LG 8K 75-inch Nanocell

8K is now in stores, and the new LG 8K 75-inch Nanocell is very impressive. At $11,849 it is one of the more affordable options.

GadgetGuy had quality time with the LG 8K 75-inch Nanocell, enough to do a first look article. It is by far the most impressive 8K I have seen yet.

That is not to knock Sony’s 88-inch Z9G that we saw earlier in the week (First Look here) or Samsung’s Q900 8K 65-inch (Hands-on here) but to reinforce our warning that we don’t have the test equipment (yet) to really understand the various technologies behind all the 8K screen types. But LG 8K 75-inch Nanocell comes closest to what we think we want.

We are yet to understand all the issues surrounding 8K. These include HDMI 2.1, local dimming, motion control, pixel dimming and other technologies that are going to make 8K mainstream. If it were my money, I would want to be sure I knew what was best.

What makes a great 8K TV?

We are beginning to develop paradigms for 8K reviews, and this is our starter list. It is not about whether a picture just looks great but so much more.

A panel capable of 4000 nits peak (that rules out OLED at present and LG’s Nanocell is really a Quantum Dot technology)
How it looks for FTA content from 576 to 1080p
Future 8K video standards support, e.g. 8K HEVC or VP9-2 (8K YouTube)
HDMI 2.1 ports (multiple) and other ports
More real dimming zones – direct back-lit preferred
Dimming method, e.g. pixel-level dimming or pixel switch off
Viewing angle and methodology to achieve that
Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR 10, HLG and other decoding
Sound: Dolby Atmos decoding as well as Dolby Audio and DTS
Upscaling method (intelligent pixel insertion, database object lookup)
Motion smoothing and equivalent motion rates
Voice assistants – Google, Alexa, Siri (Airplay 2/Home Kit)
Power requirements
Xbox (ALLM) and PlayStation (EDID) support
Mount style and wall mount weight
Price
OS support for 8K
WOW factor

LG 8K 75-inch Nanocell

Angus Jones, General Manager of Marketing at LG Electronics Australia said,

“The LG NanoCell 8K is the only current 8K TV with four HDMI 2.1 specification ports that will allow reproduction of smooth and clear motion with 60 frames per second, as well as providing future sport and gaming enthusiasts with high-quality picture options.”

“LG’s new Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor uses deep learning technology to optimise the viewing experience. Through the processor’s intelligent capabilities, it can identify the quality of the source material and apply 6-step upscaling to produce the best possible audio-visual experience. The advantage of the LG NanoCell 8K is that it also displays up-scaled and native 8K content consistently even in the darkest of scenes.”

LG 8K 75-inch Nanocell (US website here) Model 75SM997 00PTA.AAU

The LG NanoCell 8K uses the Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor and HDMI 2.1. The processor uses deep learning technology to optimise the viewing experience. Through the processor’s intelligent capabilities, it can identify the quality of the source material and apply 6- step upscaling to produce the best possible audio-visual experience. The advantage of the LG NanoCell 8K is that it also displays up-scaled and native 8K content consistently even in the darkest of scenes.

Here are some of the other things that tick our boxes

All ports are HDMI 2.1
Full-Array LED local dimming (slim direct not edge-lit)
4K Cinema HDR (Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG), HDR Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro
Dolby Atmos decoding and DTS-HD upscaling to 2.2 channel L/R/Woofer 40W+20W
7680 x 4320 IPS 10-bit (dithered) LED
120Hz native and 240Hz TruMotion
Factory calibrated to various DCI-P3, Dolby Vision and Netflix standards
6-step (most TVs use four) upscaling
PlayStation and Xbox support
Google, Alexa and Apple Airplay 2/Homekit support
LG WebOS support for native 8K and magic remote control with an on-screen cursor
Wi-Fi AC/LAN/BT5.0
1684 x 973 x 66mm x 38.9kg
Power consumption 100W/h average

GadgetGuy’s take – The LG 8K 75-inch Nanocell ticks more of the above boxes than earlier starters

Sorry, this is not yet a recommendation but compared to other 8K units this has 100% of what I would look for. The proof will be in the reviewing when we can.