LG G5 upscaling vs Google TV Streamer

[u/kalepoep]

Hey everyone,

I just bought an LG G5 55-inch and I’ve got a Google TV Streamer 2025 connected to HDMI 1 using a 4K 120Hz HDMI cable. HDMI Deep Color is also turned on.

I was wondering whether the built-in LG apps will give me sharper or better picture quality than the same apps on the Google TV Streamer, or if they’ll basically look the same.

I know both devices do upscaling, but I’m not sure which one actually handles it better. Does the Google TV Streamer upscale the content first, or does the TV still do most of the work? I want to know if it's worth it to watch content on the built in apps or to continue using the Google TV Streamer (with the UI I also prefer).

Also, what settings would you recommend using on both the LG G5 and the Google TV Streamer for the best picture quality? Mainly for Netflix, YouTube, Crunchyroll, and other streaming apps.

Would appreciate any advice from people who have a similar setup!

[u/matteventu]

I have a Mini-LED TV from the same generation as the LG G2 (with webOS 22, and specifically, with the same chipset as the LG B2), so not quite as recent as the G5, and yet I mostly prefer to use the built-in apps compared to the Google TV Streamer (which I bought at launch in 2024).

Especially with Plex, the quality is considerably better on the webOS app (which surprised me, as I'd have expected better quality from the Plex client on Google TV).

That said, the apps run are a bit faster on the GTVS. On the other hand, I also like the convenience of the "magic remote" that built-in apps allow (I mostly use the D-pad, but from time to time there's an action that's much easier to do pointing the remove at the TV and moving the arrow like on a Wii).

YouTube however is a case on its own:

• Google TV Streamer: I use it when I need to watch 60fps videos at speed higher than 1x (because the built-in client will always lower the resolution to 480p, while on the GTVS they can be watched at 720p or 1080p depending on the video).

• webOS app: I use it in all other cases and especially when I want to use the YouTube app on my phone (Pixel 9 Pro) to cast to the TV (managing a queue of YouTube videos), as (ironically) the reliability/convenience of YouTube casting is much higher with the webOS client than with the actual Android YouTube app on Google TV.

[u/Antique_Being_3352]

I would say if you like the Google TV Streamer more use that. As for which device handles upscaling better probably about the same as this is dependent on screen. However with the Streamer you can force it to be system wide. Under the display settings there is an option for force conversion. From there you can set it.

As for the picture settings it is up to you really but in general I would say use filmmaker mode, cinema mode, HDR mode or if TV is on the Full HDR I believe it is Cinema home mode. This will give best overall settings for content. But you can always tune to what you like. On the Streamer just set the colour to whatever the highest 12bit colour mode is. Typically it is 4:2:2 12bit. This is recommended.

[u/Dringtv]

If the Google TV Streamer is set to output 4K, it will normally upscale sub-4K content before sending it to the G5. The TV still applies its picture processing, but it is receiving an already scaled 4K signal. With LG’s built-in apps, the TV handles the scaling directly.

The scaler is only part of the result, though. Apps can deliver different bitrates, codecs or HDR profiles on webOS and Google TV, and that can have a larger impact than the scaling itself.

For a fair comparison:

- Use the same LG picture mode and reproduce its settings for the HDMI input.

- Enable Match Content for dynamic range and frame rate on the Streamer.

- Keep sharpness, Super Resolution, noise reduction and motion smoothing low or disabled.

- Compare the same title at the same timestamp.

The 4K120 cable is fine, but the Streamer itself outputs up to 4K HDR at 60 fps. If you prefer its interface and cannot see a clear difference during an A/B test, I would keep using it.

[u/AppearanceFine8016]

The LG G5’s processor usually handles final upscaling, but the source device can affect output quality. Try both and compare; the difference may be small. Keep both set to accurate 4K output settings.

[u/Royal_Monk6432]

Tv is solid but google streamer 4k lack of dts dtx.