This TV cost $15,000. Really.
This isn't your parents tube CRT. This is the future. Ever since being the highlight of CES 2017, the wallpaper TV seemed like something out of pure imagination. A 4K HDR Cinema experience, all in the thickness of 2.5mm. I've been tracking this TV set for a year, and finally - on my birthday no less, I'm proud to share this review.
I spent the past couple weeks acting like a kid in the candy store. The pure elation of seeing the Avengers, and every single superhero movie Netflix has to offer!
The TV is really 2.5mm thick. That's it.
I can't believe it either. I still can't believe, and partly feel like this will be the TV I have for a lifetime. What could possibly top this? Except maybe two TVs.
I've always loved watching Tech reviews - and I couldn't wait to get my creative flow going.
Of course I didn't spend $15K.
Take a wild guess how much I really got it for. Playing the waiting game, being resourceful and watching the price of the set every single day until. Maybe you'll find this TV free.
The Review
What better way to spend your 26th birthday by treating yourself, and making a comprehensive review of the showstopper, the future, the cutting and bleeding edge of tech, the window into the world of wonders, the overexaggerated LG Wallpaper TV. But it does live up to the hype. So maybe I got two.
This is just stupid thin. And here I am propping it on my desk. Definitely don't do this. Mount it. Unless you're lazy.
This is a piece of art! Wait no, it's a television.
LG Wallpaper TV Full Review - By Sean Sheffer
This right here, is the LG OLED 65W7 series Wallpaper TV.
This is something straight out of science fiction, razor thin, super slim bezels l, and a crystal sharp OLED panel.
This is as premium as it gets - featuring HDR Dolby Visions and a Soundbar that blasts full Dolby Atmos - this is a piece of tech I've waited a very long time to get my hands on.
Picture
The picture quality is absolutely stunning, coming from an entry level 4K Hisense 2015, it's more than just reaching 4K pixels. The colors are full, vibrant and immersive, without feeling overly saturated. The blacks are deep, a feature signature not only OLED panels but the also of HDR Dolby vision. Seeing is believing how incredible the picture is, so much so that I found it distracting how beautiful the picture was while watching Thanos kick the Avenger's ass. While gaming, The Blacks would get so deep that I would mistaken that television set being turned off during the loading screen, only to press the Xbox home button and realize the television was on.
Gaming
In terms of gaming, the Xbox One S and One X are perfect companions to this set, as they both feature a 4K Blu-ray player that was surprising omitted from the PS4 and PS4 Pro. Those used to gaming on high end gaming monitors, such as myself with the Acer Predator 144 hz with G-sync, will be in for an unpleasant gaming experience on the Wallpaper TV, at first. This is because on standard settings the LG TV has a combination of HDR and very slight motion blur - that makes movies look fantastic, but gaming make you want to hurl. Motion Blur * an enormous panel made me feel woozy palying Call of Duty, but simply switching the picture image to "Gaming" mode made the picture significanlty better.
Sound
LG removed all the internals of the TV and placed them in the Soundbar - this is where you'll find your all your i/O. A proprietary cable comes down from the panel and plugs straight in. Most setups will probably use the extension cable that comes in the box, and if you really want to blow your friends and family away you can try and way to place the cable in your wall. I've read that this is against fire code and not recommended unless you really want to hire someone. Chances are at this thiness you'll already be a show stopper whatever you decide to do with the cable.
This TV has to be mounted - no if ands or about it. I've personally found it super convenient to have all the I/O on the soundbar, as I can easily just place it on the floor and plug my hdmi's in, place it o n a shelf and/or TV stand, feet away from the panel. It's been so convenient versus the traditioanl cumbersomeness of pulling a TV out, flashlight phone light on and clamoring to plug in hdmi cables. Sounds like a petty complaing against tradtion IO inputs, but if you're someone like me who always has - hdmi cords for extend my computer display, a chromecast, apple TV and a firestick and always plugging in and out my xbox, you know how cumbersome it can be moving your thousand dollar TV a few feet to find that last hdmi port. Trust me, you won't mind, you'll even welcome them placing it in the soundbar.
Thinness
Enough about picture quality and sound, as I know those have been LG's forte for years now and this OLED display can be found in other LG series panels. The true innovation is the thinness. You have to see it to believe it. It's called a wallpaper TV for a reason. Paper Thin. Thinner than a DVD case. A TV remote. An iPad. An iPhone X. Even an iPhone X without a case. This is mm thick, thinner than a ballpoint pen. LG went too far from "could they" to "should they?". I think they hit it out of the park. And for all it's thinness the TV still feels hefty and sturdy. Lifting the panel myself, the weight is very evenly distributed, and the panel won't crack under normal hand pressure. highly recommend you bring two people as you don't want to risk cracking or dropping it. I've taken the liberty of placing the television on my desk when I first opened it up, and honestly I could just leave it on my desk, propped agains the wall with cord coming down and the TV won't slip.
But for those by the book, we installed it. The Television is held up by a a metal bracket you prescrew into the wall and the TV hangs on two very thin screws and then magnets. Bring a level and a stud finder, as even the slightest misalignment can and will show. This process was harder than it looks as the directions were only pictures and finding the two screws to hang the TV on took a lot longer than expected, even with LG's guiding stickers. LG will ship you the TV with 'last mile' delivery and installation services, but in my case the delivery company refused to install TV, mainly because they've seen anything like it. This isn't your parent's standard Vesa mount folks. This is the future.
OS
All in all, this is the full package, rounded out by not one, but two remotes. LG includes a small a streamlined remote, perfect for netflix and switching inputs to Live cable, and generally direction. For those who want the full experience have the larger remote with number pad, mic, scroll wheel and 'magic mouse' that you can guide an arrow on the screen to choose your selection.
The TV runs on Web OS, what's great and butterly smooth OS that launced with the HP Touchpad almost 8 years ago. And honestly, it's a pleasant surprise to see webOS back in action, a gentle reminder of simpler times. LG has a comprehensive enough app store, with Youtube, Netflix and even spotify to install. Hopefully you can find your TV subscition servic provider in the store before pluggin in your chromecast apple TV or firestick.
One problem I've found with the OS is that native apps, such as the OLED wall gallery that makes the TV a rotating pieice of art work , have perfect audio balance playing music. Playing movies on the Xbox One X blu-ray player also has the volume blasting perfectly and loud. However in the Netflix app, movies and shows are oddly quiet, even at max volume. I don't know if this is a Netflix or WebOS issues. I suspect if I ran Netflix off the Xbox and played it on the LG TV I wouldn't have a problem. Keep this in mind before you have movie night, but I suspect you won't be balsting at full volume all the time.
My favorite app is the OLED art galllery, I've been fooled by the 'image' of frame so many times. I do wish the pictures wouldn't rotate so fast, but clearly we want to avoid the cardinal flaw in OLED, burn in. Speaking of which LG's 'wallpaper' on standby will turn the display off with a small fireworks bouncing from the corners of the screen. As much as I want to play 4K fire all day on netflix, or game for hours, I want to avoid at all cost OLED burn in of fire logs or the HUD of PUBG, fortnite or Call of Duty anytime soon. One shoulnd' be playing too long anyways, just my two cents.
Speaking of cost,
When this first came out at CES 2017, the TV retailed for $15,000. Yes for real. The 77in version was astronomically more expensive. And no like your favorite youtube tech reviewers I did not receive this panel for free. As of late 2018 when this came out you can find this televeision set for 6-8 thousand dollars, simply the law of electronic depreciation. So there is hope for us who want the future but don't break the bank. My advice for those who don't want to spend a bucky arm, look for retail returns that are still undre manufacturer warranty. then you can get this panel for a steal. Good things come for those who wait, which is why I'm writing this review a year after the product came out.
Oh and did I mentioned they already released a LG OLED W8 Wallpaper TV?
All in all this has been a great experience reviewing this wallpaper TV, the pictures are stunning and the thinness is just insane. The full soundbar is just great for a simple setup and experience, with the option to expand with the IO for all you audiophiles. The only problem with this TV is that you'll love it so much, you'll wish you had two, one to actually watch your endless marvel movie marathons in your bedroom, and the other to show off in your living room as the life of the party.
What would you do if you had an entire Wall lined with LG's wallpaper TV's? Let me know your ideas in the comments below, and welcome, to the future.
