I’ve spent way too many hours staring at screens. Honestly, it’s a bit of a problem. From old-school CRTs that hummed to those early, washed-out LCDs, I’ve seen the evolution of home cinema firsthand. But something changed when the 65 OLED LG TV became a household staple. It wasn't just a bump in resolution. It was the moment pixels finally learned how to die. That sounds dark, but in the world of organic light-emitting diodes, death is life. When a pixel turns completely off, you get a black that is actually black, not some muddy charcoal gray that ruins a moody scene in The Batman.
Most people walk into a Best Buy or scroll through Amazon and see a wall of specs. They see 4K, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and 120Hz. It’s overwhelming. But here’s the thing: after testing dozens of these panels, from the budget-friendly B series to the gallery-style G series, I’ve realized that LG basically owns this space for a reason. They manufacture the panels for almost everyone else anyway.
The Infinite Contrast Myth That Isn't Actually a Myth
You’ll hear marketers shout about "infinite contrast" until they’re blue in the face. It sounds like hyperbole. It isn't. Because each pixel in a 65 OLED LG TV is self-lit, it can shut down entirely. Compare that to a standard LED-LCD. Even the best mini-LED sets have "blooming." That’s that annoying white halo you see around subtitles or a lonely star in a space movie. It’s distracting. It breaks the immersion.
LG’s C4 and G4 models, the heavy hitters of the 2024-2025 lineup, have pushed this even further with something called Brightness Booster Max. Historically, the big knock against OLED was that it couldn't get bright enough for a sun-drenched living room. If you had a massive window right across from your couch, you were in trouble. Reflection city.
LG fixed that. Sorta.
The G4 uses Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology. Imagine billions of tiny convex lenses layered over the pixels to redirect light that usually gets lost inside the panel. It’s a literal magnifying glass for your TV. It makes the highlights pop so hard you might actually squint when a flashlight shines on screen. But—and this is a big but—if you’re buying the B4 or even the standard C4, you’re not getting that same level of searing brightness. You're getting a great picture, sure, but you need to know what you’re paying for.
Why 65 Inches Is the Sweet Spot
Size matters. But bigger isn't always better if your room can’t handle it.
🔗 Read more: The MOAB Explained: What Most People Get Wrong About the Mother of All Bombs
The 65-inch frame is basically the "Goldilocks" zone of home theater. At about 5.5 feet wide, it fills your field of view without requiring you to sit ten feet back. If you’re in a standard suburban living room or a decent-sized apartment, 55 feels a bit small after a week, and 77 starts to feel like you’re sitting in the front row of an IMAX theater—neck cramp included.
Plus, the 65 OLED LG TV is usually where the price-to-performance ratio peaks. You often see the steepest discounts on this specific size during Black Friday or the Super Bowl sales. It’s the high-volume model.
Gaming Is Where LG Actually Wins
I’m a gamer. If a TV has input lag, I notice. If it doesn't support VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), I’m out. LG realized early on that gamers are a loyal, high-spending bunch. While some competitors were still struggling to put more than two HDMI 2.1 ports on their flagships, LG was slapping four of them on almost every OLED they made.
What does that actually mean for you?
It means you can plug in a PS5, an Xbox Series X, a high-end gaming PC, and a soundbar without ever having to swap cables.
The "Game Optimizer" menu is also genuinely useful. It’s a dashboard that pops up and tells you exactly what’s happening with your frame rate. It lets you tweak black stabilizer settings so you can actually see that camper hiding in the shadows of a Call of Duty map. It’s an edge. Is it "cheating"? Maybe a little. But your eyes will thank you.
The Burn-in Boogeyman
Let's address the elephant in the room. Burn-in.
💡 You might also like: What Was Invented By Benjamin Franklin: The Truth About His Weirdest Gadgets
People are terrified of it. They imagine a permanent ghost of the CNN ticker or a HUD from Elden Ring etched into their $2,000 screen forever. Ten years ago? Valid fear. Today? It’s mostly a ghost story. LG has implemented so many fail-safes—Pixel Cleaning, Screen Move, and Logo Brightness Adjustment—that you really have to try hard to ruin a modern panel.
Unless you are running a sports bar and leaving the same news channel on for 18 hours a day at 100% brightness, you’re fine. Normal varied use—movies, some games, a little Netflix—won't cause issues for a long, long time. LG even offers a five-year limited panel warranty on their G-series models because they’re that confident.
The webOS Dilemma
I’ll be honest: I don't love webOS.
It’s fine. It works. But it’s gotten a bit "busy" lately. Every time you hit the home button, you’re greeted with a barrage of ads for shows you don't want to watch and apps you’ll never download. The "Magic Remote" with the on-screen cursor is a love-it-or-hate-it affair. Some people find it intuitive to point and click like a Nintendo Wii remote. I find it a bit twitchy when I’m just trying to select "Next Episode."
However, the 2024 update brought "webOS Re:New," which promises four years of OS updates. This is huge. Usually, smart TVs are abandoned by the manufacturer the second the new model comes out. Knowing your 65 OLED LG TV will actually get new features in 2027 is a rare bit of consumer-friendly engineering in a world of planned obsolescence.
Sound Quality: Don't Trust the Box
Thin TVs sound thin. It’s physics.
📖 Related: When were iPhones invented and why the answer is actually complicated
LG talks a big game about their AI Sound Pro and virtual 9.1.2 upmixing. Don't believe it. While the speakers are "fine" for watching the news or a sitcom, they lack any real low-end punch. If you’re buying a TV of this caliber, you are doing yourself a massive disservice if you don't budget for at least a decent 3.1 soundbar. Ideally, something with eARC support so it syncs perfectly with the TV remote.
Real-World Comparison: C4 vs. G4
If you’re standing in a store looking at these two, here is the "too long; didn't read" version of the debate:
- The LG C4: The "Everyman" OLED. It has the 144Hz refresh rate (great for PC gamers), the perfect blacks, and the sleek design. It sits on a stand. It’s the one most people should buy.
- The LG G4: The "Gallery" series. It’s designed to be wall-mounted flush against the drywall. It looks like a piece of art. It’s significantly brighter thanks to that MLA tech I mentioned earlier. It’s expensive.
Is the G4 worth the $600–$1,000 premium? If you have a bright room, yes. If you’re a home theater purist who watches in a blackout basement, the C4 gets you 90% of the way there for much less cash.
Making the Most of Your Setup
Buying the TV is only half the battle. Out of the box, most TVs come in "Vivid" mode. It’s horrific. It makes everyone look like they have a sunburn and turns the grass into a neon radioactive wasteland.
- Switch to Filmmaker Mode: This is the most accurate setting. It disables all that "motion smoothing" soap opera effect garbage. It shows the movie exactly how the director intended.
- Check Your Cables: If you’re using an old HDMI cable from 2015, you won’t get 4K at 120Hz. You need "Ultra High Speed" 48Gbps cables. They’re cheap, but they’re necessary.
- Room Lighting: OLEDs hate direct reflections. If you can, position the TV so it’s not facing a window. If you can’t, consider some blackout curtains. Even the G4’s high brightness struggles against direct 2:00 PM sunlight hitting the glass.
The 65 OLED LG TV remains the benchmark. Others like Sony and Samsung have entered the fray with QD-OLED, which offers slightly more vibrant colors, but LG’s processing and gaming features keep them at the top of the mountain for most people. It’s a mature technology. It’s reliable. And frankly, once you’ve seen a night sky on an OLED, you can never go back to a standard TV. Everything else just looks broken.
Actionable Next Steps for Buyers
- Measure your viewing distance: Ensure you are sitting between 6 and 9 feet away to get the full benefit of the 4K resolution on a 65-inch screen.
- Audit your lighting: If your room has floor-to-ceiling windows that you can’t cover, look specifically at the LG G4 or consider a high-end Mini-LED like the Sony Bravia 9 instead.
- Check for "Open Box" deals: Because LG refreshes these models annually, you can often find the previous year's "C" series (like the C3) for a massive discount at retailers like Best Buy. The year-over-year changes are often minimal.
- Test the "Magic Remote" in-store: Before committing, spend five minutes navigating the menus at a retail display to see if you actually like the cursor-based interface.