'I can see many people appreciating this change': LG's new free update to its best OLED TVs is delighting users with brighter Dolby Vision HDR performance

• LG releases update 33.30.92 for LG C5 and G5 OLED TVs
• Brightness changes in several Dolby Vision modes, but no changes to Filmmaker Mode
• Lots of people noticing changes in G5, but not as many noted in C5

LG has released an update that's intended to make Dolby Vision HDR much brighter in several modes on the LG C5 and LG G5 OLED TVs – and it looks like many owners are delighted with the results so far.

Some owners on Reddit are sharing before and after images, and the difference in brightness is dramatic – the after images are far more bright and vibrant, swapping deeper shadows for a brighter tone.

Before vs After Results : LG G5 Dolby Vision brightness update (33.30.92) from r/LG_UserHub

A changelog shared by user Stanley083 says the updates are the following:

Models: LG C5 and G5 OLED (2025 Models)

This update is a specific picture quality fix addressing user complaints regarding Dolby Vision brightness.

Major Changes

Dolby Vision Brightness Fix: The primary purpose of this update is to resolve an issue where Dolby Vision content (specifically in "Cinema Home" mode) appeared noticeably darker than standard HDR10 content.

Targeted Modes: The brightness boost has been applied to the following Dolby Vision picture modes:

• Cinema Home
• Vivid
• Game
• Standard

Filmmaker Mode Unchanged: LG has stated that Filmmaker Mode remains untouched to preserve "creator intent" and the reference standard, meaning it will still appear darker than the updated modes.

Context & User Findings

• The Issue: Prior to this update, many C5/G5 owners reported that the "out-of-box" Dolby Vision experience was too dim, particularly "Cinema Home" preset, which is usually intended for brighter viewing.

So far, the changes seem to be a big hit. "Thank you LG for finally fixing the darkness," Uluquat posted on the r/LGOLED subreddit.

Thank you LG for finally fixing the darkness with 33.30.95 firmware update from r/LGOLED

But there's one thing to note: all the images and big praise we're seeing so far have been from LG G5 users, and while the update is for the C5 too, there doesn't seem to be as much discussion of that.

We're breaking out our LG G5 and LG C5 units right now to test the differences on both TVs ourselves, and we'll follow up with what we find.

Who'll benefit from the LG update – and who probably won't

The people most likely to benefit are those of us who watch TV in fairly bright rooms, where your eye can never full adjust to a super-dark image, and where reflections and ambient light tend to crush and obscure shadows more, meaning nuanced dark areas become a big black mush.

One of the most detailed posts is by Redditor International-Oil377, who says that "Cinema home is the most interesting that received an update. It’s not as bright as vivid but still quite a bit brighter than FMM [Filmmaker Mode]. The highlights pop less than FMM but still remain impactful in a lot of cases."

However, their post suggests that the update won't be of much interest to serious home cinema owners as it doesn't change Filmmaker Mode – but "Not everyone has a dark theater in room in their basement, so I can see many people appreciating this change."

So if you've been struggling with the visibility of your 2025 LG OLED in Dolby Vision modes, this could be the update you've been waiting for – though there's no word on a similar boost for the LG B5 yet, which arguably would benefit from it even more, since it's a dimmer TV to begin with.

We're in the process of breaking out our C5 and G5 TVs to test the update and see exactly how big a difference it makes, but going by Reddit it's pretty significant and welcomed by many.

Thinking of buying a new TV?

Try our TV size and model finder! You tell it how far you sit from your TV, we'll tell you what size to buy based on viewing angle advice from image quality experts, and we'll recommend our three top TVs at that size for different prices.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.