LG Electronics 65SJ8500 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model)

ABOVE THE FOLD REVIEW: WOW - I wish I could use a larger font in my review but WOW!!!!!!!! If you are reading this review - just go ahead and buy one NOW… Every manufacturer dreams of having products whose allure go beyond features and benefits, and through physical & functional design, and quality, makes people love the product. This emotional connection creates brand loyalty, and free advertising as people freely recommend the brand or the specific product. This product fosters the magical bond of an emotional connection with the consumer.MEDIUM SIZED REVIEWIncredible TV - stunning picture quality and astonishing sound quality (thanks Harman Kardon) This does 4k flawlessly (as it should), but also does a delicious job with upscaling (upconverting) HD (1,920x1,080 pixels) to 4K (3,840x2,160 pixels). Basically, it has to stretch the smaller image to fit the bigger screen, and in the process, it is inventing data to between the existing pixels. What has to happen is well known, but different manufacturers have different ways of accomplishing this with different results.Ok - the picture is bonkers beautiful - and the TV has various picture settings allowing you to adjust to better suit the your viewing environment or time of day preferences.There are two sets of pictures included - one is pictures of the product, & the other is pictures I took of the screen with my phone during playback.In addition to amazing visuals - the TV sound is truly TRULY amazing - I have been around TVs and Home Theater a lot and the reality has always been that in the last 10 or so years, as the screens have become larger and higher quality, there was always a complete experiential disconnect when using the speakers in the TV when watching a movie etc - There is little use having an amazing picture with (usually) less than impressive sound.Until now, regardless of any marketing claims of “Surround Sound” or “Spatial Effects”, or “Deep Bass” etc, I always ALWAYS expect that I will never use the TV speakers and simply connect everything up to my surround sound setup.I know I am not every customer and can only speak to my requirements and expectations. Plenty of people just want a large screen TV and are not seeking a fully immersive audio experience (think action movie with explosions etc) and get the TV for watching the news, sports, soaps etc. - none of which really require surround sound. I am very very impressed with the quality of the sound which includes various modes to match the type of content you are watching, and even includes a graphic equalizer to give you more custom control over the sound. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the audio modes when you use the TV first. If watching a movie, without the sound set to movie mode, the vocals can be a tad lost.Ok - great sound, great picture - that’s the main things a TV should do, but then we have the WEBOS operating system which allows you to navigate the connected apps and the settings for the TV. It is super fast compared to other TV settings screens, and it doesn’t take over the entire screen.Lastly, for the medium sized review Ill touch on the remote - nice shape, has a scroll wheel, voice input button to speak to the tv for commands like Mute etc, and the remote functions as gesture device (think WII remote) - just move the remote about and a pointer appears on the screen allowing you to interact with the TV options like settings or when using the apps like Netflix and Amazon etc.Seriously, the TV is brilliant - Really brilliant - I do not foresee anyone being disappointed with this purchaseDISCLOSURE - My son moved out and took the Playstation with him so I cannot test Blue Ray. When I test it in 2 days time, if it less than stellar I will update, until then assume it is just as incredible.LONGER REVIEW: ( AND BE WARNED I MEAN LONGER - If you DON’T like long reviews stop now and just go with the review above :) But hey, you are considering a $1,999 TV, not a new flavor of coffee, so I wanted to do it justice..BACKGROUNDFirst, some background on me so you have some understanding on my mindset, and to give you some idea as to the weight behind my comments for this review. A long time ago, I was a sound engineer for 8 years, followed by a 20 year career in IT, and have been a photographer for the last 9 years. Based on my past and current career fields, sound, technology, and visuals are all very important to me, and I have had at least five home theater setups over the last 20 years. I have a disease in that once I have been exposed to excellence I can never backtrack and be content with something less, so if I say something nice, I’m not being nice, that comment was earned by the brand and or the product.When I was born, my dad worked for a television manufacturer in Dublin called Bush. When I was 13, I got my first summer job working in a TV repair shop replacing components and circuit boards. I wanted to study electronics to pursue a career in electronics but the math was too hard :) Growing up, Sony was the Apple of consumer electronics - but they were not positioned at the price conscious shopper. I now firmly believe LG is the Sony for this generation.Lastly, I have reviewed 370 products across a wide range of categories including many in the electronics arena. This is the BEST product I have ever reviewed. It is the best quality, best design everything…. This isn’t just how TV should be, this is how products should be. You cannot fake a dedication to excellence.CURRENT TVsBefore getting this, LG ,I already had two other large TVs in the house - the https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XMUU5KU and the https://www.amazon.com/Sony-BRAVIA-KDL55EX720-55-Inch-1080p/dp/B004HYG9Y6/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491921472&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Sony+Bravia+46%22+KDL%2746EX720At the time of purchase (2011), the Sony was a $2,000 TV, and the Hisense (late 2015) was only a $349 TV so that any comparison is more of an apples to grapes standoff, but because the Hisense was a 4K TV I thought maybe it would replace the Sony in the livingroom as the main TV. Initially I was excited when I was streaming some youtube 4K content - the picture was amazing. However, for all other non-4K content the Hisense lost its lustre, and has now become relegated to my office to become a 50 inch monitor for my computer (not as the main monitor - mostly for netflix etc) I won’t bring these two TVs up again because there’s no comparison, just letting you know what I had before the LG.MY LG AWARENESSI have heard of LG, but I had never owned any LG products prior to 3 weeks ago, when I took delivery of an incredible LG laptop, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MS79LGW . Based on that experience with the laptop, I was ready for nothing but the best regarding this LG TV. Before the TV arrived, I did a search on Amazon for LG TV, selected the category from 50-59inch, and all the results were either 4 or 4.5 stars, for many this was after hundreds of reviews.My excitement in tracking the shipment of the TV and then the anticipation of using the product was richly rewarded when it finally arrived.FIRST BEFORE WE GET TO THE NITTY GRITTY - Wahoooo - I got a 4K TV - now, what can I do with it?Lets revisit the Upscaling / Upconverting discussion for just a moment - this is REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT because right now there are not a lot of 4K video sources available.TV (Regular over the air (antenna)) is not broadcast in 4K (usually SD but increasingly HD depending on the market), and even though they are broadcasting HD, the content they are showing may not have been shot in HD.DVDs are only 480p (NTSC, 720×480 pixels) or 576p (PAL, 720×576 pixels).BLUE-RAY (standard) is3,840x2,160-pixel resolution as 4K TVs -- you may well be able to see additional detail. (4K TVs -- also known as Ultra HD sets -- are so named because that 3,840-pixel horizontal resolution is almost 4,000 pixels wide. 4K TV is easier to say than 3.84K TV.)Also, this passed my GOLD SEAL test - I got it completely setup without reading a word of the instructionsPRODUCT USE - SETUPBefore I really do a deep dive - I just want to say that one simple thing I saw before I got this TV setup and switched on for the first time which led me to believe I was in for a treat - the Power Cable (picture attached) - Love the attention to detail and non traditional design.The TV is a bit heavy, and physically large for one person to remove from the box and setup. I did it, but, I’d advise waiting till someone can give you a hand because it could be quite difficult, and you don’t want to crack that screen. Once out of the box it only took another 3-5 minutes to have the base connected, and to have the TV operational. In total, I had the base secured and was in the setup menu about 12 minutes after the item arrived (can you tell I was eager ?)PRODUCT USE - SETUP -SETUP MENUThe TV uses WEBOS and there is plenty of guidance from the helpful Bean Bird as you work your way through setup.First it asks how you get your TV service and what your Zip code is. Next it asks for Language, Timezone, and Internet connection, (it automatically detected the cable when I plugged in the cat5 cable)Next is programming - I don’t have cable or satellite so I set it up to scan for Over The Air with my HD antenna - I never watch TV but this was just to see how long it takes etc. It found 31 channels - it will be interesting to see what they are :)My greatest anticipation prior to arrival of this product was the fact that it was a 4K TV and that it is an LG. Initially I was not so interested in all the connected features like Netflix, etc., since I already have many options to provide that functionality including the PS3, connected DVD player, Alienware Alpha etc. but now I much prefer the built-in Netflix apps etc on the LG, because they know to offer 4K content, which does not appear to be the case when using netflix in a browser streaming from the Alienware.PRODUCT USE - VISUALSPRODUCT USE - INPUT - Regular TV - Last time (a few years back) I tried my trusty DH antenna my Sony found 14 stations. The LG just found 31 stations On over the air channels that broadcast in HD WOW! Broadcasts not in HD are not so great (as is to be expected on a 4k screen). In that respect, I won’t be using over the air channels unless the internet goes out.PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMINow, I move on to finding some random 4K videos to watch on Youtube in Google Chrome playing via HDMI from my https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MA7AFDI Internet performance is not an factor as I have 419Mbps download.PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Youtube in a Google Chrome - “4K Hawaii Drone Footage”“Tornado in 4K UHD” - There is visible noise in the shadows - most likely the poor dynamic range of the camera it was shot on - oddly enough it doesn’t mention the camera in the more details on youtube so it probably wasn’t expensive.“4K California Drone Footage” - Shot on a DJI Phantom 4 drone - In some scenes where the is a lag and then it jumps forward like when the drone flying over the road looking down on the palm trees - less obvious on the following shot lowOver the coast and not at all looking at the deloitte building in downtown LAPRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Youtube in Google Chrome - “Manhattan New York City - NY United States - A Travel Tour - 4K UHD”WOW - nothing but delicious footage showing perfectly - I never checked, but clearly they had a great camera.PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Youtube in Google Chrome - “Costa Rica in 4k 60fps (ultra HD) w/ Freefly Movi”WOW x 3000PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Youtube in Google Chrome - “4k timescapes: The Movie (full) Ultra HD 60fps”Weird Issues looking at the turbine blades in the center of the screen - likely a camera Frames Per Second issue.PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Netflix in Google Chrome. It didn’t say anywhere that any of the content in Netflix was 4K, so I have to assume it was not.PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Netflix in Google Chrome - “Moving Art”Nice when scene is bright but less than 4k in appearance in shadows - not the TV.What we see in this test depends on the scene, & camera setting etc because the same camera settings are not used across every scene shot.PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Netflix in Google Chrome - “Rosewood”Opening scene running on the beach in the early morning it is nice and sharp but not too sharp. The second scene the lead is talking to a detective definitely seeing the benefits of this being a stunning display. The scene itself is actually overlit (not too bright just an unnatural look because of too many light sources) but again this is not the TV. There is a slight bit of evidence in viewing HD upscaled to 4k and a barely noticeable degree of ghosting - the image is so good (not hyper real- still good quality) that forgiveness abounds…PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Netflix in Google Chrome - “Sandy Wexler”Opening scene there are people talking at a wedding reception - nice and clear but not oversharp. The second scene in the street is better lit than the street scene in Rosewood & again a clean upscaling from the HD content again, excellent results.PRODUCT USE - INPUT - HDMI FROM Alienware - Netflix in Google Chrome - “IRON FIST”Opening scene man walking along in the street and other NYC street scenes - looking good - man moves indoors - nice and clean - again great results with only minimal ghosting from upscaling - Sadly the amazing TV doesn’t improve the bad acting….PRODUCT USE - INPUT - BUILT IN Netflix appNow I am presented with 4k options that I couldn’t see using the browser on the Alienware via an HDMI cable. So easy navigate around and the picture quality is astonishing….PRODUCT USE - INPUT - BUILT IN Netflix app - “IRON FIST” - There is a tiny bit of noise in bright areas - kinda looks like film grain so not terribly distracting, After watching the first few scenes of Sense8 I see this is an effect unique to IRON FIST - so not the TVPRODUCT USE - INPUT - BUILT IN Netflix app - “SENSE 8” WOW - BEST STREAMING 4kUHD I have ever seen - TV as it should be…..PRODUCT USE - INPUT - BUILT IN Netflix app - “The Durrels in Corfu” Gorgeous results - possibly the highest quality non 4K content so far on this screen - such a joy to watch on this TV :)PRODUCT USE - INPUT - BLUE-RAY PLAYERMy son moved out and I just realized he took his Sony Play Station with him so today I cannot test Blue Ray on the TV but I will update in 2 days if it is less than stellar :)PRODUCT USE - AUDIOAMAZING - deep bass - FOR A TV… then you switch the surround mode on…. Wow x2 - I have in 20 years of owning many different home theater setups never come across a TV that had a surround mode that was worth anything until now. They will never ever replace a real surround system, but this has just set the bar for others to compete against. For those who don’t want the extra expense or visuals of a home theatre setup, this will do you proud when watching a movie.PRODUCT FEATURESPRODUCT FEATURES - HDMI PICTURE MODE SETTINGS‘Vivid’ is 20% increase in brightness over ‘Standard’.‘APS’ Auto power Save appears to be the same as ‘Standard’ - probably just consumes less power.‘Cinema’ is a minor drop in brightness from ‘APS’ but significant desaturation and an overlay that looks like color grading.‘Sports’ is significant boost in brightness and saturation from ‘Cinema’, with the most noticeable boost in blues.‘Game’ looks like going back to ‘Cinema’ (without the color grading overlay) with a drop in brightness and contrast resulting in more detail in the shadows. Definitely a win for gaming exposing the baddies hiding in the dark corners.‘HDR’ mode has 3 settings - light medium and strong which all appear to be different levels of contrast to reveal details in the shadows - Also - light mode results in a slight green tint to the picture - only noticeable if you are being as rigorous as I am in my testing.Personally as a professional photographer - I STRONGLY dislike the HDR style of imagery so I was ready to not like this, but thankfully it is nothing like HDR photography. and it is nice to have that extra level of control.‘Expert (Bright Room)’ and ‘Expert (Dark Room)’ Both settings just show minor adjustments in brightness.PRODUCT FEATURES - BUILT- IN NETFLIX APPPRODUCT FEATURES - BUILT- IN NETFLIX APP - PICTURE MODE SETTINGSWhen using the built-in Netflix app, I see the picture modes are reduced to Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Cinema homePROSMad delicious soundMad delicious screenDoes 4k FlawlesslyGoes amazing job upscaling HD to UHD/4KVoice commands on the remote - only active when you press the button - not listening all the timeMouse gesture with the remote to select menu options - WOW - love thisRemote does not need line of sight for buttons or the gesture featureWEBOS is just gorgeous to use and fast like a computer - gone are the days of car factory GPS style interfacesSetup menu offers and image and some sound generated by the TV to determine if the problems you might be experiencing are in the TV or the AV sourceSound tuning to assess the dynamics of sound in your room and adjust the setting automaticallyLG content store - Platform agnostic view of all available movie choices letting you know which service they are available through by displaying an icon for each platform so you will know if you can watch it if you are a subscriber4 HDMI in - 3 USB (includes 1 USB 3,0)Optical out to go to your Surround SoundEthernet socketBuilt-in WiFi connectivityRegular OTA antenna connectionCable arrangement hook on the back of the stand to tidy your input and power cablesEven the white back of the TV is gorgeous - shame it’s never seenThis thing just frikin rocksCONS:Boy it sure is silent in here right about now…..The only thing and its not even a con, just a preference - I would prefer to see some physical button method to activate and deactivate the gesture pointer. I don’t want the pointer appearing when I pick up the remote to adjust the volume. Additionally from time to time it takes a bit of a jiggle to get it to wake up the gesture feature so an on/off slider / button would be nice.SUMMARY:In case you didn’t pick up on this already - I am very much in love with this product. My phrase that captures everything for this product is “TV as it should be”. I was thinking about maybe giving it to my son, but I guess I just don’t love him as much as I thought I did ;)

Let's start by saying I jumped onto the 4k bandwagon early, and as it would turn out, too early. A few years back I bought an LG 55ub8500 4k tv, I was trying to future proof my TV purchase. Turns out when I was looking to buy a 4k bluray player recently, that TV wasn't capable of playing properly (10 bit hdmi port didn't have the newest copyright standards). So after doing tons of research and comparing tvs, I settled on this one. This TV is beautiful! It has Dolby Vision, which ultimately helped my decision to pick the 65sj8500. The 4k player hooked up no problem and Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2 looked absolutely gorgeous. There were a lot of settings on the TV that I have changed repeatedly trying to get what I thought is the best picture. About the only downside to the picture on this TV is the dark scenes. I watched a movie that had a flashlight lit up in one scene and I watched the LED lights on the top and bottom of the screen (including the entire rows of pixels inbetween) go from right to left ligthing up the whole black area along the way, turning the black to gray and really making it stand out. It stood out so bad when the rest of the screen was black. I have some what gotten the TV to look better on dark scenes, but it still isn't perfect and I'd even say my old 4k TV does a better job with the dark scenes. With that aside, the remote is so much better than the old TV. I hated the old magic remote because it lacked very many buttons. That's not a problem with the new remote, almost everything is right there so you don't have to search. The sound on this TV is very good, including 2 subwoofers. I have my TV hooked up through an AVR, but I don't always use it. At one point I forgot to put the sound back to my receiver and started watching Metallica's Through The Never concert, the TV was so loud and I could feel the bass coming from it, that impressed me! My last issue with the TV is the stand, but that stand also had major role in picking this TV. My entertainment center is 52 inches long and my old 55 inch TV with the stand, took up almost every inch of that. So I knew buying a new TV that was bigger, I'd need a different stand style. This new TV stand fits onto the entertainment center no problem, the TV does feel a little wobbly though, and that worried me, it hasn't caused any issues though. My bottom line, I'm very happy with the TV and it does what I need it to do. It will get me by until OLED drops in price and becomes the standard or something new comes along in the next 5+ years.Edit 11/10/17After messing with the TV settings a lot, multiple times. I switched the display mode to Cinema home and decided to turn on the energy saving mode that adjusts the backlight automatically. Doing that has helped a lot with dark scene viewing in my dark basement. It's virtually eliminated light bleeding and flashlighting on dark scenes. I also turned off Local LED dimming because it seemed to distract me more than anything and also caused loss of dark scene detail.

good quality , best price

great tv