TV with interesting gaming features"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>LG SM9000 is an excellent 4K TV with a wide viewing angle and good peak brightness.\u00a0It offers interesting gaming features with low input latency, fast responsiveness and variable VRR support.\u00a04 full HDMI 2.1 connectors provide the TV with a good headroom for the future.\u00a0Unfortunately, like most IPS panels, it does not provide high quality viewing in a darkened room due to its inability to reproduce deep and uniform black tones.<\/p>\n<h3>Functional rating<\/h3>\n<p>(on a 10-point scale)<\/p>\n<table class=\"fr-alternate-rows fr-solid-borders\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Overall quality<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>7.5<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Watching films\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>6.8<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Watching TV programs<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>7.9<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Watching sports<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>7.7<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Use for video games\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>8.1<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Watching HDR Movies<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>6.6<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Use for HDR video games<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>7.7<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b>Use as a PC monitor<\/b><\/td>\n<td><b>8.4<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b8033ea.\" alt=\"\" \/><b>Overall View Quality\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>7.5<\/b><br \/>\nThe LG SM9000 is a good TV for most purposes.\u00a0It provides high quality viewing in rooms with moderate lighting levels and offers a wide viewing angle.\u00a0Unfortunately, however, like most TVs with IPS panels, it does not perform well in a darkened room due to its poor black tones.<\/p>\n<p><b>Films\u00a06\u00a0<\/b><b>.8<\/b><br \/>\nMovies look good on the LG SM9000 screen.\u00a0It plays low-frequency video without distortion, which is good news, and also has an excellent frame interpolation function.\u00a0Unfortunately, in a darkened room, its image quality suffers from its inability to reproduce the deep blacks that are common to most IPS panels.\u00a0And the presence of the local dimming function does not save the situation.<\/p>\n<p><b>TV programs\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>7.9<\/b><br \/>\nThe LG SM9000 TV is great for watching TV, especially in a bright room.\u00a0It has a wide viewing angle, copes with glare successfully and exhibits good peak brightness.\u00a0In addition, its smart platform offers many programs as an alternative to cable channels.<\/p>\n<p><b>Sports programs\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>7.7<\/b><br \/>\nThe LG SM9000 does a great job with sports programs too.\u00a0The wide viewing angle of the TV will ensure a pleasant viewing of an important match with friends, and the screen coating successfully suppresses glare.\u00a0The SM9000 has a fast response time for clear action scenes with minimal blur.\u00a0The TV also has a good peak brightness, but it may not be enough to withstand intense ambient light.<\/p>\n<p><b>Video games\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>8.1<\/b><br \/>\nThe LG SM9000 is great for playing video games.\u00a0The TV offers low input latency, fast response, and its Alpha7 processor perfectly scales lower resolution signals to higher quality.\u00a0It also has a future-proof design with HDMI 2.1 connectors that can be used with next-generation gaming consoles, and supports the new HDMI Forum VRR variable refresh rate technology.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b82dbde.\" alt=\"\" \/><b>HDR\u00a0<\/b><b>6.6<\/b><b>\u00a0Movies\u00a0<\/b><b><\/b><br \/>\nHDR\u00a0movies\u00a0look good on the LG SM9000.\u00a0But, unfortunately, like most IPS panels, this TV has a low contrast ratio and poor black uniformity, which translates into an expressionless viewing quality in a darkened room.\u00a0Although the TV has a local dimming function, it does not deal with this problem.\u00a0Among the pluses, we note the SM9000&#8217;s support for a wide color gamut and a good peak brightness of\u00a0the HDR format\u00a0.<\/p>\n<p><b>HDR\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>7.7 gaming<\/b><br \/>\nIts low input latency and fast response make the SM9000 an excellent TV for video games.\u00a0At the same time, the quality of\u00a0the HDR format\u00a0itself\u00a0is\u00a0\u00a0somewhat limited due to poor contrast, ineffective local dimming function and not the highest peak brightness.<\/p>\n<p><b>Use as PC monitor\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>8.4<\/b><br \/>\nLG SM9000 TV is able to perfectly play the role of a computer monitor.\u00a0It supports most common resolutions and Chroma 4: 4: 4 color sampling.\u00a0The fast response time provides a clear display of moving objects on the screen, and with the low latency of the incoming signal, the screen responds instantly to your actions.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hmenu-3\">Market positioning<\/h2>\n<p>The LG SM9000 is one of the Korean manufacturer&#8217;s 2019 NanoCell LCD TVs.\u00a0It replaced the 2018 LG SK9000.\u00a0The SM9000 TV is almost identical to the\u00a0\u00a0SM9800\u00a0, but slightly inferior to it in\u00a0terms of\u00a0local dimming and brightness functions.\u00a0Its closest competitors are the\u00a0\u00a0Samsung Q70R\u00a0,\u00a0\u00a0Sony XG95\u00a0and\u00a0\u00a0Sony XG85\u00a0.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b88a167.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hmenu-4\">Design<\/h2>\n<p><b>Style\u00a09\u00a0<\/b><b>.5<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b8b7ada.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/b>The LG SM9000 TV has a gorgeous design, almost identical to the\u00a0\u00a0LG SM9800\u00a0, with a sleek center stand through which you can discreetly route cables through the back.\u00a0With all the beauty of this design, its disadvantage is that the TV sway noticeably when exposed to external influences.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b8dd3c2.\" alt=\"\" \/>The SM9000 case is thin enough (6.3 cm), and looks great when wall-mounted.\u00a0The back panel is flat and made of nice-looking textured plastic.\u00a0Most of the commonly used connectors face outward for easy access.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b90ce35.\" alt=\"\" \/>The panel is enclosed in a thin bezel, but the screen protrudes slightly forward and can be easily damaged by careless movement.<\/p>\n<p><b>Build quality\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>7.0<\/b><br \/>\n<b><\/b>Overall, the build quality of the SM9000 is good.\u00a0However, we downgraded the rating due to unpleasant swaying of the case under external influences.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hmenu-5\">Image quality<\/h2>\n<p><b>Contrast\u00a05\u00a0<\/b><b>.9<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b956c74.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Like most TVs with IPS panels, the SM9000 has problems displaying deep blacks, which is especially noticeable when viewed in a darkened room.\u00a0Unfortunately, the local dimming function does not significantly improve the situation.<\/p>\n<p><b>Local dimming\u00a05.\u00a0<\/b><b>0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, local dimming does not do its job well, allowing light to leak and rendering small bright objects too dim.\u00a0The transition zones between light and dark parts also appear rough.<br \/>\nWe recommend setting this feature to a medium level.<\/p>\n<p><b>SDR Peak Luminance\u00a06\u00a0<\/b><b>.9<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 exhibits good brightness, however small bright objects appear dim due to the local dimming function, which is especially noticeable when viewed in a dark room.<\/p>\n<p><b>Peak brightness HDR format\u00a06\u00a0<\/b><b>.4<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This figure in the SM9000 is also quite good.\u00a0However, small bright objects, flashing at first, then quickly fade.<\/p>\n<p><b>Gray uniformity\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>6.8<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b977896.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p>The gray uniformity in the SM9000 is generally good.\u00a0The edges of the template are noticeably darker than the rest of the template.\u00a0There is also a slight dirty screen effect in the middle.<\/p>\n<p><b>Viewing angle\u00a07\u00a0<\/b><b>.5<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Like most TVs with IPS panels, the SM9000 has a good viewing angle.\u00a0The picture remains clear even when viewed from the side.<\/p>\n<p><b>Black uniformity\u00a05\u00a0<\/b><b>.1<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b99c5c5.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/b>Unfortunately, the black uniformity in the SM9000 is not high, which is inherent in IPS panels.\u00a0The local dimming function has fewer areas, which reduces its effectiveness.\u00a0This can be seen from the halo around the test cross (right).\u00a0With local dimming off (left), you can see light leaks all over the screen.<\/p>\n<p><b>Glare\u00a08\u00a0<\/b><b>.3<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b9c15d3.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 does an excellent job of dealing with glare, but the semi-gloss finish allows for some reflections to spread across the screen.\u00a0However, in most cases this should not be a major problem.<\/p>\n<p><b>Colors\u00a08.0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 is capable of high-quality reproduction of a wide color gamut, as evidenced by the excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 color space.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92b9e8353.\" alt=\"\" \/><b><i>Left: DCI-P3 xy coverage 88.73%, DCI-P3 uv coverage 93.78%.\u00a0Right:\u00a0<\/i><\/b><b><i>opening REC 2020 xy &#8211; 65.47%, REC 2020 uv &#8211; 59.90%<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92ba1dced.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The EOTF curve closely follows the PQ luminance test line for most of its length.<\/p>\n<p><b>Color volume\u00a07\u00a0<\/b><b>.1<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 demonstrates a good color volume, however, due to the low contrast ratio, dark colors are poorly saturated and, moreover, there is a problem with reproducing bright blue, which is a common disease of LCD TVs.<\/p>\n<p><b>Gradient\u00a08\u00a0<\/b><b>.7<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Perfect gradient pattern.\u00a0In a real image, fluctuations in the transitions between tones are almost imperceptible, which is great news.<\/p>\n<p><b>Temporary afterimage\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>9.6<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Our test revealed a faint indication of this phenomenon, which, in general, is not inherent in panels of this type.<\/p>\n<p><b>Screen Burn Risk\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>10<\/b><\/p>\n<p>VA panels are not subject to this risk.<\/p>\n<p><b>Response time\u00a07\u00a0<\/b><b>.8<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 demonstrates a very fast response time (i.e. the time it takes to fully transform a pixel from one color to another) at 13.6ms.<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92ba768c4.\" alt=\"\" \/><b>Screen flickering\u00a04\u00a0<\/b><b>.0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 uses pulse width modulation to dim the backlight, causing noticeable duplication in fast moving scenes.<\/p>\n<p><b>Insert black frame\u00a010<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 offers black frame insertion to enhance the clarity of fast action scenes.\u00a0It causes a slight decrease in image brightness.\u00a0To activate this feature, turn on the Motion Pro setting.<\/p>\n<p><b>Frame interpolation\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 has a frame interpolation function that can increase the video playback rate up to 120 frames per second.\u00a0It smoothes the image, but produces a so-called soap opera effect that some viewers may not like.\u00a0This function copes with its task quite successfully, however, in very intense scenes, interpolation stops, which causes a jump in the frame due to a sharp change in frequency.<\/p>\n<p>To enable frame interpolation, go to Custom Setting in the TruMotion menu and adjust the De-Blur and De-Judder scales according to your preference.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92baaa9b9.\" alt=\"\" \/><b>Image twitching effect\u00a07\u00a0<\/b><b>.4<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Due to the relatively fast response time when watching movies at 24 frames per second, this effect can be observed.\u00a0To eliminate it, you must activate the black frame insertion or frame interpolation.<\/p>\n<p><b>Jitter effect in 24fps video\u00a01\u00a0<\/b><b>0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 is capable of removing jitter from low-frequency video.\u00a0To enable this function, activate the Real Cinema mode.<\/p>\n<p><b>Input Delay\u00a08\u00a0<\/b><b>.8<\/b><\/p>\n<p>SM9000 has ultra-low input latency.\u00a0The TV also supports ALLM technology, which means it automatically enters Game Mode when connected to a compatible game console.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hmenu-6\">Sound quality<\/h2>\n<p><b>Frequency Response\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>7.0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The frequency response of the SM9000 is good with well-heard low frequencies, but it lacks punching power.\u00a0Dialogue sounds clear and the TV volume is very loud, although noise appears at levels close to maximum.<\/p>\n<p><b>Distortion of incoming sound\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>6.4<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The total harmonic distortion is small, but increases with increasing volume.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hmenu-7\">Smart features<\/h2>\n<p><b>Interface\u00a08\u00a0<\/b><b>.5<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The smart webOS platform is easy to manage and fast.\u00a0There are no comments on its interface.\u00a0The platform&#8217;s home panel is capable of networking with other smart devices.<\/p>\n<p><b>Advertising presence\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There is an advertisement on the home page and in the app catalog.<\/p>\n<p><b>Apps and features\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>8.0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The webOS directory offers a huge selection of applications, and the built-in media player supports most of the common file formats.<\/p>\n<p>The unique \u201cLG Plus Channels\u201d package offers over 200 domestic and foreign channels, including 30 free channels.<\/p>\n<p><b>Control panel\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><b>8.5<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92bb46274.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p>The SM9000 can also be used as a pointer at the same time, making menu navigation much easier.\u00a0Now it has also become versatile, able to work with other devices.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92bb6e7af.\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"hmenu-9\">Comparison with other TVs<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"fr-fic fr-dib\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/img_5ffe92bba1103.\" alt=\"\" \/>Top left:\u00a0\u00a0Samsung\u00a0QLED\u00a0Q\u00a070\u00a0R\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0;\u00a0bottom left:\u00a0\u00a0LG\u00a0SM\u00a08600\u00a0\u00a0;\u00a0center:\u00a0\u00a0LG\u00a0SM\u00a09000;\u00a0top right:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LG\u00a0SM\u00a09800\u00a0\u00a0;\u00a0bottom right:\u00a0\u00a0Sony\u00a0XG\u00a0\u00a095\u00a0.<\/p>\n<h3>Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p>LG SM9000 is a good TV in many ways, offering 4K quality pictures. It is equipped with an &#8220;Alpha7&#8221; processor, which uses artificial intelligence in its work, supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless technologies, and the latest HDMI 2.1 standard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LG SM9000 is an excellent 4K TV with a wide viewing angle and good peak brightness.\u00a0It offers interesting gaming features with low input latency, fast responsiveness and variable VRR support.\u00a04 full HDMI 2.1 connectors provide the TV with a good headroom for the future.\u00a0Unfortunately, like most IPS panels, it does not provide high quality viewing [&hellip;] <a class=\"g1-link g1-link-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/tv\/lg-sm9000-review-4k-tv-with-interesting-gaming-features\/\">More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10402,"featured_media":117192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[641],"tags":[778],"class_list":["post-117168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-reviews"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10402"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}