LG B6 (OLED55B6V) UHD 4K TV Review & Comments

Thanks Steve for this superb review as usual.
I can't help feeling the b6 feels unfinished business versus the rest of the oled range
The c6 and e6 feels a much better bet right now.

Can you please share the main difference you have seen with e6 (spec aside)?

The difference reminds me of the debate between ks7000 and ks8000 but here the difference is much more pronounced. Would you agree with that statement ?

Good week end
 
Just to add a bit to the HDR stutter issue. It only seems to affect UHD Blu-rays. I've played both Forza Horizon 3 and Gears of War 4 on the Xbox One S in HDR (10) and there is no stutter whatsoever. Similarly both Netflix and Amazon HDR 10 content run smoothly.
 
As usual Steve great video, thank you.
Do you think the stutter could be rectified with a firmware update or is it a inherent fault?

SO THATS A YES THEN...
 
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Steve I don't know if you've seen CAS FAN's posts but LG did visit him this week and the stutter is definitely fixed but I appreciate you can only review what's in front of you so it's fair enough mentioning it, just not sure it should have been docked marks for it though when a fix is imminent.
Does seem to be a trend with the oled reviews, superb with sdr content, mixed bag with hdr, considering we all want to get the best out of uhd blurays really it does make you wonder whether oled is a good choice going forward as things currently stand with the technology. I assume lg aren't going to do anything about the clipping since it's been reported to them before and they haven't acted on it, shame really although what impact it would have on the overall brightness of the image if they did introduce tone mapping that didn't clip is debatable..
Anyway thanks for the excellent review ,so the E6 doesn't perform any better with hdr content then I take it (apart from slightly higher peak brightness)?
 
Hi Steve,

Great review, I currently own a 55B6. Is the E6 any better with the artifacts that you mention and the colour graduation issues?
 
Steve I don't know if you've seen CAS FAN's posts but LG did visit him this week and the stutter is definitely fixed but I appreciate you can only review what's in front of you so it's fair enough mentioning it, just not sure it should have been docked marks for it though when a fix is imminent.
Does seem to be a trend with the oled reviews, superb with sdr content, mixed bag with hdr, considering we all want to get the best out of uhd blurays really it does make you wonder whether oled is a good choice going forward as things currently stand with the technology. I assume lg aren't going to do anything about the clipping since it's been reported to them before and they haven't acted on it, shame really although what impact it would have on the overall brightness of the image if they did introduce tone mapping that didn't clip is debatable..
Anyway thanks for the excellent review ,so the E6 doesn't perform any better with hdr content then I take it (apart from slightly higher peak brightness)?
I know, CS Fan contacted me directly and in the Picture Section of the review I say "However we understand that there may be an imminent firmware update coming from LG that fixes the issue, so hopefully owners will be able to enjoy HDR content stutter-free very soon."
 
One thing I find interesting about how these reviews are going.

In Ye Olde Dayes of plasma v LCD it was a given that LCDs were brighter and had more 'impact', but this was viewed with suspicion, even derision, and plasma's greater contrast was said to offer the better overall picture quality. 'Brightness wars' were good only for Curry's shop floor, and once home in a suitably darkened room, contrast was more important than brightness.

But now with HDR (despite the insistence in every single article that it's not just about brightness, but greater contrast), OLEDs are being criticised as not having enough brightness to truly appreciate HDR, and the better contrast of OLED, whilst being welcome, doesn't really make up for the lack of nits.

How times have changed.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the comments about 'impact' are correct in as far as they go. It's just that the balance between the importance of brightness and contrast in their contribution to overall picture quality now appears to be judged very differently.

Great review, though. I'm tempted.
 
Performance wise I think all the LG 2016 OLEDs are identical, with the same strengths and weaknesses. Aside from the lack of 3D, the differences between the B6 and E6 are essentially cosmetic.
 
Performance wise I think all the LG 2016 OLEDs are identical, with the same strengths and weaknesses. Aside from the lack of 3D, the differences between the B6 and E6 are essentially cosmetic.

That's not what e.g. ******** says...I've no doubt we're talking about miniscule differences though that are pretty much indistinguishable to the naked eye.
Steve did this perform better in terms of colour accuracy etc with hdr content than the e6 and if so do you think the e6 you reviewed was just a bad example? How much of an issue is the less than ideal colour accuracy with hdr content, presumably it's not something that's going to jump out at you as obvious unless you had it side by side with something that was more accurate?
 
Steve would it be fair to say that if you placed more importance on pq with uhd bluray / hdr content than anything else then LED is the way to go?
 
I have to think that there must be a firmware update coming up for the HDR stutter?

Never mind, I missed that it had already been mentioned!
 
I purchased this TV this week and I am very happy with it except, I am experiencing an issue with digital audio output from the TV, but only when watching FreeView/FreeSat, in that I get very bad stutter i.e. every other syllable is mute. Its the same via Optical and HDMI ARC but works fine with TV Apps like iPlayer and Amazon Video plus works OK with DLNA so really only FreeView.
Anyone else experienced this?
 
I asked also in the last review thread but do you think you can start measuring input lag whilst HDR is engaged?

The review states that input lag will be similar in HDR mode to the lag outside game mode but generally that isn't the case with a lot of TVs. Once you use HDR mode or even 2160p at 60hz with 4:4:4 chroma input lag shoots even higher. This is certainly the case according to rtings.com, even in HDR mode the input lag is bouncing up and down like crazy.
 
Thanks again for very well written and thorough review Steve.
If I could ask you kindly to put yourself in my shoes and decide on either this TV or the Panasonic DX902.
Thanks Steve.
 
I wouldn't call SDR performance 'superb' if it exhibits crushed shadow details and macro blocking on some content.
 
I wouldn't call SDR performance 'superb' if it exhibits crushed shadow details and macro blocking on some content.
The review states SD (standard definition i.e. 576) not SDR (standard dynamic range). This is obvious as it then goes on to discuss HD sources (SDR) with most quality high definition sources the B6 delivered absolutely stunning images....Blu-rays look sublime. The review then dealing with HDR perfomance. I wouldn't expect any 4K set to shine with SD sources.
 
Just to add a bit to the HDR stutter issue. It only seems to affect UHD Blu-rays. I've played both Forza Horizon 3 and Gears of War 4 on the Xbox One S in HDR (10) and there is no stutter whatsoever. Similarly both Netflix and Amazon HDR 10 content run smoothly.


I think that is because it is an issue with the B6 seeing 4k as 24hz, where in reality most UHD Blu-Rays will be 23.97hz so you will get a dropped frame every 12 seconds or so.
 
Thanks Steve for this superb review as usual.
I can't help feeling the b6 feels unfinished business versus the rest of the oled range
The c6 and e6 feels a much better bet right now.

Can you please share the main difference you have seen with e6 (spec aside)?

The difference reminds me of the debate between ks7000 and ks8000 but here the difference is much more pronounced. Would you agree with that statement ?

Good week end
Having owned an E6 and B6, I can't agree with this personally. It's a lower in the range model and therefore doesn't have the 3D, the on glass design or the flashy sound bar, but other than that, it performs superbly and to the same level as my E6 did.

I wasn't fussed with 3D (although if folk are, then the E6 does 3D superbly) and never used or wanted the soundbar, as I always fire the sound through my amp. There was simply no benefit for the higher cost of the E6. I even prefer the cleaner design of the B6.

We did the global field test of the new firmware at my house last week and this completely fixes the micro stutter that was evident when playing UHD Blu Rays.

All in all, I've been incredibly impressed by this TV and had the pick of every other 2016 TV at £5k or under. Now that the UHD micro stutter is fixed, I wouldn't swap the B6 for any other TV in that price range to be honest.
 
Performance wise I think all the LG 2016 OLEDs are identical, with the same strengths and weaknesses. Aside from the lack of 3D, the differences between the B6 and E6 are essentially cosmetic.
Cheers for a great review Steve. Is the reason for the lower score of this TV purely down to the lack of 3D, soundbar and on glass design?
 
Cheers for a great review Steve. Is the reason for the lower score of this TV purely down to the lack of 3D, soundbar and on glass design?

Don't really see how it could be marked down for those seeing as it's not supposed to have any of them. Steve did indicate it had been marked down due to the HDR stutter and I think the other main reason was HDR colour accuracy & clipping
 
Having owned an E6 and B6, I can't agree with this personally. It's a lower in the range model and therefore doesn't have the 3D, the on glass design or the flashy sound bar, but other than that, it performs superbly and to the same level as my E6 did.

I wasn't fussed with 3D (although if folk are, then the E6 does 3D superbly) and never used or wanted the soundbar, as I always fire the sound through my amp. There was simply no benefit for the higher cost of the E6. I even prefer the cleaner design of the B6.

We did the global field test of the new firmware at my house last week and this completely fixes the micro stutter that was evident when playing UHD Blu Rays.

All in all, I've been incredibly impressed by this TV and had the pick of every other 2016 TV at £5k or under. Now that the UHD micro stutter is fixed, I wouldn't swap the B6 for any other TV in that price range to be honest.

Music to my ears as the b6 is far more affordable. I like the e6 but pricey
I also like the c6 as didnt find the curve too disturbing with oled
Thank you for this feedback
 

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