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When have a 49-inch 4K Ultra HD television that costs just £649, you're inevitably going to end up talking about compromises. No one expects to get OLED technology or HDR support at this level, but you shouldn't be made to actively suffer for your budget.
And for the most part, you won't suffer with the LG 49UF770V, especially as the availability of 4K content grows apace.
We liked
We love, love, love webOS. It knows exactly what it is, and isn't trying to turn your TV into an overgrown tablet that you can't touch. (I'm looking at you, Android TV.)
WebOS is genuinely smart and (with the Magic Remote) intuitive to use. It never gets in the way of using the screen to watch content.
The sonic performance of those relatively weedy 10W speakers is actually rather impressive for what they are. I'd still recommend additional sound if you really want that cinematic effect, but the onboard audio isn't that bad.
The 4K Ultra HD playback is impressive, delivering excellent clarity and brightness levels. The contrast performance in dark scenes is good too, despite just using an edge-lit backlighting technique for its localised dimming.
We disliked
I really struggled with the upscaling processing on this mid-range LG. Using it side-by-side with the Sony really brought out the failings of the LG 49UF770V. The contrast performance drops through the floor on HD and SD sources, adding strange effects to the image as it tries to cope with dark scenes while at the same time straining to blow the picture up to a full 4K resolution.
Sure, the 4K performance is good, but for the time being we're stuck watching mostly non-UHD content until the providers start upping their games.
I'm also not a huge fan of the actual design of the chassis – it has less of the luxury feel of something like the Sony panel, and that wide, deep, plasticky foot doesn't do it any favours. Especially if you want to put a sound bar in front of it.
Verdict
The LG 49UF770V is a true mid-range 4K Ultra HD set. The 49-inch size is pretty effective for most living rooms – however great the temptation is to go as big as you can afford – and the £649 price tag at Amazon makes it pretty good value.
The 4K upscaling is my only real worry for this screen, making SD content in particular a bit ugly. It's nowhere near as bad as the real cheap sets from the likes of Seiki, but I definitely noticed the difference between the same level of Sony image processing.
But with 4K, it's glorious, and the webOS software makes it an incredibly versatile and user-friendly smart TV.
