From the moment I powered on my LG TV for the first time, I knew I’d made the right decision about which TV to buy. I opted for the LG C5, and not only does it look incredible and sound fantastic, but I’ve also been really impressed by the number of customization options it offers.
I’ve always found that with any new TV, the out-of-the-box experience is usually good, but it isn’t always perfect. Sometimes, all it takes is a little fine-tuning, tinkering with the settings, and exploring its features to get things just right. Fortunately, LG TVs are packed with options that let you personalize your TV and instantly improve the overall experience, whether that’s completely overhauling the home screen, making it easier to switch between inputs, or enhancing the picture quality even further.
Here are five tweaks I’ve made to my LG TV that have made a huge difference, and I highly recommend trying them on yours as well.
Change the names of your TV’s HDMI inputs
Make switching inputs a breeze
I have four devices connected to my LG TV, so I’m constantly switching between inputs throughout the day depending on what I’m doing, whether it’s my PC, Switch 2, Roku, or PS5. When you first plug a device into your TV’s HDMI port, LG tries to automatically detect what it is and name the input accordingly, making it easier to identify. However, while LG tries its best, the name it gives isn’t always the most accurate.
Thankfully, LG lets you manually change the name of each HDMI input on your TV through its Home Hub, so you can name each input exactly what you want. I’ve done this for all the devices connected to my LG TV, and while it’s a small change, I really like how much more organized it makes all my inputs look. I’ve also found that it makes switching between inputs quicker, since I always know exactly what I’m selecting. If you have a lot of devices hooked up to your TV, this takes only a few seconds, and it’s well worth it in the long run.
Here’s how to rename the HDMI inputs on your LG TV:
1. Press the Input button on your remote to open the LG Home Hub.
2. Select the three-dot menu in the top-right corner.
3. Choose Edit Inputs.
4. Select the HDMI input you want to rename.
5. Enter the new name and select Save.
If you cast a lot to your TV using your phone or tablet, you can also change the name of your TV so it’s easier to identify and cast to. To do this, go to Settings > Support > TV Information > Device Name.
Rearrange the home screen apps
Jump into your favorite apps faster
If you spend a lot of time streaming on your LG TV and rely on its built-in apps to do so, one of the things I highly recommend doing is rearranging the apps on your home screen so they’re organized in a way that makes it as easy as possible to jump into your favorite streaming services.
By default, LG lays out all your apps in a straight line on the home screen, but you can easily rearrange them so the apps you actually use are front and center. LG also automatically includes a number of apps in this list, so if there are any you don’t use, it’s worth removing them entirely to help clean up your home screen.
Here’s how to rearrange the apps on your home screen:
1. Hover over the app you want to move on the home screen.
2. Press and hold the select button on your remote.
3. A new screen will pop up, allowing you to move the app left or right in the list, depending on where you want it to appear.
4. Once you’ve moved it to where you want it, press the select button again to place it there.
Alternatively, if you want to remove an app from the home screen, hover over it, hold down the select button, and select the eye icon to hide it or the trash bin icon to uninstall it.
Quiz
LG Smart TVs
Trivia Challenge
From OLED breakthroughs to webOS wizardry — how well do you really know LG’s television legacy?
webOSOLEDHistoryFeaturesTechnology
In what year did LG Electronics first launch its Smart TV platform under the ‘LG Smart TV’ branding?
Correct! LG officially launched its Smart TV lineup in 2011, bringing internet connectivity and app access to its televisions. This was part of a broader industry push to turn TVs into connected entertainment hubs.
Not quite — LG introduced its Smart TV platform in 2011. While connected TV concepts existed earlier, 2011 was the year LG formalized and branded the experience, coinciding with a wave of smart TV launches across the industry.
LG acquired the webOS operating system from which company to power its Smart TVs?
Correct! LG acquired webOS from HP in 2013, which had originally obtained it through its purchase of Palm in 2010. LG repurposed the mobile OS into a smart TV platform, debuting it on TVs at CES 2014.
The correct answer is HP, which inherited webOS through its 2010 acquisition of Palm. LG bought the platform from HP in 2013 and transformed it from a struggling mobile OS into the backbone of its Smart TV ecosystem.
LG became the first company to mass-produce large-screen OLED TVs for consumers. What screen size did their landmark 2013 model feature?
Correct! LG’s groundbreaking 55-inch OLED TV, the 55EM9600, made history as the first commercially available large-screen OLED television. Despite its eye-watering price tag of around $15,000, it marked a turning point for display technology.
The correct size was 55 inches — LG’s 55EM9600 launched as the world’s first mass-produced large-screen OLED TV. It was an engineering marvel at the time, though its steep price kept it out of most living rooms initially.
What is the name of LG’s AI-powered voice assistant integrated into its Smart TVs?
Correct! LG’s AI platform is called ThinQ AI, which powers voice commands, smart home integration, and personalized content recommendations across LG’s Smart TV lineup. LG TVs also support third-party assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
The answer is ThinQ AI — LG’s proprietary artificial intelligence platform that underpins voice control and smart home features on its TVs. ThinQ also connects LG’s broader ecosystem of home appliances under one unified AI umbrella.
LG’s QNED TV technology combines quantum dot filters with which other display enhancement technology?
Correct! LG’s QNED technology combines quantum dot and NanoCell filter layers with a Mini LED backlight system, allowing for more precise local dimming zones and improved contrast compared to traditional LED LCD sets.
The right answer is Mini LED backlighting. LG’s QNED TVs layer quantum dot and NanoCell technologies on top of a Mini LED backlight, creating a panel that punches above its weight in contrast and color accuracy compared to standard LCD displays.
Which unique hardware accessory, shaped like a magic wand, does LG provide to navigate webOS on its Smart TVs?
Correct! The Magic Remote is LG’s iconic gyroscopic remote control that lets users point and click on screen like a mouse. It also supports voice commands and scroll wheel input, making webOS navigation feel fluid and intuitive.
It’s called the Magic Remote — LG’s signature motion-sensing remote that uses a gyroscope to let users point at the screen and select items like a cursor. It’s been a hallmark of the LG Smart TV experience for over a decade.
Before the LG name existed, the company was formed from the merger of two South Korean firms. Which two companies merged to create LG?
Correct! LG stands for Lucky Goldstar — the result of a merger between Lucky (a chemicals company) and Goldstar (an electronics firm). The company rebranded to LG in 1995 as part of its push to become a globally recognized consumer electronics brand.
The answer is Lucky and Goldstar. LG is literally an abbreviation of those two company names, and the brand adopted its current identity in 1995. Goldstar was already known for producing televisions before the rebrand elevated LG to global prominence.
LG’s G-series OLED TVs use a special panel mounting design that places the TV flush against a wall with virtually no gap. What is this feature called?
Correct! LG’s Zero Gap Wall Mount system allows the G-series OLED Evo TVs to sit just millimeters from the wall, giving them an art-gallery aesthetic when mounted. The design eliminates unsightly gaps and cable clutter for a sleek, built-in look.
The correct term is Zero Gap Wall Mount, exclusive to LG’s G-series OLED lineup. The innovative mount lets the TV sit almost perfectly flush against the wall, mimicking the look of a framed painting — a concept LG calls its Gallery series design philosophy.
Your Score
/ 8
Thanks for playing!
Turn off Energy Saving settings
Unlock higher brightness on your TV
When I first started playing games and watching movies on my LG TV, I was impressed by the picture quality, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was off with the brightness. Everything just looked slightly dimmer than it should, and I knew the TV was capable of getting much brighter. Thankfully, I was able to fix this pretty quickly by diving into the settings menu, and the culprit turned out to be the energy-saving features that were automatically enabled.
A lot of new smart TVs come with energy-saving features enabled by default to help reduce power consumption, and LG TVs are no exception. To be fair, these features can be handy if you’re trying to keep your energy bill down and save some money. But on the other hand, if you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on a TV and want to get the best picture quality possible, I think it’s worth turning them off.
On LG TVs, there are two primary energy-saving features to look out for. The first is the Picture Mode. If you go to Settings > Picture > Picture Mode, you might notice that your TV is set to Auto Power Save. Switching the mode to something else, such as Standard, Sports, or Cinema, should improve the brightness right away.
Another energy-saving feature on LG TVs is called Energy Saving Step. It uses your TV’s built-in light sensor to automatically adjust the screen’s brightness based on the lighting conditions in your room. When I first came across this, I thought it sounded pretty handy, but in reality, I found that it never quite made my TV as bright as I wanted it to be. So I ended up turning it off entirely, which keeps the brightness consistently high regardless of how dark or bright my room is.
Here’s how to turn off Energy Saving Step:
1. Open the Settings menu on your LG TV by long-pressing the settings button (the gear icon) on your remote.
2. Navigate to General > Energy Saving > Energy Saving Step.
3. Select Off.
Alternatively, you can choose from the different Energy Saving Step levels if you’d rather experiment and find a setting that works best for you.
Remove ads from the home screen
Your TV doesn’t have to be a billboard
By default, LG fills the home screen on its TVs with ads, which can be pretty distracting. Personally, I prefer my TV not to look like an ad billboard every time I turn it on, especially when all I want to do is open an app or switch inputs.
While not every TV brand lets you get rid of home screen ads, LG does. So, if you don’t want to be stuck looking at ads every time you turn on your TV or use the home screen, you don’t have to be. All you need to do is turn off two settings in the settings menu: Home Promotion and Content Recommendations. Here’s how:
1. Open up the Settings menu on your TV.
2. Navigate to General > System > Additional Settings > Home Settings.
3. Turn off Home Promotion.
4. Turn off Content Recommendations.
LG also has ads that appear when your TV goes idle, which you can disable by going to General > System > Additional Settings > Screen Saver Settings.
Try using the USB ports
Make your LG TV more versatile
One thing I regret not doing sooner with my LG TV is using its USB ports. Most LG TVs come equipped with a handful of USB ports, and while they may not seem all that useful at first, there are actually plenty of ways you can use them to enhance your experience.
The first thing I used one of my LG TV’s USB ports for was plugging in a portable hard drive loaded with old movies so I could watch them on my TV. LG TVs have a built-in media player that supports a variety of file formats, including AVI, MP4, and MKV. So, if you have any old movies or shows saved and want to watch them on your TV, you can simply load them onto a USB stick or portable hard drive and watch them on the big screen.
Another way you can use your LG TV’s USB ports is to connect a Gigabit Ethernet adapter and get much faster internet speeds. While most LG TVs have a built-in Ethernet port, the issue is that it’s limited to 10/100 Ethernet, meaning it tops out at 100 Mbps. So, if you want much faster internet speeds while still getting the reliability of a wired Ethernet connection, a Gigabit Ethernet adapter is the way to go.
I picked up a UGREEN Gigabit Ethernet adapter for my LG TV for just $12, and it’s worked great. However, since my LG TV’s USB ports are limited to USB 2.0, the fastest speeds I’ve been able to get are around 320 Mbps. That’s still more than two times faster than the built-in Ethernet port, though, so it’s been a worthwhile upgrade for me.
- Brand
-
LG
- Display Size
-
42, 48, 55, 65, 77, or 83 inches
- Operating System
-
webOS
- Display Type
-
OLED
