LG UH6100  TV Review

Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31am
Tested using Methodology v1.0 
LG UH6100
6.9
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

5.9
Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.3
TV Shows 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.1
Sports 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.2
Video Games 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

6.8
HDR Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.2
HDR Gaming 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

6.8
PC Monitor 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

 0
 TV Settings
Notice: This TVs was replaced by LG UJ6300
The LG UH6100 is an entry level 4k TV. It includes a less accurate pixel structure (RGBW) which means that although it has the correct number of pixels, it can't produce the same level of fine detail as other 4k TVs. Despite this, the picture quality is average. Motion is handled quite well and the smart platform works well.

Our Verdict

6.9
Mixed Usage 

Average TV for a range of usage. Performs much better in a bright room, where reflections are dealt with well and dark scene issues are less obvious. Picture quality is average, even when viewed at an angle.

Pros
  • Picture quality remains when viewed at an angle
  • Smart platform is featured and intuitive
  • Upscaling of low quality content is good
Cons
  • Uses less accurate RGBW pixel structure
  • Blacks appear gray in dark rooms
  • Uniformity is below average
5.9
Movies 

Bad in a dark room. Picture quality is average, and blacks appear gray. Uniformity issues are more obvious. No local dimming features.

7.3
TV Shows 

Above average for watching TV in a bright living room. Picture quality is average even when viewed from the side. When watching non-HDR content the screen doesn't get bright enough to effectively deal with glare. Smart interface is great for casual watching or viewing pictures, and upscaling of low quality TV is great.

7.1
Sports 

Good sports performance. Picture quality is average, even when viewed at an angle. Little motion blur, which is good. Some issues with the uniformity but only a little bit of the dirty screen effect is present.

7.2
Video Games 

Good for video games. Picture quality is average. Motion blur and input lag are good, and should not be an issue for most people.

6.8
HDR Movies 

Even if the LG UH6100 supports HDR10, it is missing the wide color gamut, the high peak brightness and the local dimming. The overall picture quality is average, but the lack of features results in an average HDR performance. When watching in a dark room, the blacks appear gray.

7.2
HDR Gaming 

Supports HDR10 format, but is unable to benefit due to lack of wide color gamut and low peak brightness. Picture quality is average, but blacks look gray.

6.8
PC Monitor 

Works well as a PC monitor. Picture quality is average, but chroma 4:4:4 support means text appears clear. Due to the pixel structure, some straight lines appear jagged as can be seen here. Response time and motion blur is low which is good.

  • 6.9
    Mixed Usage
  • 5.9
    Movies
  • 7.3
    TV Shows
  • 7.1
    Sports
  • 7.2
    Video Games
  • 6.8
    HDR Movies
  • 7.2
    HDR Gaming
  • 6.8
    PC Monitor
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
    2.  Updated Jul 27, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
    3.  Updated Jul 12, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

    Check Price

    43"43UH6100
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com
    49"49UH6100
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    Amazon.com

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We tested the 43" (43UH6100). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 49" (49UH6100).

    If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG UH6100 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.

    Size Model Warehouse
    43" 43UH6100 43UH610A
    49" 49UH6100 49UH610A

    Popular TV Comparisons

    Comparison picture

    Top left: TCL US5800 (55US5800). Bottom left: Vizio D Series 4k 2016 (D50u-D1). Middle: LG UH6100 (43UH6100). Top right: Samsung KU6300 (UN55KU6300). Bottom right: TCL FS3800 (40FS3800).  Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

    The LG UH6100 offers an average picture quality, but at a low price. For watching TV shows in a bright room it may be a good pick, but for most people the recommendations below provide better performance.

    How We Test TVs
    How We Test TVs

    We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests are done with specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.

    Test Results

    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    6.5
    Style
    CurvedNo

    The design is very similar to the LG UF6400 from last year, but with more modern narrower legs. It is a fairly bland TV, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It feels well supported and sturdy.

    Stand

    The stand is almost as wide as the TV, and made of plastic but is quite study.

    Footprint of the 43" TV stand: 8.5" x 29.3"

    Back
    Wall MountVESA 200x200

    If wall mounted, many of the inputs become inaccessible.

    Borders
    Borders0.67" (1.7 cm)

    Borders are an average thickness, and made of plastic.

    Thickness
    Max Thickness2.91" (7.4cm)

    UH6100 is of an average thickness. It will stick out a bit if wall mounted.

    Picture Quality
    6.1
    Contrast
    Native Contrast
    1,090 : 1

    The contrast ratio is average for the UH6100. The blacks are not very deep but that is not the worse that we have seen for an IPS panel. This is going to be a problem if you always watch TV in a dark room, but for a well light room, it shouldn't be a problem.

    0.0
    Local Dimming
    Local Dimming
    No
    Backlight
    Direct

    Update:There are reports of a local dimming feature appearing temporarily in the menus, this is a bug and will most likely be fixed soon. We were not able to reproduce it.

    7.0
    SDR Peak Brightness
    SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    249 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 2% Window
    264 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 10% Window
    265 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 25% Window
    266 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 50% Window
    266 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 100% Window
    266 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 2% Window
    264 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 10% Window
    265 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 25% Window
    266 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 50% Window
    266 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 100% Window
    266 cd/m²

    The SDR peak brightness is bad and is about 100 cd/m² less than what the TV can reach when in HDR mode, which is not very bright, especially when set in a bright room.

    7.6
    HDR Peak Brightness
    HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    374 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 2% Window
    404 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 10% Window
    401 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 25% Window
    400 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 50% Window
    399 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 100% Window
    398 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 2% Window
    404 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 10% Window
    401 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 25% Window
    400 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 50% Window
    399 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 100% Window
    398 cd/m²

    When sending an HDR signal, the overall peak brightness is average but quite good for a mid-range TV. It has around the same brightness as the Samsung KU6300. At around 400 cd/m² it is still decent for highlights bigger than 50% and is bright enough to watch in a bright room without problems, but it won't make HDR look as good as on higher end TVs that can get small highlights more bright.

    5.7
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    6.372%
    50% DSE
    0.237%

    The gray uniformity is pretty bad for a LED TV. You can see on our test picture that the corners are a lot darker and there is also half of the screen that has a bit of a pink hue. This will result in a dirty screen effect when watching some content like sport, where you often have big panning shots or in video games where the background is a uniform color. Note that the gray uniformity issues are more obvious when you watch the TV from the side.

    6.2
    Viewing Angle
    LCD Type
    IPS
    Color Shift
    23°
    Brightness
    28°
    Black Level
    75°

    The viewing angle is above average, but not the best we have seen for an IPS panel. When viewed from the side, the color tends to remain the same, but loses intensity.

    Update: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results.

    4.3
    Black Uniformity
    Native Std. Dev.
    3.611%

    The black uniformity is really bad for the LG UH6100. There is some major clouding leaving only the side of the screen really black. This is one of the worst TVs we have tested for the black uniformity yet in 2016.

    9.0
    Gradient
    Color Depth
    10 Bit

    The color gradient is pretty good for an 8 bit panel. There are not any banding issues that we can see from our gradient pattern. The only little imperfections that you can see when looking at the picture are more related to the gray uniformity.

    Update 09/30/2016: Our original test was showing an incorrect color depth of 8 bit due to some incorrect drivers on our system, but after some correction to our test apparatus, we tested again the color depth and we can confirm that the LG UH6100 does in fact have an 10 bit panel.

    7.9
    Pre Calibration
    White Balance dE
    3.72
    Color dE
    3.698
    Gamma
    2.02

    Prior to calibration, the colors and the white balance aren't perfect but performance is good enough for most people.

    9.5
    Post Calibration
    White Balance dE
    0.7
    Color dE
    1.2696
    Gamma
    2.19

    The 2 and 20 point calibrations make it easy to fix inaccuracies. The result is quite good. You can find our calibration settings here.

    8.0
    480p Input

    Upscaled DVDs or other 480p content looks very good on the UH6100. The image looks sharp and not too much detail is lost.

    8.0
    720p Input

    Cable TV or high quality streaming content also looks very good once upscaled. You can still make out a lot of small details.

    9.0
    1080p Input

    Blu-rays and 1080p video look very sharp and no problem at all can be noticed.

    8.0
    4k Input

    Uses less accurate RGBW pixel substructure. This is not an issue from further away, but from close up text may look strange. An example is shown here.

    6.9
    Color Gamut
    Wide Color Gamut
    No
    DCI P3 xy
    75.7258%
    DCI P3 uv
    88.9124%
    Rec 2020 xy
    54.3282%
    Rec 2020 uv
    58.1349%

    Although there is an option to enable an 'Extended' color gamut, it is only enough for rec 709 content. Even though it accepts a HDR signal, the colors will not benefit from it.

    4.3
    Color Volume
    Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
    44.502%
    10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
    27.665%
    Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
    32.948%
    10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
    20.25%

    The UH6100 can’t produce saturated colors to improve HDR content. At low luminosities the range of colors is poor.

    4.0
    Image Retention
    IR after 0 min recovery
    1.094%
    IR after 2 min recovery
    0.233%
    IR after 4 min recovery
    0.07%
    IR after 6 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 8 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 10 min recovery
    0%
    7.5
    Reflections
    Reflection
    1.9%
    Screen Finish
    Semi-gloss

    The semi-gloss finish helps to diffuse reflections. Deals quite well with reflections in an average lit room, but very bright glare may be an issue.

    0.0
    3D
    3D
    No
    3D Type
    No
    2D to 3D
    No

    This TV doesn't support 3D.

    Pixels
    TypeLED

    Uses the less accurate RGBW 4k panel. This replaces some of the sub pixels with a white pixel.

    Motion
    8.0
    Motion Blur
    Refresh Rate60 Hz
    Response Time
    17 ms
    Overshoot
    0 ms

    The response time is great. Due to the flickering backlight, a few faint images can be seen following the logo. This should not be a problem.

    2.8
    Image Flicker
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    120 Hz
    BFI
    No
    BFI Frequency
    120 Hz
    BFI In Game Mode
    No
    7.1
    24p Playback
    Judder-free 24p
    Yes
    Judder-free 24p via 60p
    No
    Judder-free 24p via 60i
    No

    24p content as movies from Blu-rays, DVDs and from streaming apps like Netflix will play without judder with the 'Realcinema' option turned-on. Movies playing on a cable/satellite box do have some judder issues, but this is not noticeable to most people. Even with the 'TruMotion' option set to 'User' and with 'De-Judder' set to max (introducing the soap opera effect), judder was still present.

    5.0
    Motion Interpolation
    Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
    Yes
    Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
    No

    The UH6100 has a 60Hz panel, and so can only interpolate up to 30Hz content. To do this, set 'Trumotion' to 'User' and increase the 'De-Judder' slider. This does not completely remove judder, however.

    Inputs
    8.1
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    18.4 ms
    1080p With Interpolation
    78 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    81 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    78 ms
    4k @ 60Hz
    18.7 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    67 ms
    4k @ 60Hz + HDR
    18.8 ms

    1080p input lag is quite good for the LG UH6100. For casual gamers out there, with only 39.7 ms of input lag, the UH6100 should be a good choice. Change the input icon to 'Game Console' and select the 'Game' picture mode for lowest input lag.

    Update 01/10/2017: The UH6100 just got a new update (04.30.82) that added a new 'HDR Game' mode and it greatly upgraded the performance of this TV. Note that input lag under gamer mode with a 1080p and 4k resolution was also reduce under 20ms.

    8.0
    Supported Resolutions
    Resolution"4k"
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    1080p @ 120Hz
    No
    4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes

    Change the input icon to 'PC' to enable chroma 4:4:4. With this enabled, input lag is 71.9 ms. 4k @ 60Hz requires 'HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color' to be enabled, in 'General' settings. Text is not as clear due to the alternate pixel structure as can be seen here. This is penalized in the '4k Resolution' section of the review.

    Side Inputs
    Rear Inputs
    Total Inputs
    HDMI3
    USB1
    Digital Optical Audio Out1
    Analog Audio Out 3.5mm0
    Analog Audio Out RCA0
    Component In1 (shared)
    Composite In1 (shared)
    Tuner (Cable/Ant)1
    Ethernet1
    DisplayPort0
    IR In0
    SD/SDHC0
    Inputs Specifications
    HDR10
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Vision
    No
    5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
    Yes
    HDMI 2.0 Full BandwidthYes
    ARCYes (HDMI 3)
    USB 3No
    HDCP 2.2Yes
    CECYes
    MHLNo
    Variable Analog Audio OutNo
    Sound Quality
    6.1
    Frequency Response
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    5.94 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    6.05 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    7.91 dB SPL
    Max
    90.2 dB SPL
    Low-end Cutoff
    89.8 Hz

    Average performance. The frequency response is below average, and there will be pumping and compression present at louder volumes. However, the maximum loudness and low-end cut off are quite decent for a TV.

    5.0
    Total Harmonic Distortion
    Distortion @ 70
    0.032
    Distortion @ 80
    0.21
    Distortion @ Max
    0.214

    Poor harmonic distortion performance. Although there is not a dramatic jump in distortion as the volume is increased, the overall amount of harmonic distortion is elevated at all levels.

    Smart Features
    Apps

    WebOS 3.0 might not have as many apps as other smart OS, like Android TV OS, but all the most popular apps are available, including YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Video. In general, WebOS apps offer a good stability.

    8.5
    Interface
    Smart OSWebOS 3.0

    The WebOS Smart interface is one of the best you can find on Smart TVs and the iteration on the LG UH6100 is very good. The interface looks great and is easy to navigate, with plenty of content and apps to chose from. The interface feels fast and without hiccups. From the smart platform, you can easily switch from live TV to any connected device like your computer, Blu-ray player or even browse your pictures and videos collection on a USB flash drive.

    0.0
    Ads
    Ad-free
    No
    Opt-out
    No
    TV Controls

    Controls are located below the logo on the front of the TV. This is easy to access when wall mounted.

    Remote
    RemoteBasic

    There is a basic remote supplied, which is straightforward to use. It is the same remote as many other mid-range LG TVs such as the LG LH5750.

    In The Box

    • Remote
    • Batteries
    • Cable management strap
    • Manual
    Misc
    Power Consumption33 W
    Power Consumption (Max)70 W
    Firmware03.20.25