Let's be real for a second. If you’re looking at an LG OLED C7P 65, you aren’t looking for the latest AI-upscaling, micro-lens array, 3000-nit monster that costs as much as a used Honda Civic. You’re looking for that legendary OLED contrast without the "new car" price tag. But here is the thing: the C7P is a bit of a time capsule from 2017.
Back then, this TV was the king. Honestly, it changed how we looked at home cinema. Before the C7 series, OLED was this "rich person's toy" that had weird motion issues and wasn't quite bright enough for a sunny living room. The C7P changed the math. It brought the Alpha 7 processor into the mix and gave us a design that was basically just a sheet of glass. It was stunning.
Still, a lot of people get the legacy of this set wrong. They either think it’s obsolete junk or they overvalue it because "it’s an OLED." The truth is somewhere in the middle, and if you're buying one used today, there are some massive "gotchas" you need to know about.
The Burn-In Elephant in the Room
You can't talk about the LG OLED C7P 65 without talking about burn-in. It is the literal ghost in the machine.
Modern OLEDs (like the C3 or G4) have all these fancy pixel-cleaning cycles and logo-dimming algorithms that make burn-in almost a non-issue for normal users. The 2017 models? Not so much. The C7P used a specific sub-pixel structure that was particularly vulnerable to red-channel degradation. If the previous owner watched CNN for eight hours a day, that "Breaking News" ticker is now a permanent part of the screen.
I’ve seen dozens of these units on the secondary market. Some look pristine. Others have a giant yellow blob in the middle where people’s faces usually appear in close-ups.
When you check out a used C7P, you have to run a "color slide" test. Go to YouTube, search for "red screen 100%," and see if the color is uniform. If you see a dark shadow or a different shade of red in the center, walk away. No amount of "pixel refreshing" is going to fix a panel that has already lost its structural integrity. It's basically a hardware sunburn.
Why the Picture Quality Still Holds Up (Mostly)
Here’s the thing that surprises people. When you feed a clean 4K HDR signal into an LG OLED C7P 65, it still looks better than 90% of the brand-new LED TVs you’ll find at a big-box store for $500.
Perfect blacks are perfect blacks.
Because each pixel is its own light source, you get that "inky" look that makes space movies like Gravity or Interstellar look absolutely haunting. There is zero blooming. None. You know that annoying white glow around subtitles on a normal TV? It doesn't exist here.
The C7P supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. It was actually one of the first sets to really nail the Dolby Vision implementation through the internal apps. Even by today's standards, the color accuracy is pretty high if you put it in "Technicolor Expert Mode" or "ISF Expert."
But—and this is a big but—it’s dim.
Compared to a modern OLED, the C7P struggles with "specular highlights." That’s the fancy way of saying the bright spots (like a flashlight or the sun reflecting off a car) don't pop as much as they do on newer sets. It hits maybe 600-700 nits in a small window. It’s plenty for a dark room. In a bright living room with three windows? You're gonna be staring at your own reflection more than the movie.
Gaming on a 2017 Legend
If you’re a gamer, the LG OLED C7P 65 is a bit of a mixed bag. It’s a transition-era device.
On one hand, the input lag is actually decent. It sits around 21ms in Game Mode, which is fast enough for most people playing Call of Duty or Elden Ring. On the other hand, you are missing the "Holy Trinity" of modern gaming features:
- HDMI 2.1: The C7P is limited to HDMI 2.0. This means no 4K at 120Hz. You are capped at 4K/60Hz.
- VRR (Variable Refresh Rate): There’s no G-Sync or FreeSync support here. If your frame rate drops, you might see some screen tearing.
- ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode): You have to manually switch to Game Mode every single time. It’s a minor annoyance, but it feels "old."
If you’re a Nintendo Switch player or you use a PS5 but don't care about "pro" settings, it’s fine. But if you’re trying to push a high-end PC rig, the C7P is going to be your bottleneck.
The WebOS Fatigue
Let's talk about the software. LG’s WebOS is generally great, but the version on the C7P is starting to show its age. The processor inside—the Alpha 7—was snappy in 2017. In 2026? It’s feeling the weight of modern apps.
Netflix and YouTube still run okay, but the UI can be stuttery. Sometimes it takes five seconds just to pull up the settings menu.
Also, LG is notorious for not updating the OS version on older sets. You’re stuck on an older version of WebOS. My advice? Don't even use the internal smart features. Plug in a 4K Apple TV or a Chromecast with Google TV. It offloads all the heavy lifting to a modern chip and makes the TV feel ten years younger.
Interestingly, the C7P actually has a better build quality in some ways than the newer "budget" OLEDs. The stand is heavy, metallic, and feels premium. The "Blade Slim" design is still thinner than most smartphones. It doesn't look like an old TV. It looks like a piece of art that just happens to be a few years old.
Sound Quality: The Hidden Win
Most people don't realize this, but the C7P actually had a decent sound system for a flat-screen. It supports Dolby Atmos (via bitstream) and has a 2.2 channel speaker setup with 40W of power.
Don't get me wrong, it's not a soundbar replacement. But compared to the tinny, downward-firing speakers on a modern mid-range TV, the C7P has some actual "body" to its audio. The downward-firing drivers use the stand to bounce sound forward. It’s a clever bit of engineering that most manufacturers have abandoned in the race to make TVs as cheap as possible.
The Practical Verdict for 2026
Buying or keeping an LG OLED C7P 65 today is a gamble on the panel's lifespan.
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If you find one for $300-$400 and the screen is clean? Buy it. It will destroy any new $400 LED TV in terms of contrast and movie-watching "vibe." It’s the perfect bedroom TV or a secondary set for a dark basement.
But if someone is asking $800? No way. You can get a brand new OLED on sale for just a bit more, and you’ll get a warranty, HDMI 2.1, and a much brighter screen.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check the hours: Go into the settings (General -> About This TV -> TV Information) and check the total power-on time. If it's over 15,000 hours, that panel is nearing its sunset years.
- Run the "Gray Test": Search for a "5% Gray Scale" video on YouTube. In a dark room, the screen should look like a uniform gray sheet. If you see vertical streaks (banding) or dark patches, the panel is aging poorly.
- Update the Firmware: If you already own one, make sure you're on the latest firmware. LG released several updates that specifically improved the "ABL" (Automatic Brightness Limiter) to prevent the screen from dimming too aggressively during bright scenes.
- Disable "Eco Mode": Out of the box, these sets try to save power by dimming the screen. Turn it off. Let the OLED pixels breathe.
- External Streaming: Seriously, buy a 4K streaming stick. Using the 2017-era onboard apps is a recipe for frustration.
The C7P was a milestone. It was the moment OLED became a viable reality for the "regular" high-end consumer. It’s not the king anymore, but with a little care, it’s still a hell of a screen.