Viewed and reviewed: LG B5 OLED TV — a home sport experience like I’ve never experienced before

LG recently announced its newest OLED TVs for 2025, featuring the G5, C5, and B5 models.  Trevor is checking out the LG G5 OLED TV and suggested I check out the more affordable B5 OLED TV.

The B5 OLED TV from LG is an “entry-level OLED offering the best of OLED TV technology at a more accessible price point.”  It still includes WebOS 25, an Alpha 8 Gen2 AI processor with smart entertainment and apps such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, beIN Sports, Kayo and Optus Sport.

The TV features the ability to upscale to 4K scene by scene for improved detail and definition.  The new Gen 2 Alpha 8 AI processor makes this all 1.4 times faster than the previous generation.

Add in the depth, detail and contrast we see in OLED TVs and you have an appealing package.  How does it handle everyday TV with a good chunk of sport thrown in for good measure though?  It was up to me to find out.

I’ve seen OLED TVs instore, as I’m sure everyone reading this has but to truly experience the OLED advantage you need to use it in your own home.  I was lucky enough to get to use one in my games room for the last week or so and boy was I impressed.

My current TV is a 7-year-old 65-inch Samsung QNED TV, which is still decent but like most things, you don’t realise the grass is greener on the other side of the fence until you try it.  Being OLED, the grass was definitely greener on the 65-inch LG B5 TV.

After using the 65-inch LG B5 OLED TV to watch various shows, sports, and movies, I can comfortably say that my next TV will be an OLED, and if the budget allows, yours should be too.  Here’s why.

For picture quality and type, I chose to use the Standard picture mode for all the content I watched.  I wasn’t a massive fan of the cinema mode, and the vivid mode was just too vivid for my liking.

With the new John Wick series movie, The Ballerina, now available, I watched John Wick 4 on Netflix first – always a good option to test the blacks on a TV due to the large number of dark scenes.  

The blacks on this are just so black that anything within or near those stand out even more than before.  The blacks are just stunning and there is a significant difference between the blacks on this B5 OLED TV compared to my Samsung QNED TV.

The colours are just so crisp and sharp, and they stand out exceptionally well against the blacks.  It made watching a dark movie such as John Wick 4 easy to watch and enjoy.  

I tested it in both light and dark environments and although the dark environment was excellent, the light environment still enabled effortless viewing of the dark scenes. 

Next up was sport, and I watched my three most-watched sports – AFL, Formula 1 and the NBA.  

Now, LG has included a picture mode called “Cricket” which I’m not too sure what it does but it made the colours extremely vivid and maybe if I was used to an OLED TV more I would like it but the colours just were too bright for my liking.  I still prefer a colour that looks realistic.

Once again, just leaving the picture mode on “standard” mode, the picture was incredible.  Watching the NBA finals, the close-ups were crisp and just impressive how good they were.  Colours were vivid and just amazingly good.  I found that watching for more extended periods was extremely easy on the eyes due to the clarity and quality of the colours.

The fast pace of the ball in both ball sports was crisp without any blurring – this was in 4K mode on Kayo. My daughter is always asking me why the football is so blurry on my usual TV — not any more. When it came to crispness of movement, the F1 was just as good.  The livery on the cars was vivid and jumped out at me while the fast-moving pictures were still crisp, without any blurring.  

I was blown away by the combination of the crispness of the fast-moving game/race, its vibrant colours, and the ability to quickly and easily distinguish between different items in an image.  My wife is also convinced but she thinks we need to wait until the Samsung dies – the bank account agrees with her.

The sound quality

I’ve always used a dedicated sound bar for my TV sound and while they are still better than the sound from a TV, the sound from this B5 OLED TV was still impressive. It was surprisingly loud and crisp. I didn’t have to have the volume up very loud at all, and the distinct sounds of movies was crisp and clear.

Impressive audio quality but of course, if the budget extends that far, it can always be improved with a decent soundbar setup.

The remote control

One thing I didn’t love about the LG B5 TV was the remote control.  The remote control has no backlight, which is disappointing considering many people watch movies, etc., in the dark, so it would be easier to see the buttons if they were backlit.

The remote also has no input for quickly changing inputs but a vast majority of people likely don’t need to change inputs.  How many use a gaming console on their TVs?  How many use a Blu-ray player or Google TV?  Some do but a lot more do not. 

The remote control also features a motion sensor that allows the TV to detect where you are pointing the remote, similar to a mouse or a Switch/Wii controller. You then have to click when the pointer is positioned over the item you want to select.  I’m not a massive fan of this, but I dare say my accuracy would improve the more I used it.

Final thoughts

The LG B5 OLED TV is currently available in 48-, 55- and 65-inch models.  The 65-inch LG OLED AI B5 4K Smart TV 2025 is available now for just AU$2,699 – an impressive price for an OLED TV.

The next model up in the 2025 LG OLED range is the C5, which is AU$4,299, a big jump from the B5 price.  The C5 does get you a few extra things such as a better processor, better speakers and most importantly a better OLED panel (evo) with higher brightness but that is about it.  For that difference in price I dare say the B5 is a very compelling purchase.

Movies, in any lighting environment, offered amazing colour and item differentiation, with deep black blacks and vivid colours.  Sport viewing was next level (compared to my current QNED TV).  Fast-paced motion was not blurry but crisp, all while the colours were exceptionally punchy and amazingly detailed.  Up-close shots offered superb viewing in all sports.  I’m in love.

If you have never watched an OLED TV before and are in the market for a new TV, then you should seriously be checking out OLED TVs and especially this LG B5 OLED TV, given its extensive features at such an attractive price.

For more information on the LG B5 OLED TV check out the website here.