LG has led the way making OLED TV technology increasingly mainstream. Delivering exceptional picture quality starting at ever more reasonable pricing, their 2022 lineup offers meaningful improvements. The C2 represents their current pinnacle consumer model while the B2 aims for a more affordable sweet spot. But does stretching your budget to the C2 reward you handsomely, or will the B2 satisfy and save you money? Let’s scrutinize what defines these televisions.
Illuminating Differences: OLED vs LCD/LED Display Technology
Controllable pixels are responsible for generating or modulating light to render images on any modern television or smartphone. Two dominant yet fundamentally different display architectures exist today:
OLED – Each pixel contains special organic (carbon-based) materials that emit their own light when electrically stimulated. No backlight required.
LCD/LED – Liquid crystals work like shutters in front of an LED backlight to block areas of the screen from illuminating.
Let’s explore advantages and disadvantages…
Perfect Black Levels – With self-emissive OLED pixels directly transitioning off to show “black”, these displays can achieve an infinite contrast ratio. LCDs can‘t completely block their entire backlight yielding “dark gray” as the best they can do.
Thinner Designs – OLED screens utilize simpler layered materials vs the complex LCD sandwich. This allows amazingly thin and flexible form factors under 1mm if desired!
Wider Viewing Angles – With backlights, LCD pixels polarize and scatter light increasingly off-angle. OLEDs evenly emit making them viewable from almost any orientation without color shifting.
Better Uniformity – Uniform light distribution is simpler without large area backlights. LED edge-lighting behind an LCD risks brighter corners or inconsistent blocks.
Higher Peak Brightness – Here advanced LCDs with dense full-array local dimming eclipse all but the best OLEDs limited by panel materials. 1000+ nit LED TVs beat ~800 nit peak OLED levels.
Lower Burn-in Risk – Any emissive pixel technology like OLED and plasma before it requires protecting against uneven element degradation from static content displaying too long at a time. LCD backlights age more gracefully with less permanent burn-in issues.
Let’s see how LG’s current mid-range B2 and flagship C2 OLED product lines compare…
LG C2 vs B2 Display Specifications
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| Specification | LG C2 Series | LG B2 Series |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizes | 42", 48", 55", 65", 77", 83" | 55", 65", 77" |
| Display Type | OLED Evo | OLED |
| Resolution | Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) | |
| Refresh Rate | up to 120Hz | |
| HDR Support | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | |
| Processor | α9 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K | α7 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K |
| HDMI 2.1 Ports: | 4 | 2 |
LG‘s C2 series takes the crown for the company’s most advanced 2022 consumer model retaining impressive pricing given the technology packed inside. Right below, the B2 offers some compromises hitting a more budget-conscious level. Let‘s break down meaningful differences and why they matter…
OLED Evo Panel – Understanding self-emissive pixels is half the battle. But OLED panel design and materials ultimately impact maximum brightness. LG Display spent years developing their “Evo” architecture, first introduced in last year’s G1 series, that enhances efficiency and peak output over 20% compared to conventional OLED panels.
Processing Power – Like computer CPUs, television video processors impact critical functionality like upscaling SD content to 4K clarity, optimizing high dynamic range color and contrast, reducing video artifacts and enabling gaming features. LG’s upgraded α9 Gen 5 AI Processor 4K provides the screws for their premium 2022 sets while the α7 Gen 5 version cuts some corners to meet B2 price points.
HDMI 2.1 – This latest interconnect standard extends bandwidth to handle uncompressed 4K/120Hz video required for smooth fast-action games and movies. Variable refresh rate (VRR) also eliminates stuttering and screen tearing when frame rates fluctuate. The C2 smartly equips all four HDMI inputs with 48 Gbps HDMI 2.1 making them all capable gaming ports. But on the B2, you only get two future-proofed inputs limiting your high-performance accessory options.
Now let’s explore real-world image quality and consider viewer experience …
Comparing Picture Quality Performance
Here‘s how the LG C2 and LG B2 OLED televisions compare by critical category according to extensive professional lab testing and evaluations:
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| Picture Quality Metric | LG C2 | LG B2 |
|---|---|---|
| Peak HDR Brightness | 784 cd/m2 (65") | 694 cd/m2 (65") |
| Contrast Ratio | Effectively Infinite | |
| Black Uniformity | Excellent | |
| Wide Viewing Angle | 70% | |
| Native Refresh Rate | 120 Hz | |
| Input Lag @ 4k/60Hz | 5.5 ms | 15.0 ms |
| Response Time | 0.1 ms | |
Notice lagging brightness for the B2. Though still plenty vivid for dark room viewing, highlights miss some pop and specular detail compared to the Evo panel C2 generating over 80 more nits. Thankfully, both achieve equal response, contrast and black levels with stellar consistency – hallmarks for any OLED television.
Gaming Performance
Let‘s move our performance investigation to focus on gaming metrics important for next generation consoles and PC rigs…
Native 4K Gaming @ 120Hz – Both C2 and B2 models support native Ultra HD 3840×2160 graphics rendering at up to 120 frames per second when provided the proper HDMI 2.1 signal. So fast twitch gamers can enjoy Call of Duty, Fortnite and Forza Horizon 5 without motion blurring while panning and scanning across detailed 4K environments.
VRR Frame Rate Matching – Variable refresh rate synchronizes the TV‘s refresh cycle nearly instantly with the game console‘s graphics chip output between 40Hz and 120Hz. This prevents ugly stutter, lag and tearing artifacts from mismatched timing. Here LG‘s C2 implementation over HDMI 2.1 inputs outperforms the B2 lacking full bandwidth ports.
Auto Low Latency Mode – ALMM triggers game mode picture presets with disabled post processing automatically when sensing gaming systems. This critical console feature sees Disabled/Buggy support on the B2 while working flawlessly on the C2.
LG C2 Victory? – For serious big screen gamers wanting the smoothest visuals and lag-free controls, the fully featured HDMI 2.1 capabilities across all C2 ports guarantees you outstanding performance now and future proofing to enjoy next generation systems down the road.
Watching Movies
Judging a television‘s ability to showcase cinematic content seems simple on the surface. But reproducing artistic intent, often mastering on monitors costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, allows little tolerance. Let‘s break down key elements:
Contrast Ratio – Here OLED rules with pixel level lighting control. Both C2 and B2 series effectively achieve infinite contrast for inky true blacks adjacent to peak white highlights without fading or crushing detail. Even the darkest shadows and brightest explosions won’t clip.
Color Accuracy – TVs use RGB color points matching key targets like P3 or Rec 2020 to hit the right saturation and tones. alleviate risk of banding on color gradients. Ensuring colors translate accurately as they would on a mastering display allows creative intent to shine. The C2‘s upgraded video processor and color mapping do outperform the B2 once both sets are professionally calibrated.
Viewing Angle – Sharing wide and stable contrast/color viewing angles thanks to OLED tech, the C2 and B2 allow small groups to enjoy movies anywhere in a room. Most LED/LCD sets dim and shift colors noticeably at wider than 20 degrees off center.
Motion Clarity – Here both LG OLED series impress with exceptional response times under 1ms completely eliminating motion blur in panning shots. Plus they‘ll de-judder lower frame rate cinema allowing crisp clarity with sports and movies avoiding the “soap opera effect” from poorer performing edge-lit LED/LCD options riddled with dimming flaws behind all those pushed pixels.
Smart TV & Connectivity Considerations
LG‘s webOS platform shared across the 2022 C2 and B2 series offers a responsive interface providing easy access to critical streaming services. Both ship with the latest 6.0 software revision ensuring speedy navigation and support for future updates. Minor differences in processing capability between the α9 Gen 5 vs α7 Gen 5 chipsets likely won‘t impact the snappy feeling when bouncing between apps and menus. Either OLED option packages smarter brains than entry level competitors still lumbering along with outdated configs.
Matching HDMI 2.1 and HDCP 2.3 compliance ensures backwards compatibility with this generation’s game consoles, 4K Blu-ray players and upcoming accessories. Key pointers for connectivity:
- Four total HDMI ports on both models, but only C2 offers full bandwidth gaming across every input
- Three USB ports equip plenty accessory options like storage expansion for apps and media
- Wi-Fi 6 support guarantees max wireless throughput to handle high bitrate 4K streams
- Bluetooth 5.0 enables audio accessories like headphones and soundbars
- Ethernet port fuels most reliable bandwidth for 8K video files
webOS offersLG’s Magic Remote providing intuitive point, click and scroll control. Universal search, built-in voice assistants and free LG Channels niche streaming round out the smart features. Either television will cover typical needs but media server software runs snappier on the C2 if you own higher bitrate homemade content.
Design & Wall Mounting
Both series share LG‘s signature minimalist industrial design with razor thin bezels and sleek metal stands. Unique to high-end OLED compared to bulky LED/LCD equivalents, these TVs hang nearly flush on the wall thanks to super shallow panel and electronics depth barely over 1/4”. Included brackets make mounting easy. Just be mindful of making cable connections around the centralized input boxes. Edge-to-edge glass and anti reflective treatments create striking floating pictures when viewed straight on.
Cost Saving LCD/LED Mass Production
Why do comparably sized LED/LCD televisions sell for hundreds less? Consumers are familiar with LCD technology dating back over 50 years. Progressively enhancing films, crystals, color filters and backlights resulted in today‘s high density 4K models. This mass adoption and optimized manufacturing keeps costs low compared to relatively nascent large scale OLED production. We’re finally seeing improved yields with overseas fabs investing heavily over the past decade as LG improved their WOLED panel designs. But LCD efficiency and slower degradation still enjoy advantages pumping out millions more ~65” screens annually. We expect pricing gap may narrow if 8K and larger OLED models ramp up volume globally.
Making the Call: LG B2 or C2 Best for You?
Weighing these OLED contenders – while both series clearly outclass LED/LCD televisions thanks to self-emissive pixel response and control – the C2 does justify around a 20% price premium over LG‘s B2 series. Evaluating your room, viewing habits and performance priorities simplifies the decision.
Prefer watching sports and movies in very bright living rooms? The C2‘s higher peak brightness and wider color gamut support make this best. Though slightly dimmer with reduced dynamics, the B2 will still outclass budget LED sets haunted by backlight blooming around bright objects.
Mostly streaming shows and gaming in darker theaters? Then the B2 should sufficiently satisfy with impressive contrast and clarity. Exceptions being competitive gamers wanting four fully equipped HDMI 2.1 ports or videophiles cataloging high bandwidth homemade content.
If stretch financially, don‘t underestimate a professionally calibrated B2 rewarding you fantastic OLED contrasts and deep uniform blacks at very agreeable pricing. Still, our nod goes to LG’s impressive C2 as 2022‘s best high-end OLED television value earning its higher cost through elevated performance.
I hope detailing display technology particulars between these models makes your buying decision easier. Feel free to reach out with any other questions!
