LG’s new series of televisions goes big on AI: Is it more than a buzzword for the user?

AI was intended to be more than just a buzzword after ChatGPT’s sudden popularity pushed tech companies into a race to the top. But for users, many AI features fail to translate into tech-changing capabilities. Even then, artificial intelligence capabilities are now being leveraged across a range of devices and services, considerably reshaping how we interact with our electronics. On May 15, 2024, LG unveiled its latest range of televisions and naturally, the event was big on all-things-AI and user personalisation to suit each individual’s needs.

While contemporary televisions boast a fraction of the computing prowess of modern laptops, they’re still able to deliver a smart experience without the need for an advanced operating system. But as the line between computing devices continues to blur and thin, TVs and laptops continue to become similar, at least in terms of the specifications if not portability – and this is truer than ever with the insertion of artificial intelligence capabilities.

With this is mind, the LG OLED Evo AI and LG QNED AI TVs were recently launched. The latter are a new range of LCD TVs, considered the second-best thing after OLED. The new range of 55 options includes TVs across all size forms, ranging from 42 inches to 97 inches. In this article, we take a look at the key specifications of these TVs, their new features, and who these TVs are intended for.

According to Mr. Hong Ju Jeon, MD LG Electronics India, the launch of these TVs marks the “forefront of innovation in both OLED and premium LED technologies.” Mr. Jeon added that these televisions will cater to the growing demand of large screen TV’s in India with focus on personalization. But will these heavy claims hold up in the challenging landscape of TVs in India? Let’s find out.

What are the AI features?

For starters, LG’s new range of OLED Evo AI and QNED AI TVs are engineered with the latest in AI to deliver a viewing experience that is heavy on personalization and individual use cases. Up scaling capabilities powered by AI are able to make objects sharper while adding precision to backgrounds. This is done via pixel-level image analysis, allowing the new televisions to deliver a clearer and more vivid viewing experience with real-time up scaling, even when a user is streaming sub-4K OTT content.

The new AI processor is also capable of refining colour in order to accurately capture the content’s original mood and colour tone as intended. During the demo, the TV was able to bring out subtle details of visual content even if the direction was challenging due to low lighting or high-speed motion. The processor’s algorithms quickly adjusted the image in real-time, making every frame appear vivid with depth. All this was heightened by the slim and attractive form of the new televisions.

It’s all in the sound quality, they say, and that’s where LG’s AI Sound Pro comes in. This technology makes use of virtual 11.1.2 surround sound from the TV’s built-in speakers, so that there’s always some realism in the audio you hear on the OLED TVs. In addition, vocals from background noises are also effectively separated for a clearer dialogue delivery. During testing, the one thing we realised is that unless you’re throwing parties everyday, you wouldn’t need to use even half of the TV’s volume capacity.

What about brightness? LG claims that the OLED Evo G4 series is equipped with the Brightness Booster Max technology to achieve peak brightness – up to 150% brighter than conventional OLED TVs. It remains to be seen if this claim holds up in dimly lit environments.

Are these TVs meant for gamers?

This year, LG has incorporated a host of gamer-centric features on the OLED TVs. Capable of running Dolby Vision gaming 4K at 144Hz refresh rate means that gamers will not experience any delay in movement during the most intense gameplays. In addition, these TVs are also NVIDIA G-SYNC certified and are also compatible with AMD FreeSync to eliminate tearing when you’re playing a high-intensity game. The ‘Game Optimizer’ functionality also allows users to switch between various display presents that are designed for different gaming genres.

A gamer’s needs are simple – smooth transitions, no tearing, and crystal-clear displays that make use of their console’s power. In these areas, LG’s TVs have the right specifications to keep up. My only concern with TVs is that the often clunky OS buries a lot of gaming features in settings which may be hard to find for the average user. Hopefully, LG’s OS is well-rounded enough!

Also read: Best 50 inch LED TVs in India: Price, features, and more compared

Will you get a new LG TV every year?

The most fascinating facet of yesterday’s launch was LG’s claim that when a user purchases a TV from the latest range, they can get a new TV every year. No, LG isn’t planning on sending a new TV to all buyers every year. Instead, the company is going high-stakes on its in-house TV OS called WebOS Re:New program.

The OS, according to the company, will be refreshed every year to give a fresh feel to every buyer. With a promise of up to 5 years of updates, the idea is to keep things interesting and engaging so that the TV doesn’t become a peripheral device that’s largely unchanged over the course of its life-cycle – a misfortune that befalls most TV OS’ at the moment.

There’s also Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support across the line-up for improved audio-visual delivery. If you’re a movie buff, the company claims that its Filmmaker Mode is able to show you the on-screen content with all details preserved.

Also read: Samsung 8K TVs: Choose from powerful options with beautiful displays

What else is new in LG TVs this year?

With companies throwing the word AI around recklessly, it’s becoming hard to separate a gimmick from a device that promises long-term utility. While this remains to be seen, LG is making strides in terms of feature diversity. For instance, this year’s TV series comes with Chromecast and Apple AirPlay built in, giving flexibility to users and limiting the amount of time they spend on their TV for navigation. Simply cast your favourite content to the TV without browsing through endless apps via the TV remote, which can honestly be a painful exercise.

If you decide to purchase LG’s Soundbar, it’ll pair with the TV without wires through what the company is calling WOWCAST – a feature that casts audio from the TV to the soundbar. In addition, the TV speakers will not remain dormant but will instead be used as an additional audio channel based on the type of media you’re consuming.

Also read: Best 32 inch smart LED TVs in India: Choose from top 9 options

How much do the new LG TVs cost?

As part of its QNED series, LG also introduced QNED MiniLED TV lineup. MiniLEDs are 1/40th the size of regular LEDs and can deliver brighter colours and deeper blacks. What else? This range also features Million Grey Scale to differentiate among different greys.

Now, to answer the question that we all want answered. How much do these fancy AI TVs cost?

For the QNED series, the QNED MiniLED AI TV costs ₹1,89,990 for the 65-inch variant. The QNED AI TV (QNED88T) begins at the price of ₹1,03,990 (75-inches) while another range (QNED82T) starts at ₹62,990 for the 75-inch version.

If you’re planning to buy the OLED series, The LG OLED evo G4 AI Series starts at ₹2,39,990 for the 55-inch model and goes up to ₹20,49,990 for the 97-inch variant.

The LG OLED evo C4 AI Series starts at the price of ₹1,19,990 at the screen size of 42-inches. For the LG OLED B4 AI Series, the starting price is ₹1,69,990 with the starting size of 55-inches and going up to 75-inches.

The new range will be available to order a week from now.

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