LG 65LA9700 Review

65 inch 240Hz Passive 3D Smart 4K LED TV

by Jack Burden, Reviewer

The 65LA9700 is LG's premium smaller sized 4K LED TV for the year. It have a few key upgrades from the LA9650 that bump up the picture and sound quality to make it a real contender in the 4K space. The design of the TV is also much nicer than the LA9650. The Nano Full LED technology is as good as it gets when it comes to panels from LG. This provides the micro dimming on the TV to control the contrast in specific areas of the screen for the best possible image. The real kicker is the retractable built-in sound bar. When the TV is on, it comes out to provide 4.1 channels of audio with 50 watts of power. When the power is off, the sound bar disappears to keep the attractive look of the set. There is about a $1,000 difference for the upgrade from the LA9650, so it may only be for those who really want the newest technology in their living room.

Tru-Ultra HD Engine

The Tru-Ultra HD Engine is in chage of upscaling duties on the 65LA9700. Since the selection of 4K content is still sparse, the upconversion quality is very important on TVs like this one. LG doesn't have a content distribution system like Sony, so it is even more important for this to be excellent. The LG9700 uses a 4 step process to examine and enhance broadcasts, recorded video, and home video game consoles. The result is a sharp and clear picture on a 4K screen.

Nano Full LED Technology

This technology is only available on the LG 65LA9700 series this year. It is their most advanced display technology to LED TVs and it shows. The 144 different blocks of LEDs make it possible to get the perfect contrast and color levels out of different parts of the screen. Combine this with the wide viewing angles of the IPS panel and an excellent picture is the result.

Design and Appearance

The 65LA9700 looks a bit different from the LA9650. The minimalism is much more apparent in this model. The Cinema Screen design provides very thin black bezels and a super slim profile. The stand is an upside down 'y' shape that runs across the entire bottom of the TV. The width of the stand may be a problem for smaller TV stands. The slide out sound bar is the highlight of the design. The TV looks very simple when off, but the sound bar slides out fill the space between the base of the screen and stand.

Smart TV

LG's Smart TV platform is a welcome addition to the 65LA9700. You are going to find many of the offerings present in all manufacturers' smart TV platforms. Thing like Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, MLB.tv, Facebook, and Twitter are now the standard. They offer an extensive array of Apps such as Puzzle Quest, Germs Palace, and the White House. The selection is complete and pretty compatible with other manufacturers. It's very attractively laid out and super easy to control with the Magic Motion Remote Control. There are a number of new interaction features as well for smartphones and tablets. Near Field Communication (NFC), Miracast, and Widi are just a few ways to bring content to the big screen from your mobile device.

Included Magic Wand Remote

The new Magic Wand Remote included with the 65LA9700 has seen a number of improvement since last year. In our reviews last year, we thought the magic remote was a handy inclusion that really helped navigation in the menus and in the web browser. We are happy to welcome it again with new voice features. The LA9700 magic remote doesn't have the QWERTY keyboard that is present on LG's new Google TVs, but that's okay.

This is the updated look for the Magic Remote accessory. It's got all of the necessary buttons as well as a mic button on the bottom of the 5-way controller for engaging the voice controls

Value

Since the 65LA9700 features some of LG's most advanced picture quality technology and the unique slide-out sound bar, you are going to pay a premium. At $6,000 to $6,500 it is much more expensive from competing models from Sony and Samsung. This one is going to be about $1,000 more expensive. The Sony XBR-65W850A and the Samsung UN65F9000 also offer strong picture qualities and robust Smart TV platforms.

Specs

Dimensions and Design

• TV without stand (WxHxD): 57.13" x 32.99" x 1.61"
• TV with stand: 57.13" x 35.83" x 12.80"
• TV without stand weight: 89.51 lbs
• TV with stand weight: 97.44 lbs
• 64.5" diagonal screen measurement

Display and Features

• Dual Core Processor
• Tru-ULTRA HD Engine
• Resolution Upscaler
• Just Scan (1:1 Pixel Matching) 0% Overscan (HDMI/Component/RF)
• Picture Modes (Vivid, Standard, Movie, Game, ISF1, ISF2)
• Picture Wizard
• Passive 3D
• Retractable Built-in Camera
• Wi-Fi Built-in
• Windows 8 Certified
• DLNA Certified
• Intel Wireless Display (WiDi)
• MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link)
• NFC (Near Field Communications)
• SIMPLINK (HDMI CEC)
• USB Playback formats: DivX HD, JPEG, JPG, MPO, AC3 (Dolby Digital), EAC3, HAAC, AAC, MPEG, MP3, PCM, DTS

Audio

• Speaker System - 4.1ch Sliding SPeaker - 3 way, 7 Speakers (Woofer included)
• DTS Decoder
• Audio Output: 50W
• Sound Modes: Standard, Music, Cinema, Sport, Game, User
• Clear Voice II
• Sound Optimizer

Jack Burden has been reviewing and writing reviews in the consumer electronics category for 7 years with CEAG. He considers grayscale gradation, film patterned retarders, and focus field drives to be fun topics. Read more about Jack