I watched the Super Bowl on LG's award-winning C5 OLED TV — and now I know why it's our best-rated display
Touchdown!
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I watch exactly one football game every year, the Super Bowl, because, if I'm being honest, everyone else in the US does, too. In fact, I watch very little sports on my TVs, and until Sunday night, I didn't know what I was missing.
I don't mean the game. It was a bit of a snoozefest with the Seattle Seahawks basically steamrolling the seemingly inexperienced New England Patriots and their, at least for this game, struggling quarterback. I'm talking about my TV, the spectacular 65-inch LG 65-inch C5 OLED TV.
When it was time to redo my livingroom, I chose what our TechRadar review called "one of 2025's best TVs." It is a wonder: supremely thin and light, feature-packed and with a picture that delivers clarity, color, contrast, and smooth motion all in equal and extraordinary measure.
While the TV lists for $2,699.99, I paid roughly $1,650 for it last fall. Now, it's tumbled to its lowest price ever during Best Buy's early Presidents' Day sale, coming in (with a special $100 add-on discount) at just $1,399.99.
Look, that's a great deal, and having watched TV and streaming content on it for the last few months, I'm already a huge fan, but yesterday's pigskin game drove my adoration to a whole new level.
Awarded five out of five stars in our LG C5 review, the OLED display delivers an outstanding picture thanks to LG's Alpha 9 AI processor Gen8, impressive gaming features, and a comprehensive smart platform featuring all-new AI capabilities. Make sure you tick the "save an extra $100" to save the full amount.
It's funny, I had a 65-inch TV in that spot before the LG C5, but it was an aging, LCD TCL. Yes, it was 4K, but it had wide bezels around the image, was thick and heavy, and there was significant backlight bleedthrough. The difference between it and my new LG is beyond stark.
NBC was broadcasting the Super Bowl in 4k and it felt like every pixel showed up.
As I watched the teams line up at the 50-yard line, I noticed the bright white New England uniforms and the deep blue Seahawks outfits. Every player was sharply rendered, and as the backfield went in motion and the quarterback stepped back into position, I noticed the total lack of streaking or smearing, likely thanks to the 144 Hz refresh rate.
While I watched the game unfold and fought the urge to stand up and try to touch the green turf, my wife wandered into the room. She had no plan to watch the game, but even she noticed the difference, "Wow, this is a TV for football," she said, and then sat down on the couch (a spot she maintained for the next hour). She reminded me that not only did the game look amazing on this set, but so did the latest season of Bridgerton on Netflix. Having sat through a couple of episodes, I did not disagree.
If it weren't for the high-quality of the LG C5, I wonder if I would have stuck with the yawnfest of a game, but then came the half-time show with Bad Bunny. What a feast for the eyes. The fields of corn looked like they were planted on my wall. Every dancer was clearly rendered with not a gyration missed.
A set built for the big game
Later, when the confetti sprayed into the air and the Seahawks celebrated their win, the scene remarkably did not dissolve into a muddy mess, overwhelmed, as some screens are by too much information. I'll credit the TV's Alpha a9 Gen 8 AI processor with that throughput.
I'm not saying the TV is perfect. I wish it had better sound (though Bad Bunny and Lady Gaga did sound pretty, pretty good), WebOS is a bit overwrought, and the remote is meh, at best. Still, you buy a set like this for the imagery, and it is top-notch.
The 65-inch LG C5 might be the first UHD good enough to convince me to start watching the NFL all season long. Or maybe I'll just watch the rest of Bridgerton. Either way, I suggest you check out this Best Buy Deal, it's worth every penny, and it might not be this cheap again (and least not in time for the start of the next season).
More of today's best Presidents' Day sales
- Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
- Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $99
- Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
- Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
- Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
- Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
- Lowe's: up to 40% off appliances, furniture & tools
- Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
- Target: 40% off clothing, tech & furniture
- Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
- Wayfair: 54% off furniture, rugs & decor
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A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.
Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.
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