Televisions

Motion handling is a tad less impressive, and interpolation can be an issue. When we first meet Jo Jo in Taika Waititi's Jo Jo Rabbit (4K Blu-ray), and Hitler passes across the screen, you'll see clear motion artefacts around him if you're watching in LG's Natural, Smooth or Cinema Clear modes. Things improve dramatically in User mode, with Dejudder at 0 and Deblur at 10. Alternatively, turn True Motion off when watching movies, and avoid the darker, flickery OLED Motion Pro mode.

Master Of The Dark Arts
Considering its slight lack of overall brightness, the OLED55BX is best viewed in a low-lit environment as this gives perceived contrast a leg up. That said, the TV's Standard and Eco modes are the most versatile and don't require you to dim all the lights to appreciate contrast and subtle gradations.

More importantly, to help improve performance in rooms with ambient light, there's Dolby Vision IQ functionality, which utilizes the set's environmental sensor to assess room brightness, and optimises accordingly. To take advantage of this you'll need to select the Dolby Vision Cinema Home preset, as this engages the TV's AI Brightness Control function. In use it's highly effective, helping to retain the integrity of Dolby Vision grading. The warmth of the Californian beach scenes in Dead to Me (Netflix) remains enticing and golden, while bleak zombie drama Black Summer (also Netflix), with its colour-denuded palette and extreme detail, remains grimly realistic regardless the viewing environment.

The OLED55BX's audio is functional at best. There's a claimed 40W of amplification onboard, powering a 2.2 driver arrangement. In many ways, this downward-firing stereo system is comparable to what we've heard on LG's CX models. The good news is there's an option to passthrough Dolby Atmos to a waiting soundbar or home cinema system, so better sound can be unlocked from onboard apps like Netflix and Prime Video.

While the TV's processor is a lower-spec version of that of its siblings, the general AI implementation is the same as the rest of the LG family, with AI Sound and AI Picture modes available to aid performance. There's also an AI smart content option that makes recommendations based on your viewing history and app usage, and support for digital assistants should you want to talk to Google Assistant or Alexa. For Apple fans, there's also AirPlay 2 and Homekit integration.

Class Act
LG's OLED55BX proves we've come a long way since OLED TVs were priced only to appeal to the AV glitterati, and still manages to feel like a premium product. The aesthetic is charming, the smart quotient is high and unlike rival OLED models from Philips, Sony and Panasonic, it's able to handle the 4K/120 HFR output of both next-gen consoles – and has welcome hardware support for PC users. More pertinently, it's an outstanding choice for cinematic content. It's beautiful with Blu-ray and looks sublime with 4K streams.

There are caveats, of course. Motion handling can be a challenge for the set, you'll need additional hardware for catch-up TV, and its sonic performance isn't a match for many competitors. You'll also want to dim the lights for movie night to really revel in the nuance of its images. Even so, the BX is a class act in any light.

HCC Verdict

LG OLED55BX

Price: £1,000
www.lg.com/uk

We say: This budget OLED makes few compromises when it comes to picture performance, meaning it's a brilliant choice for film fans on tighter budgets.

Overall: 4.5/5

Specifications

4K: Yes. 3,840 x 2,160 HDR: Yes. HDR10; HLG; Dolby Vision TUNER: Yes. Freeview HD; satellite HD CONNECTIONS: 4 x HDMI inputs; 3 x USB; Ethernet; optical digital audio output; headphone out 4K/120 PLAYBACK: Yes SOUND (CLAIMED): 2.2-channel, 40W output BRIGHTNESS (CLAIMED): N/A CONTRAST RATIO (CLAIMED): N/A DIMENSIONS (OFF STAND): 1,228(w) x 706(h) x 47(d)mm WEIGHT (OFF STAND): 18.9kg

FEATURES: Built-in Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; Gen 3 Alpha 7 processing engine with AI Picture; WebOS with ThinQ AI; voice control; Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatible; Filmmaker Mode, Dolby Vision IQ; 2 x HDMI 2.1 inputs; Magic Remote; AI Sound; AI Acoustic tuning; Dolby Atmos