{"id":155712,"date":"2023-02-24T10:22:33","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T10:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techweekmag.com\/?p=155712"},"modified":"2023-10-18T07:08:50","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T06:08:50","slug":"lg-c3-review-unrivaled-gaming-performance-and-excellent-image-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stereoindex.com\/tech\/tv\/lg-c3-review-unrivaled-gaming-performance-and-excellent-image-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"LG C3: Unrivaled gaming performance and excellent image quality"},"content":{"rendered":"

LG Electronics unveiled its new line of OLED TVs in 2023.\u00a0In this line, the C3 series from the OLED category has been the most popular over the past years.\u00a0Will the LG C3 live up to its customers’ expectations?\u00a0What’s new in this series and should I buy the LG C3?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

LG C3 Preview<\/h2>\n

Design<\/h3>\n

The look and feel of LG’s C-series OLED displays hasn’t changed much since the introduction of the\u00a0LG C9\u00a0TV in 2019 .\u00a0Some changes were made to the C3, but in comparison to older models and not to the previous\u00a0LG C2 series\u00a0.\u00a0Very wide stand has become smaller in width.<\/p>\n

Now, to install this TV, you do not need a very wide cabinet.\u00a0In addition, the stand has become a little higher to leave room for the soundbar.\u00a0In addition to the metal stand, LG C3 TVs received a lighter carbon body.<\/p>\n

In this regard, when wall mounted, the load on the wall will be less than with earlier models.\u00a0However, with this installation, this LG OLED65C3 TV model will require a 300 x 200 mm VESA wall mount.\u00a0It will have to be purchased separately.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/a><\/p>\n

Alpha9 Gen6<\/h3>\n

Just like its predecessor, the LG OLED65C3 TV is equipped with an OLED Evo panel.\u00a0This means that the peak brightness of this TV remained at 850 nits.\u00a0Also keep in mind that the 42-inch and 48-inch LG OLED42C3 and LG OLED48C3 models aren’t as bright as their larger siblings.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, the feature sets of\u00a0the LG C3 and C2\u00a0are very similar.\u00a0The LG OLED C3 TVs are powered by the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor. It doesn’t seem like a huge upgrade from last year’s Alpha 9 Gen 5. On the other hand, zooming is even better and motion processing is smoother.<\/p>\n

In addition, the new processor has the ability to separate the background from the foreground on the fly.\u00a0Thanks to this, the brightness in some scenes has become even greater.\u00a0The depth of field has also improved.\u00a0The sound quality has also improved.\u00a0And the sound has become better in reality, and not on paper.<\/p>\n

Many experts have already confirmed the improved sound quality.\u00a0Thanks to the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor, another of the improvements in the field of sound has taken place.\u00a0Soundtracks are now down-mixed to 9.1.2 virtual channels instead of\u00a07.1.2\u00a0like last year’s LG C2 TVs.<\/p>\n

Game Mode<\/h3>\n

On the gaming front, there are no major changes in C3.\u00a0Apparently this is because it is very difficult to improve something that is already very good.\u00a0As before, the C3 and G3 boast four HDMI 2.1 connectors.\u00a0Most models of many competing brands still have no more than two such ports.<\/p>\n

As early as 2022, the performance of these ports has been upgraded from 40Gbps to 48Gbps.\u00a0However, this is currently of no practical value as there is no commercially available source that outputs a maximum of 48Gbps.\u00a0On the other hand, such an improvement does not harm anyone.<\/p>\n

HDMI 2.1 connectors support 4K@120Hz, VRR and ALLM gaming.\u00a0As before, the new C3 and G3 support HGiG for more HDR fidelity in games.\u00a0Xbox\u00a0Series X\u00a0Gamers |\u00a0S can take advantage of\u00a0the Dolby Vision\u00a0gaming mode .\u00a0The input lag in these flagship models is extremely low.\u00a0It is less than 10 ms.<\/p>\n

webOS 23<\/h3>\n

LG’s 2022 TVs are shipping with the new\u00a0webOS 23 operating system\u00a0.\u00a0This is a pretty significant departure from webOS 22 2022.\u00a0The main changes have taken place in the user interface of the base page.\u00a0So-called “Quick cards” have appeared, designed to provide quick access to applications and services that consumers use very often.<\/p>\n

Recommendations have also appeared, which are also based on user preferences.\u00a0So far, these recommendations are only in such sections as Music, Home Office, Sports and Games.\u00a0The company promised that such recommendations will appear in other categories in the near future.<\/p>\n

Companies such as Google, Apple, Samsung and others already have Matter support, which allows you to control all smart appliances of these brands through the Smart Home protocol.\u00a0In 2023, LG will also join these companies.\u00a0The company also announced that the smoothness of the webOS 23 operating system will be even better thanks to the implemented Alpha 9 Gen 6.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, webOS 22 supports streaming services such as Dolby Vision and\u00a0Dolby Atmos\u00a0, which may someday be needed bundled with 4K.\u00a0Like Samsung, LG has an Always Ready mode that can use the screen to display the weather, time, pictures, personal photos, or animations when the TV is in standby mode.\u00a0Long-range microphones are built into the body of the LG C3 TV.\u00a0They respond to voice commands in standby mode.\u00a0This allows you to check the weather without turning on the TV.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sound quality<\/h3>\n

Moving on to the section on sound quality, it should be noted right away that the audio in the LG C3 has improved markedly.\u00a0And this despite the fact that the model also has 4 speakers with a total power of 40 watts.\u00a0As noted above, the sound quality has improved thanks to the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor. For the same reason, virtual surround sound has been increased to 9.1.2 channels.<\/p>\n

In addition, advanced TVs are now compatible with the WOW Orchestra feature, which is very similar to Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature.\u00a0But for this, it is necessary that the LG soundbar also be equipped with WOW Orchestra technology.<\/p>\n

LG’s C3 TV still delivers more authentic sound with improved voice projection.\u00a0Ultimately, there are quite a few TVs whose sound can be improved with a simple soundbar.\u00a0However, the C3, despite its already decent sound, is even easier to upgrade than many other TVs.<\/p>\n

Image quality<\/h3>\n

Thanks to the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor, there are also improvements in the image.\u00a0These improvements are most noticeable when playing Dolby Vision content in Dolby Vision Bright mode, which should be used if there is ambient light in the room.\u00a0The C3 also has an excellent image in Dolby Vision Dark mode.<\/p>\n

This mode preserves the authenticity of the image by revealing more shadow detail and brighter highlights.\u00a0It is very rare to see a tiny fraction of the fine details and subtle shadows blur in the brightest parts of the image.\u00a0However, this is not a big problem.\u00a0For some, on the contrary, it creates a more dynamic and attractive image.<\/p>\n

Thanks to its new technology, which is able to separate the background from the foreground, many scenes have become brighter not only in Dolby Vision modes, but also in Cinematic and\u00a0Filmmaker\u00a0modes .\u00a0It’s not just about brightness, it’s also about contrast.\u00a0Characters and objects stand out better from the background, which helps you see the action better and provides more three-dimensionality.<\/p>\n

The C3 TV is even better at scaling both 1080p and standard definition content with more control and picture clarity.\u00a0Of course, the LG OLED C3 is not as good at reproducing images as the G3, whose panel is equipped with\u00a0MLA technology\u00a0.\u00a0But essentially, the G3 delivers the same image quality, only with even more brightness.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the C3 OLED is significantly affordable than Sony’s flagship A95L QD-OLED and LG G3 OLED TVs.\u00a0In other words, its price perfectly compensates for the performance, which is slightly lower than the flagship models.<\/p>\n

\"LG<\/a><\/p>\n

Connections<\/h3>\n

The patch panel of the LG C3 OLED TV has four full HDMI 2.1 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, a CI + 2.0 slot for connecting pay TV channels, an optical digital audio input, an RJ45 Ethernet line connection for connecting to the Internet and inputs for connecting antennas.\u00a0Wireless connections include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.<\/p>\n

Pros<\/strong><\/p>\n