According to LG, customer preference is driving growth in the 4K space and also leading to bigger screen purchases. LG's figures claim that 64 per cent of all its TV sales are for the 55in size, and up to 25 per cent are for 65in sets. That trend towards bigger screens will see the LG UHD range offer sizes up to 98in, with a 105in giant to be released later in the year.
All of the new TVs have been certified by Netflix, a boast that LG is happy to make since the popular streaming service is now available for Australians to enjoy locally, and indeed most of its TV models from 2012 have featured the Netflix app in their interface.
Version 2.0 of the webOS software interface is present on the new TVs, and it offers the same, clean and easy experience that we observed in LG's first generation of webOS-enabled products. There is a focus on multi-tasking, with apps being always ready for you to use, and the majority of the 4K TVs feature quad-core processing to provide the smoothest possible experience for this interface.
New 6-step upscaling technology for all the 4K TVs will ensure that most content will look good, not only from streaming services such as Netflix, but also from DVDs, Blu-rays and the regular free-to-air signal. The upscaler starts off by expanding the image to make it fit on the screen, then it adds sharpness and various other image enhancements in the following stages to make the image look better defined than it otherwise would on the big screen.
Colour enhancements have also been added, but not across the board. A feature called ColourPrime is present in the UF950T model, and this allows the user to take advantage of a 20 per cent wider colour gamut that can make the image look richer and more vibrant. It can be enabled and disabled depending on the user's preference.
Another feature called Ultra Luminance is available in some models. This can make bright colours appear brighter in a bid to liven up a dark scene. It does this by adjusting the backlighting.
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In moves that will benefit users who have access to broadband connections of 25Mbps or better, the new 4K TVs can take advantage of 4K quality streaming from Netflix for titles in which the higher streaming quality is enabled. Any 4K streams that don't have enough bandwidth will be downscaled automatically to Full HD.
Likewise, LG has added the UP9 codec to some of its new 4K TVs, which will allow them to stream 4K content directly from YouTube. Other ways in which a user can take advantage of the 4K resolution are by creating their own content using devices such as a GoPro camera or a smartphone or digital camera capable of recording in 4K.
The new 4K, ultra-high definition TV models are listed below.
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UB980TSizes available: 65in, 79in, 84inProcessing: dual-corePrice: $5499, $9999, $14999
98UB980TSizes available: 98inProcessing: dual-corePrice: $39,999
UF770TSizes available: 43in, 49in, 55in, 60in, 65in, 70inProcessing: quad-coreRefresh rate: 100Hz (43-55in), 200Hz (60-70in)Ultra luminance technology: YesPrice: $1799, $2399, $3099, $3799, $4699, $6499
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UF850TSizes available: 49in, 55in, 60in, 65inProcessing: quad-coreRefresh rate: 100Hz (49-55in), 200Hz (60-65in)Ultra luminance technology: YesPrice: $2599, $3399, $4199, $5199
UF950TSizes available: 55in, 65inProcessing: quad-coreRefresh rate: 200HzUltra luminance technology: YesColourPrime technology: YesPrice: $4699, $6499
UG880TSizes available: 79inProcessing: dual-coreRefresh rate: 200HzCurved screen: YesPrice: $11999