LG B9 vs C9 vs E9
Even though the LG B9, C9, and E9 have comparable picture quality, there is a variation in terms of the color accuracy stemming from two different sources: one being the 3D LUT (Look-up Table) size, and the other: global saturation boost (or lack thereof). Another difference is the peak brightness with HDR content on the LG E9 / C9 vs B9. The LG E9 is the only one of the three that uses Glass design, in addition to having front-firing speakers.
3D LUT size and auto-calibration
The LG C9 and E9 have 33x33x33 LUTs (Look-up Tables) whereas the LG B9 uses 17x17x17 LUTs. The number of color coordinates that the LG C9 and E9 are able to store in their 3D LUTs is approximately 7.3 times that of the B9, meaning that the former two LG OLED TVs have to perform fewer color interpolations, so there is less chance of errors in the color calculations. While the LG C9 and E9 tend to have more accurate colors out of the box in comparison to the LG B9, they can still benefit from a calibration. Since the LG C9 and E9 allow the CalMAN software (sold separately) to directly access their 1D and 3D LUTs, in addition to both TVs having a built-in pattern generator, you’ll only need a colorimeter (and the CalMAN software) to perform an auto-calibration. The LG B9 can also be auto-calibrated but you’ll need the latest (R3) release (version 5.10.2) of the CalMAN software (e.g. CalMAN Home for LG 2019 R3, CalMAN Ultimate 2019 R3, etc.) which adds support for LG B9. Despite the difference in the color accuracy between LG E9 / C9 vs B9, all three OLED TVs cover the DCI-P3 color space nearly entirely.
Global saturation boost (or lack thereof)
The LG B9, C9, and E9 use W-OLED panels, meaning that there is a white subpixel in addition to the traditional red, green, and blue ones. The white subpixel allows them to reach higher peak brightness but also causes color desaturation. In order to compensate for this desaturation, LG OLED TVs with Alpha 7 processor perform global saturation boost. While this technique is beneficial to highlights, it also causes color volume distortion for the shadows and mid-tones. LG OLED TVs with Alpha 9 processor on the other hand are able to send RGB data to the panel in a way that gives them pixel level control of the white subpixel boost (thus making redundant the global saturation gain), so that shadows and mid-tones (up to around 300 cd/m²) don’t exhibit any color distortion issues. The desaturation in highlights with HDR content can be avoided altogether if you set the “Peak Brightness”, which controls the white subpixel boosting, to “Off” but this will lead to darker HDR image. When it comes to SDR content, the “Peak Brightness” is set to “Off” by default.
Picture processors
Another difference between the LG E9 / C9 vs B9 is the processor used: the former two have the Alpha 9 (Gen. 2) chip whereas the the LG B9 uses the Alpha 7 (Gen. 2). Even though the picture enhancements such as quad-step noise reduction, object-based depth enhancer, and frequency-based sharpness enhancer are identical for the three OLED TVs, the more powerful processor on the LG E9 / C9 vs B9 tends to be more effective when performing certain corrections such as banding removal. That being said, the smooth gradation feature is mainly needed for low bitrate/bit depth content, meaning that the slight advantage of the LG E9 and C9 over the B9 cannot be observed at a regular basis (unless most of the content you’re watching has posterization artifacts, for example).
HDR Peak brightness
The peak brightness with HDR content is different between the LG C9 / E9 vs the LG B9. The former two OLED TVs can render small specular highlights up to approximately 200 cd/m² brighter than the LG B9. That being said, the LG B9 starts the brightness roll-off earlier than the C9 and E9 in the PQ EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function), so the difference in terms of perceived peak luminance is not quite as obvious as the 200 cd/m² seems to suggest. By doing that, however, the tone-mapping on the LG B9 compresses some of the bright mid-tones unlike the LG C9 and E9 which are able to render them as intended. Since neither of the three OLED TVs is able to reach the 1,000 cd/m² that some HDR10 content is mastered to, the brightest highlights are always compressed (which is especially noticeable when the HDR content is mastered to 4,000 cd/m²).
Design and sound
The LG E9’s OLED module is mounted directly onto a glass back. Besides adding structural strength to the TV’s top half in comparison to the LG B9 and C9 which are more prone to warping in that section (when being moved, for example), the glass acts as a table top stand on the LG E9 (in conjunction with a rear section made of plastic). This setup allows the E9 to appear as if it’s floating in the air when mounted on a table top surface. Furthermore, there is a speaker grille alongside the entire length of the E9 (between the bottom bezel and the glass), meaning the speakers are front-firing as opposed to down-firing (LG B9 and C9). It should be said, though, that the table top stand on the LG C9 is designed to reflect sound from the down-firing speakers towards the front of the TV but the speakers on the LG C9 (and B9) are less powerful than those on the E9. The total audio power is 60 Watts on the E9 vs 40 Watts on the C9 and B9. All three LG OLED TVs allocate 20 Watts to their woofers, though.
Pricing & Availability
Check availability and pricing on Amazon.com for the LG B9, LG C9, and LG E9 (affiliate links to the 65-inch class TVs from each series; As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
