Home » Review: LG 65LA9700 65-inch LED Ultra HDTV

Review: LG 65LA9700 65-inch LED Ultra HDTV

EditorsChoiceIt’s the age of Ultra HD content and hence many TV manufacturers have started churning out new models of UHDTVs with fervor.  LG is one of those companies who recently launched its LA9700 series of UHDTVs on the market. Available in sizes of 55-inches and 65-inches, the 65LA9700 features an integrated sound-bar, uses a full sheet of LEDs for backlighting, and has an Ultra HD-resolution that can show four times the detail of current Full HD panels.

Review Central received the 65-inch version of the LA9700 series of UHDTVs for review, and boy, we were blown by the picture quality. While there may be a huge lack of Ultra HD (or 4K) content offering a resolution of 3,840-by-2,160 pixels and pricing is at a premium, the 65LA9700 is indeed one of the most impressive TV’s we have come across in recent times.

LG 65LA9700 65-inch LED Ultra HDTV - 2

With this TV, LG has wrapped a very thin bezel around the 65-inch stylish behemoth. The TV measures just 10mm at the top and sides, and even at the bottom it’s only 16mm wide. The panel maxes out at 55mm deep, but that’s only at the bottom. Most of it is 35mm deep.

The integrated sound bar meanwhile – which is placed at around 35 mm at the bottom – whirs to life when you switch on the TV. The speaker has four small forwards firing drivers and offers 50W of total output. There is also a rear-mounted woofer on the body of the TV. If you switch the sound to external speakers then it whirs back up into the TV.

The integrated speakers produce significantly louder and better quality audio than almost any other TV speakers we’ve seen, and it will work even if you choose to mount the device on a wall. On the top of the TV is a pop-up camera for motion sensing features and for supplying video to built-in apps such as Skype.

The camera does not pop-up automatically and hence, you have to pull it up manually when you want to use it. It worked fine with LG’s built-in Skype app during our testing. At the back of the LG 65LA9700, you will find all the TV’s connections. The TV has three HDMI ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and a single USB 3.0 port, which are all located on the side panel and are easy to access.

LG 65LA9700 65-inch LED Ultra HDTV - reote

The rest of the ports, including an Ethernet connection, VGA, composite and component video, antenna and optical digital audio outputs, are downward facing. Both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 flash drives worked without any issues and played a variety of video files. All in all, the LG 65LA9700 is indeed a beautiful piece of technology.

Setting up the 65LA7900 at your home can be a task, mainly because it is a 65-inch UHDTV and hence because of the size, you might need help from a friend to lift it up and secure it in place. You can either get the TV mounted on the wall or placed it on its stand. The stand uses four small security screws, and the slotted locking mechanism at the back makes for an extremely secure fit.

In the box, along with the TV comes very neatly packed accessories, which include four pairs of LG’s passive 3D glasses, the latest version of LG’s Magic Motion remote, batteries for the remote and some breakout cables for legacy connections.

Glasses

A main feature of the 65LA9700 series is its Nano Full-LED technology, incorporating a thin film imprinted with LEDs. It allows the 65LA9700 to support 144 local-dimming segments to deliver a higher contrast, while maintaining a slim side profile. Film judder and motion blur is also minimized through a 1,000Hz Motion Clear Index technology, which is based on a fast native 100Hz refresh rate. The 65LA9700 uses an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel that offers a wide-viewing angle.

LG’s smart TV interface also seems to have undergone some cosmetic tweaks this year. Since the TV uses passive 3D technology, you can also expect bright and flicker-free 3D pictures. By using the special Dual-Play glasses which are bundled with the set, two gamers can each view a different full-screen image when playing split-screen games.

With Ultra HD content, the LG 65LA9700 displays vivid, detailed and crisp video quality. The images are sharp, bright and extremely vibrant. The image quality is outstanding, with super deep black levels and eye-popping colours a particular highlight. Detail displayed on the LG 65LA9700 is among the best we’ve seen on a widely available television.

There is a desperate need for more 4K content, now that the market dynamics seem to be moving in that direction. There are a few Ultra HD clips on YouTube, but the large file sizes make them tough to easily access unless your internet is up to the task.

LG 65LA9700 65-inch LED Ultra HDTV - DLNA

The LG 65LA9700 however comes with the capability of up-scaling non Ultra HD content in order to simulate the 4K effect. While this may not be a replacement for true Ultra HD content, watching a Blu-ray movie or a HD television channel on eLife, through the 65LA9700 offers better image quality than most full HD TVs.

If you don’t mind the lack of native 4K content, the LG 65LA9700 is a brilliant all-rounder for Ultra HDTV. The 65LA9700 was more than capable of producing good visuals and rich sound in addition to offering the latest smart TV functions. This one is an impressive TV overall, and hence it wins Review Central’s Editors’ Choice award.

Price: $7,500 approx.

Specifications:
Screen size: 65-inch
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Native resolution (X): 3840
Native resolution (Y): 2160
Max. resolution: 4K
Features: 3D, Internet Connected, 1080p, Media Streaming, 720p, Smartphone support, 4K
Technology: LED
3D enabled: Yes, Passive
Web browser: Yes
App store: Yes
Voice activated controls: Yes
Speakers: 7
Subwoofer: 1
Audio output power: 50 watts
DLNA: Yes
Inputs: 1 Coaxial RF input, 1 Composite video input, 1 Component video input, 4 HDMI inputs, 1 VGA (D-sub) input
Remote Type: LG Magic Remote

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