LG 2016 OLED TV owners who care about gaming responsiveness in HDR mode has received an early Christmas present, because the South Korean television manufacturer has just released a firmware update to add [HDR Game] mode to its critically-acclaimed C6, E6 and G6 OLED series.
Previously, upon detection of HDR metadata (including from HDR games such as Battlefield 1 or Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on Microsoft Xbox One S or PS4 Pro consoles), LG’s 2016 OLEDs would kick into HDR mode, offering only three picture presets of [HDR Vivid], [HDR Bright] and [HDR Standard]. None of these presets yielded input lag that was lower than 50ms, causing frustrated owners to start a petition which was eventually covered by prominent AV journalist John Archer on Forbes.
But with the latest firmware update (exact version will vary from region to region), a new [HDR Game] preset will become available as the fourth option. Indeed, after engaging [HDR Game] mode on an LG C6, lag time only measured 34ms according to a Leo Bodnar tester. In other words, LG engineers have successfully cut down input lag by one frame, bringing HDR latency in line with SDR’s.
While still not as snappy as the class-leading Samsungs whose input lag measures around 20ms, this move by LG to reduce input lag will surely please users who can now enjoy low-latency responsiveness alongside OLED’s traditional strengths of true blacks, infinite contrast, rich colours, clean motion and wide viewing angles, all of which contribute to a supremely immersive HDR gaming experience.
Above all, the implementation of [HDR Game] mode on 2016 OLED TVs shows that LG is a progressive company who’s constantly seeking to improve its products, and who cares about its customers. The Korean brand could easily have reserved this feature only for 2017 models to generate more sales, but by opting not to do so, LG will definitely foster goodwill and loyalty among current and future owners alike.
LG’s [HDR Game] firmware update is available to download and install for US owners of the C6, E6 and G6, but not currently the LG B6 which uses a different SoC (system-on-chip). A similar update should be rolled out in other markets including the UK and Europe in a few weeks’ time.
Update 9 December 2016: LG has confirmed that it is working on a firmware update to add [HDR Game] mode to the B6 OLED series too for all regions, although hasn’t committed to any timeline.
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