OLED - LG C1 vs Sony A80J - thoughts?

[dalekphalm]

I have an LG 50PA6500 50" 1080p Plasma TV that I bought years ago (something like 2012) - it was a kickass TV, and burn-in hadn't even really set in yet (a bit of image retention if you leave static elements on screen but it's temporary only). Anyway it finally died on me - I intend on trying to fix it and sell it if I can, but I decided it's time for a 4K HDR compliant TV.

 

I was originally looking at mid to high end QLED's like the Samsung Q70 or Q80, or Sony Bravia X series, but while looking at displays in person, my wife was with me and she kind of fell in love with the OLED's. I'm 100% okay with this revelation.

 

So we're looking at the LG C1 vs the Sony A80J. All the reviews basically say they're very similar (literally same panel inside), with the Sony being slightly brighter, and also better calibrated out-of-box. The Sony seems to be consistently more expensive. But the price difference is typically only $100 more for the Sony.

 

So, what are your thoughts about this situation? Is the Sony worth an extra $100, or not?

[circeseye]

i may be biased but i like lg's oled over sony,s

but check rtings reviews
lg c1

sony a80j
 

[dalekphalm]

9 minutes ago, circeseye said:

i may be biased but i like lg's oled over sony,s

but check rtings reviews
lg c1

sony a80j
 

Already did. Rtings is my first stop in all things TV related. 
 

Their review basically mirrors what I said above - the panels are the same, but the Sony gets a tiny bit brighter in most of the brightness tests, and has better out of the box calibration. 
 

It edges the LG out by tiny amounts in some categories, or they tie. 
 

$100 isn’t a lot extra in this price category, but on the other hand I don’t want to throw $100 away unnecessarily.

 

At this point I am edging towards the LG but haven’t made a decision yet. 

[tikker]

From what I've read Sony has better or perhaps the best motion processing. I don't really care for that, because I don't watch sports or similarly fast moving stuff, and the processing on my C9 is good enough for me. I also like webOS, so I'd say save yourself $100 and get the LG.

[Commodus]

I'd lean LG. You can always tweak calibration, and I prefer webOS as a TV interface (I have a C7, so I'm well-acquainted). OLED is my pick in most cases unless you're either particularly price-conscious or tend to watch primarily in bright daylight... and even then, OLED is getting brighter, regular LCDs still don't have OLED-level contrast.

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, Commodus said:

I'd lean LG. You can always tweak calibration, and I prefer webOS as a TV interface (I have a C7, so I'm well-acquainted). OLED is my pick in most cases unless you're either particularly price-conscious or tend to watch primarily in bright daylight... and even then, OLED is getting brighter, regular LCDs still don't have OLED-level contrast.

I believe the Sony is powered by Android TV - I've never used either.

 

Actually technically that's not true. Back when I worked retail, we trained pretty extensively on webOS back when it was in HP's hands and they were trying to launch their new tablets and smart OS - I imagine the interface has changed a bit since then, plus the differences in form factor with a TV and remote vs a tablet.

 

How long have you had the C7? What are your impressions so far?

[Commodus]

1 hour ago, dalekphalm said:

I believe the Sony is powered by Android TV - I've never used either.

 

Actually technically that's not true. Back when I worked retail, we trained pretty extensively on webOS back when it was in HP's hands and they were trying to launch their new tablets and smart OS - I imagine the interface has changed a bit since then, plus the differences in form factor with a TV and remote vs a tablet.

 

How long have you had the C7? What are your impressions so far?

Android TV is alright, but it's subject to the same delays and such you often see with Android on phones. Great if you live in a Google-centric household, of course.

 

WebOS under LG isn't like it was under HP or Palm. It now revolves around a ribbon of apps and features you access using a mouse-like remote. To me, it's largely what a TV interface should be: simple, obvious and unintrusive.

 

I've had the C7 since late 2017 (the same year it was released). It's been wonderful for the most part. The picture quality is still impressive to this day, I haven't suffered burn-in despite being a gamer, and LG is still providing updates (admittedly minor ones at this point). The design is also still quite eye-catching; some people can't believe the panel can be so thin.

 

The quirks? It's not as bright as I'd like it to be in direct sunlight, but I'm not sure if that problem still applies to newer models like the C1. The Apple TV app hasn't been available (that should change by the end of 2021) despite releases on 2018 and newer models. And while I haven't had burn-in, I am mindful of what I'm watching or playing — I try not to let the TV sit for hours on a feed with fixed-in-place graphics, for example.

[dalekphalm]

15 minutes ago, Commodus said:

Android TV is alright, but it's subject to the same delays and such you often see with Android on phones. Great if you live in a Google-centric household, of course.

I really don't think the Smart features are particularly relevant anyway - I have an XBO S connected to my TV and it will be the primary "smart" device being used anyway.

15 minutes ago, Commodus said:

WebOS under LG isn't like it was under HP or Palm. It now revolves around a ribbon of apps and features you access using a mouse-like remote. To me, it's largely what a TV interface should be: simple, obvious and unintrusive.

That's great to hear. Despite not using the Smart features often, the interface itself is still important.

15 minutes ago, Commodus said:

I've had the C7 since late 2017 (the same year it was released). It's been wonderful for the most part. The picture quality is still impressive to this day, I haven't suffered burn-in despite being a gamer, and LG is still providing updates (admittedly minor ones at this point). The design is also still quite eye-catching; some people can't believe the panel can be so thin.

Interesting - good to hear.

15 minutes ago, Commodus said:

The quirks? It's not as bright as I'd like it to be in direct sunlight, but I'm not sure if that problem still applies to newer models like the C1. The Apple TV app hasn't been available (that should change by the end of 2021) despite releases on 2018 and newer models. And while I haven't had burn-in, I am mindful of what I'm watching or playing — I try not to let the TV sit for hours on a feed with fixed-in-place graphics, for example.

Direct sunlight is still an issue on the C1 from what I can tell, just not as big of an issue as it used to be.

 

My current TV (well the one that died) is a Plasma, so I'm already used to being weary of how we use it, and not leaving it on excessively or unnecessarily.

[Curufinwe_wins]

5 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

I really don't think the Smart features are particularly relevant anyway - I have an XBO S connected to my TV and it will be the primary "smart" device being used anyway.

That's great to hear. Despite not using the Smart features often, the interface itself is still important.

Interesting - good to hear.

Direct sunlight is still an issue on the C1 from what I can tell, just not as big of an issue as it used to be.

 

My current TV (well the one that died) is a Plasma, so I'm already used to being weary of how we use it, and not leaving it on excessively or unnecessarily.

So I have an nvidia shield running on both my LG oleds. One 77" C1 and one 55 inch C8? I definitely can't recommend using the build in smart features (just the normal slow and limited format support crap, along with the TV's incessant need to update all the time meant I actually have both of them disconnected from the internet), but the screens themselves have been absolutely fantastic. I don't carefully pay attention to what I do, but I do a variety of stuff, including hundreds of hours of BOTW and DQ XI and other individual games on the 55 inch without any issues. I do leave them all in game mode all the time and have a daily shutdown default to 3am if I forget, so perhaps that is part of it? Not sure.

 

I have the 77" in a home theatre right now with extremely bright overhead lighting that I would not recommend doing (the lights get turned off when using the theatre so it isn't a big deal), and I expect super direct sunlight would likewise be a pain. I could take pictures of various lighting situations if you really care a great deal about that.

 

The 55" is sitting in my living room and when the blinds are open (windows are at 90 deg from the TV) reflections are not an issue in my particular location. But I don't live in like super sunning soCal or anything like that.

[jre84]

i wonder if your joking...

 

 

c1 cx are the best tvs on the planet...rtings source

[dalekphalm]

20 hours ago, jre84 said:

i wonder if your joking...

 

 

c1 cx are the best tvs on the planet...rtings source

Hmm?

 

The C1 and the A80J are literally using the same OLED panel. RTINGs has them neck and neck in basically all categories. The Sony edges out in factory calibration, though that's something the user can certainly calibrate themselves given time and patience.

 

I ended up getting the A80J and have absolutely zero regrets. Still tweaking settings every and then but damn, what an excellent TV so far.

 

I also don't regret getting the Sony over the LG.

[Stagea]

On 10/28/2021 at 1:21 AM, dalekphalm said:

Hmm?

 

The C1 and the A80J are literally using the same OLED panel. RTINGs has them neck and neck in basically all categories. The Sony edges out in factory calibration, though that's something the user can certainly calibrate themselves given time and patience.

 

I ended up getting the A80J and have absolutely zero regrets. Still tweaking settings every and then but damn, what an excellent TV so far.

 

I also don't regret getting the Sony over the LG.

I have a Sony 85x950h. I know it's not an OLED model, but I believe the OLED models run the same software. My only main qualm with Sony is that their Smart features run at 1080P. This is not just the interface (as done by other makers), but also the video itself. I believe they do this to keep both the interface and the overlays smooth, given the low power SoC inside. This can be validated by checking the viewport within the playback apps (YouTube would be easiest using the stats for nerds feature). 

 

Like you, I use an external player (HTPC) to feed native 4K content. I just dislike the fact that I get stuck with 1080P when I cast media from my handheld devices.

 

I'm hoping that they fix this soon as it can discourage people who use the smart features a lot (maybe it has been fixed for the latest flagships, idk). Their older 4K units can run the video at 4K natively but probably had frame drop / sync / smoothness issues, so they updated the software to run at 1080P. My brother reverted his older Sony to an old software version to keep 4K functionality.

 

 

 

**Update: Just found out that they're running new SoCs on their 2021 models. Hoping that they rectified this problem on their latest units. Their new SoCs (probably also from Mediatek) are supposedly able to handle HEVC, VP9 and AV1 at 4K (no 8K support for the smart features, even on 8K units). This is an improvement, though still a step behind the competition that have been able to run 8K AV1 since last year.

[dalekphalm]

17 hours ago, Stagea said:

I have a Sony 85x950h. I know it's not an OLED model, but I believe the OLED models run the same software. My only main qualm with Sony is that their Smart features run at 1080P. This is not just the interface (as done by other makers), but also the video itself. I believe they do this to keep both the interface and the overlays smooth, given the low power SoC inside. This can be validated by checking the viewport within the playback apps (YouTube would be easiest using the stats for nerds feature). 

Hmm - interesting. I cannot say what SoC is inside the A80J, but it's running AndroidTV - I have the Smart Features disabled (that was a nice surprise), so none of this is a concern for me, but I could understand that being an issue with other people.

17 hours ago, Stagea said:

Like you, I use an external player (HTPC) to feed native 4K content. I just dislike the fact that I get stuck with 1080P when I cast media from my handheld devices.

I never cast to the TV anyway, I just use the XBO S for that.

17 hours ago, Stagea said:

I'm hoping that they fix this soon as it can discourage people who use the smart features a lot (maybe it has been fixed for the latest flagships, idk). Their older 4K units can run the video at 4K natively but probably had frame drop / sync / smoothness issues, so they updated the software to run at 1080P. My brother reverted his older Sony to an old software version to keep 4K functionality.

 

 

 

**Update: Just found out that they're running new SoCs on their 2021 models. Hoping that they rectified this problem on their latest units. Their new SoCs (probably also from Mediatek) are supposedly able to handle HEVC, VP9 and AV1 at 4K (no 8K support for the smart features, even on 8K units). This is an improvement, though still a step behind the competition that have been able to run 8K AV1 since last year.

Good to know!

[Stagea]

53 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Hmm - interesting. I cannot say what SoC is inside the A80J, but it's running AndroidTV - I have the Smart Features disabled (that was a nice surprise), so none of this is a concern for me, but I could understand that being an issue with other people.

 

Almost all recent Sony TVs run Mediatek SoCs, but they are of different specs. Sony hides them under generic marketing names like Cognitive Processor XR, 4K HDR Processor X1 Ultimate, 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme, 4K HDR Processor X1, 4K Processor X1, etc. Some come with add-on VPUs, while others run everything in one SoC.

 

The 2021 models are supposedly running the MT5895 aka MT9950. This SoC on paper is capable of decoding up to 4K60 and 8K30, but Sony has locked out 8K functionality at this point (probably due to performance). Samsung and LG 8K TVs supported 8K30 on certain apps for 2020, but I believe this had been bumped up to 8K60 for 2021. Samsung makes their own chips so they're not dependent on Mediatek outside of things that need specific licensing (like WiFi radios). My hunch is that the LG TVs are running Samsung SoCs too, but with their own software (as I'm not aware of other DTV SoCs capable of AV1 8K60).

[dalekphalm]

4 minutes ago, Stagea said:

Almost all recent Sony TVs run Mediatek SoCs, but they are of different specs. Sony hides them under generic marketing names like Cognitive Processor XR, 4K HDR Processor X1 Ultimate, 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme, 4K HDR Processor X1, 4K Processor X1, etc. Some come with add-on VPUs, while others run everything in one SoC.

 

The 2021 models are supposedly running the MT5895 aka MT9950. This SoC on paper is capable of decoding up to 4K60 and 8K30, but Sony has locked out 8K functionality at this point (probably due to performance). Samsung and LG 8K TVs supported 8K30 on certain apps for 2020, but I believe this had been bumped up to 8K60 for 2021. Samsung makes their own chips so they're not dependent on Mediatek outside of things that need specific licensing (like WiFi radios). My hunch is that the LG TVs are running Samsung SoCs too, but with their own software (as I'm not aware of other DTV SoCs capable of AV1 8K60).

Interesting - well I have no need for 8K playback at all given it's a 4K TV. Any 8K content I might watch will be downscaled by the player or by myself beforehand.

[Jrasero]

On 10/8/2021 at 5:23 PM, dalekphalm said:

I have an LG 50PA6500 50" 1080p Plasma TV that I bought years ago (something like 2012) - it was a kickass TV, and burn-in hadn't even really set in yet (a bit of image retention if you leave static elements on screen but it's temporary only). Anyway it finally died on me - I intend on trying to fix it and sell it if I can, but I decided it's time for a 4K HDR compliant TV.

 

I was originally looking at mid to high end QLED's like the Samsung Q70 or Q80, or Sony Bravia X series, but while looking at displays in person, my wife was with me and she kind of fell in love with the OLED's. I'm 100% okay with this revelation.

 

So we're looking at the LG C1 vs the Sony A80J. All the reviews basically say they're very similar (literally same panel inside), with the Sony being slightly brighter, and also better calibrated out-of-box. The Sony seems to be consistently more expensive. But the price difference is typically only $100 more for the Sony.

 

So, what are your thoughts about this situation? Is the Sony worth an extra $100, or not?

I have a LG C1 48" for my monitor and a Sony A80J 65" for our living room.  The difference in price between a 65" C1 and A80J was like $500, with the LG being cheaper but my wife is a Sony fangirl for some off reason.  With this being said the Sony IMO has better color accuracy, slightly brighter,  I love the Google OS, less glossy screen, and I prefer the Sony remote.  The LG is simply more feature rich with more HDMI 2.1 ports, FreeSync/G-SYNC support so it makes a better monitor plus it's cheaper.

Both are outstanding and but that's not too much of surprise since they both use the same LG panel.  If you plan to use this for gaming, as a monitor, or plan to fill it up with more than two HDMI 2.1 devices than I would go LG.  If this is just a "TV" than the $100 difference is minimal and I would suggest the Sony    

[dalekphalm]

24 minutes ago, Jrasero said:

I have a LG C1 48" for my monitor and a Sony A80J 65" for our living room.  The difference in price between a 65" C1 and A80J was like $500, with the LG being cheaper but my wife is a Sony fangirl for some off reason.  With this being said the Sony IMO has better color accuracy, slightly brighter,  I love the Google OS, less glossy screen, and I prefer the Sony remote.  The LG is simply more feature rich with more HDMI 2.1 ports, FreeSync/G-SYNC support so it makes a better monitor plus it's cheaper.

Both are outstanding and but that's not too much of surprise since they both use the same LG panel.  If you plan to use this for gaming, as a monitor, or plan to fill it up with more than two HDMI 2.1 devices than I would go LG.  If this is just a "TV" than the $100 difference is minimal and I would suggest the Sony    

I purchased the Sony A80J in the end - do not regret the decision for a moment.

 

The ports aren't an issue - everything I use goes through my AV Receiver anyway. I've watched about a half dozen UHD Blu-Rays and damn, some of them look absolutely stunning. Definitely a noticeable upgrade from 1080p Blu-rays, or even 4K streams (Disney+ seems to come the closest in terms of quality compared to a UHD Blu-Ray).