Switching to a 42-inch LG C2 OLED TV as a Monitor! 

Hey Chaps! Would you be tempted to use a TV as a Monitor??

This is awesome! Just unboxed mine yesterday, looking forward to seeing how it performs as a monitor.

As one of the first adopters of the 42in size I have been really looking forward to this screen. I have had the 43uf7600 for years and when I first got it gpu's only supported 30hz at 4k so it has been a long road. I would not trade the 42in size for anything else it just works so well for my workflow.

Switched to the 48" C1 several months back and LOVE IT! Think of it more like Quad 24" monitors, AND be sure to add ultrawide resolutions to your video card and you get the best of all worlds!!

I've been using 40" 4K TVs as my main monitor for about 4 years now, currently a Samsung 40MU6120. It's very tempting to upgrade to this for the 120Hz among other things. I've been very happy with the size, I found that having the backlight set to around half is enough and that wall mounting the TV so the weight of it is off the desk really helps deal with its bulk.

I was a bit disappointed that you didn’t show more of your experience using it as a computer monitor to do work on. You showed a lot of gaming and video footage, but if you’re going to swap out a dedicated computer monitor for this, it’d be nice to see how its usability is for more text based activity. A common complaint is that the large screen size causes neck strain since you might be having to tilt your head up a lot to view content at the top of the screen. And what about how it represents text on the screen? It’s a 4K panel but sometimes text on a tv isn’t as sharp as text on a true monitor. By the way, looking at the document full screen was just too funny. 2/3 of the screen was wasted space. Lol. I look forward to your update.

Looks pretty cool! Would love to see how video editing on that would look. Bummer about that auto dimming issue. For my new Mac Studio, I went with the GIGABYTE M32U, a nice 32" 16x9 ratio, that extra height is really nice for FCP timeline editing, plus 144hz on Mac is fantastic. It also has a nice KMV switch for toggling over to my gaming PC. I too had issues finding sufficient info on cable needed for 4k/120 on macOS, but I went with a USB-C to DP 1.4 cable and it worked out great!

I agree the 42" would probably be the sweet spot for a large screen without being ridiculous on a regular desk. I have the 48" C1 and it's great as a secondary monitor sitting a bit further away with a recliner.

i have a LG C1 55" for some months now and still loving it. Picture quality always impresses me, i''m using it as a media hub more than i was expecting. The compromises are manageable!

I use the lg cx with my pc and it is absolutely stunning. I wasn’t expecting it to be so impressive. Like you say, the only down side is the size. I don’t know how or why but it seems to run better than my 4k 144hz monitor. And that hdr is perfect. If you have a high end pc, this is a perfect high end display (assuming this model is the same/better than the cx)

You need to enable amd freesync premium for vrr across lower refresh rates (increased range where max refresh >=2.5x min allows frame doubling when low fps) and you can get 4k120 with a Mac by using a thunderbolt adapter to DisplayPort 1.4+ instead of naive hdmi To get around abl dimming you can use the service menu to disable the limiter at risk of your warranty.

I just bought the same thing to replace my 48CX. Man, this 42C2 is amazing. PERFECT desk size, just perfect!

I'm excited for this to hit the shelves at my local tech shop. I am currently running a 49" Neo G9 as my primary with a 43" ASUS Strix as my secondary, so I can enjoy both ultrawide gaming and 16:9 content together but admittedly this 43" ASUS does not even come close to living up to the picture punchiness of the older 48" LG CX I was using before. I was running that 48" but wanted a secondary monitor and the only way to accommodate that with my desk at the time was with a stacked setup. So 38" curved on top of a flat 48" and you can probably already imagine the neck strain. I just hope this new smaller LG OLED footprint in the 42" size lives up to the colors and performance that I appreciated on my old LG.

Looks really good, picture quality looks stunning. Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on any eye strain issues in the coming weeks.

That dimming issue most certainly affects movie playback, as the tv will always confuse a long take as a blank screen and dim. It doesn’t even need to be a bright shot. I was haunted by this issue for an entire year and tried all the bandaid solutions you listed. Finally I discovered there is a secret menu which you can access online or with a tech remote where the dimming function can be turned off. You then just have to make sure to manually make sure the screen is not sitting in a bright image for too long. Or just turn it back on while you are not doing work that will be interrupted by the dimming issue. It is an insane “feature” that certainly needs a better solution!

I use the LG C1 55" as my desktop monitor. So far I love it. Also great for gaming with the PS5 and PC. I don't find that the size bothers me any. Best monitor I have ever had.

I love my CX 55", been using it as a desktop for over 4200 hours. No burn in! You can also get /4k/120hz on these TV's without HDMI 2.1, so long as you change the color settings in the nVidia software to 8-bit. That's how I rocked this TV when I didn't have a 30 series GPU.

A sort of workaround I found to the auto dimming is to max out the OLED light and use windows to manage brightness. You need windows 11 though to configure SDR and HDR brightness seperately. This will trick the screen that's its on max brightness and be less agressive with the abl. Of course you can also acess the service menu and actually disable it. It's just more work. Edit: With colour manager's LG remote in you can access the service menu with no service remote. The setting you need to disable is TPC. Really made using it with static HUDs a lot easier and less annoying.

@The Tech Chap You can use a thunderbolt to HDMI/DP cable to get 120hz or better on the Mac. Works with my MacBook Pro. Is a little tricky getting a cable that supports this correctly.

Im really loving how this 42 inch tv is looking. I currently have a 3 monitor setup but I really would love to be able to have my PS5, Series x, and gaming PC all in one setup. I definitely have plans of grabbing one of these this year for sure and finally start gaming and watching movies on an OLED screen.

This was just the video I was waiting for. That dimming thing seems like an issue but since I'll only be gaming via PC or console seems like it won't be an issue. Now I just gotta save up to buy it. Thx mate

The auto-dimming after long periods of showing the same static image can be turned off with a service remote, what you're referring to is ABSL (Automatic Brightness Static Limiter). I got the same issue working on my C1 48" and will probably turn that setting off, it might reduce the lifespan of the panel though, not too sure.

After having numerous monitors I switched to the 48 C1 last year and never looked back ! Colours and HDR are absolutely insane ! I use it for work and games and its been brilliant.. yes the dimming is annoying at times but a very small nit pick for an other wise god like tv/monitor! 111 % recommendation!

Depends from someone pocket in first place and second what seek from a tv screen. OLeds are well known for deep black levels, sharp picture, depth of the picture. QLeds are for color accuracy and brightness levels. Maybe the new S95B was the choice for me as long this tv combine the best of the two worlds with it's QD OLed technology. But the prices are high for this tv and general for OLed tv's. So an good quality QLed tv maybe is the best choice for me when we speak of performance/value for money.

I was crazy after such a setup till my late 20s (2009-10). Now, after seeing your idea and facing huge losses due to moisture and old abandoned house, I would love to revive my long overdue plan. Thanks a lot !

Hello Chap! How deep is the desk you are using / how far away are you sitting from the 42" C2? I wanted to know if you have a minimum recommended desk depth, because I wanted to put a new desk next to me with this monitor on it, and I wasn't sure how deep of a desk would be the absolute minimum.

I bought a C1 48 because of your last video you made and mention in this video, it is big to play games on but it’s a great combo for having a small bedroom, the response rate in game mode is nearly as good as most monitors if not equally as good and the picture is amazing. Love it 👍

I have been using a 48" C1 for the past year and LOVE IT.

Just saw this awesome review 🙂 I'm curious, did you replace your 38" with this? 🙂 I just tried the 48gq900-b and it was a bit too big and the pixel density was too low for me. ABL was also an issue for me while developing/working. My issue is I REALLY like the contrast you get with OLED 🥳 Now looking for something a bit smaller to get a better pixel density, but also bigger than a 32" 4K. I'm considering moving to micro led with quantum dot technology, like the new 43" G7 from Samsung or the bigger 57" 8K G9 Neo. Just to avoid burn in and ABL. What do you think? I do more productivity than gaming, but when I game I want quality, for my quality time 😊

My own experience with 42": It'll take a week to get used to it and after that you'll learn to navigate and focus on the bigger screen and have a lot more benefits than the first newbie impression.

Watching this from my LG OLED 42C2! I agree totally. The monitor is amazing. But for desktop productivity and working the auto dimming has been really annoying me. I have followed your advice to reduce the brightness down a bit. Aside from that its amazing.

Your videos are so clean that whenever I watch it on my 1080p toshiba smart it feels like 4k. And when i watch on my iPhone 12, oboyyy it feels so good

I love the video! Keep up the great content! The setup is really clean and I was wondering if you could tell me the length and width of your desk? I’m looking to get the C2 but feel like I need a bigger desk

This looks really awesome. I just switched to the exact same ultrawide you're replacing ironically so i'm not looking to switch away any time soon but that does look incredible if I was to switch. I go back and forth on OLED devices but I never have bought any (other than my iPhone 13 Pro) due to my fear of burn-in. The picture quality is incredible though but probably not worth my anxiety about hurting it so QLED it would be for me.

I still want an even smaller verions 32-37”, but this is definitely a step “up” from the 48 that I tried last year!

I use the 48” C1 as my monitor. Love it!! Had to wall mount it and move my desk back a bit but worth it

November 2021 I bought the LG C1 48" for my PC setup on a 48"x30" standing desk and while the TV/monitor was beautiful and performed amazingly, it barely fit on my desk and I lost a lot of screen real estate since the monitor was too tall and too wide for me. So while the C2 offers really no worthy advancement in performance, the 42" model is the perfect size for a large noncurved or UW screen. The good news is that the C1 just went into my bedroom and replaced a 12+-year-old 42" LCD TV, which highlights the pro of buying a TV as a monitor. So the Tech Chap makes a good point of just waiting for a sale, but most sales would be in Q4 and maybe you would see $200 off at most. IMO, saving $200 but having to wait 6 months doesn't make sense. Alienware's 34" UW OLED is still $1300 and the C2 42" at some big box stores is $1350. If you need a monitor now, the C2 42" at $1350 is still a great value compared to other OLED or premium monitor options.

8:00 - You could get a service remote and turn off ABSL in the secret service menu. This solves your dimming issue 100%, the normal settings do not allow this. It's also not cooling/heat related like you stated, but it's supposed to prevent excessive burn-in. The algorithm detects the majority of the image is not moving for too long and thinks the image is paused. A certain percentage of the screen's pixels need to change colors. Otherwise it will dim all pixels to prevent increased pixel burn-in / retention. This feature increases longevity of the organic LEDs, but really sucks for monitor usage. That's of course because - at the end of the day - it has TV software. Lastly a question: did you try out the native ultrawide aspect ratio which is a new feature on the C2? It introduces black bars top and bottom and makes it more like an ultra wide. I heard the resolution and quality of this setting is shit and also HDR doesn't work properly then.

I've been using TV's as monitors for the last 5-6 years and have nothing to complain about. I really like the large work surface I get (biggest one I used was 55 ") for my photo editing. Never really had any reason to complain about color accuracy. Also great for keeping multiple windows of different programs open and visible at the same time too. For instanec when using a DAW, amp sim, and drum track etc at the same time. It's great to have access to everything at the same time. The caveat for my experience is that I never do any gaming what so ever, so no idea what that is like compared to a good gaming monitor. .

Just literally set mine up now and wow I must say this is great, coming from a 4K LG monitor this blows it away, lots more testing to be done but I am a happy chappy

And thanks so much for the auto dimming Issue, this is HUGE and absolutely eliminates this for my usecase, thank you!

Man I wish they’d make a 36”

I've been using my LG C1 48" since last summer now and I love it. Kind of jealous now that the 42" is out, but I'm not sure it's worth it to switch at this point. I will say I'll never go back to a "normal" monitor again. Every time I use this thing I think how lucky I am to have it.

I am going shopping this weekend!!

Always enjoy ur reviews. Got my 42c2 a month ago and it those go up to 12bit at 4K 120hz 👌

Anybody know what desk he is using here? I wish he made a recommendation or told us, because these tv/monitors require a fitting desk like this

I would have preferred 42" as well to replace my 38" UW, but looking at the prices I went with the 48" C1 two weeks ago. 900 Euro are just unbeatable considering that the C2 42" is still not available everywhere and almost costs double. I don't regret it and also don't suffer from any eye strain and / or headaches no matter how long I sit in front of it. However, I wish we would see the support of DP and / or USB-C on TV's by now or at least some trend to consolidate this mess.

I considered doing this yesterday but I really wanted to be able to watch TV in my office and save room. So I went with a 32 inch 1080p TV because of price differences. My new mini computer is coming tomorrow and I'm looking forward to the nice upgrades. So much less clutter.

Nice video! Would you make a video about the best cheap tv's in the market for like -800k? Would be really helpful, but maybe difficult. Anyways, thanks for the quality videos🙏

The lg c2 42 will get the wbe panel like the bigger and g series TV's. Lg recognized that the wbc panels were put on early models but should be rolling out the wbe panel shortly. I currently have the aorus fv43 QLED panel and it's pretty amazing. Colors are vibrant blacks are deep but oled is just amazing. I had the lg cx 48 and it was just to big. I'm not a fan of ultra wides for normal PC work use so I wanted a nice flat display. I will be picking up the c2 this fall once the new panels arrive.

I hope you can answer this question... do you instantly get a motherboard + windows logo after boot, or do you get "No Signal" until the windows login screen?

Thanks for the review - Did it like it or you changed your mind about it later?

I love my 43in TCL($175) my DevOps work with a tiling window manager. It's exacly like 4 21.5 screens without the bezels. Keeps me very organized for my workflow

I'm using a 48" LG CX as a PC monitor. After getting a service remote and disable the auto-dimming 'feature' on the service menu (which made it basically unusable for any kind of prolonged text work on the desktop), to me the biggest disadvantage of using this as a monitor is the lack of a standby feature. Unlike a real computer monitor, the CX will NOT enter standby mode when the screen goes off - instead it will display a bouncing 'No Signal' logo on the screen until it finally turns itself off 20 minutes or so later. Once it has turned itself off, wiggling the mouse does not bring it to life as it does with a real PC monitor on standby, you have to wiggle the mouse AND use the remote to wake it up. This is already annoying on a single monitor system, but it becomes almost a deal breaker on a multi-monitor system that is left running 24/7. You see, when the CX turns itself off, unlike a monitor in standby mode it disappears from the list of currently plugged in monitors in Windows. This means ALL the windows on the CX desktop are automatically moved to your secondary monitor, piling it up with whatever is already in there. Now, there are software workarounds (such as Monitor Keeper) which will remember window positions and reposition them when you turn the CX back on, but it's still a clumsy thing and does not work so well under Windows 11 (minimized windows are not moved back to the CX). All this could be easily solved via firmware if only LG added a standby mode to any input identified as being connected to a PC instead of that 'No Signal' action followed by turning itself off 20 minutes later (which makes sense for TVs but not for computer monitors).

Thanks for the review! I just want to buy it for my PC as a monitor. How is it holding up? Is it good or you don't advise to buy it?

I got used to the 48" C1 from about 28" pretty quickly...I think it is awesome. Actually considering one of the 42 inch as a second display

I've been using the 48inch CX for the last year and it's been on at least 8 hours per day and there's no burn in to be found yet. I love how massive it is, and I cannot go back to anything smaller. It feels like going back to a tablet in comparison

Hey Tom, Just to let you know I purchased this TV based on your recommendation & I am thrilled with it. Set it up today so still learning. I followed your advice & got it for £800.00 from Amazon. I love your reviews.

Hi Tom, how would you rate your experience in the long run? Would you recommend it for Video editing in eg Davinci or such? Or would a Neo G7 or G8 be better? HDMI 2.1 is important for me too. I got a 65CX in my living room, so I really LOVE OLEDs, but the fear of burn-in, especially while using it on a computer, is definitely there. Did you happen to find a solution for Mac and getting to 120HZ?

Nice thank you, great video. Just wanted to know how big your desk is and how far you sit from the tv? Would be nice to know. Thanks.

The lux meter you are using measures illuminance = amount of light falling on a surface. You can't use it to measure luminance in nits = emitted light by a surface. Closest approximation would be lux/pi or lux/3.14 but you really need a proper luminance meter that measures in nits.

I've been using tvs as PC monitors for ages My first tv was a 32" 720p :) and now I've got a 46" 1080p :) I'm used to using huge screens and since I fell in love with an OLED, my next one is going to be a 65 oled :) I'm a bit concerned about burn-in I know what it looks like cause I have a 2017 LG model at home and I have noticed the issue lately but I just hope they have really improved on it :)

I was waiting for this one :D Thanks for the review. I'm interested in knowing more about your new desk, what size did you go for? Also, did you happen to see any color uniformity issues on the edges when using in desktop mode with white background?

Considering doing the same. I have a C6 that had image retention that needed screen replacement. I'm hoping LG has improved on that issue. Is this a major concern for someone considering using this as a PC monitor?

For your Mac, you just use USB-C to HDMI to get high refresh rates. Do a search for USB-C to HDMI 2.1 adapter and you'll find them that support 4k and up to 144hz.

The issue with all these screens, and I have used upto 55 inch as a monitor is that it's all limited to 4k. And that makes the pixels more apparent as the screen sizes get larger but the resolution remains the same. These sizes will become more usable as a monitor when 8k becomes the norm and then using 42 inches at 8k would be a pixel perfect joy.

I have used a 40" and 43" in the past. For the last 4 years I've been using a 49" - that I am about to replace with a 55". Difference being it is wall mounted at an ergonomic height, with a cantilevered sit/stand keyboard/mouse arm that allows me to adjust the height and distance. Sitting 1.2m away from the 49" is very comfortable with this. Rtings recently gave the QN90B their highest recommendation for PC use - they are in the process of getting a QN95 for testing, which should surpass it. I saw a C9 owner who got a QN95 comment that it unexpectedly blew them away with its colour, and the blacks on it were close to the OLED.

Thanks for the great video! I'm in the market for a 34' UW monitor due to some vision impairment (getting old), but never considered a 42 inch option like this. I have M1 Mac Studio using two Dell UltraSharp 24/22' monitors and it works OK for me I sit about two to three feet away from my main monitor, plus i'm using a wide and deep sit/stand desk so I could set this up and push the monitor back if needed. However, I can't have a glossy finish and how is the font scaling using this monitor? Especially on the Dock and Menu bars of the Mac?

I have a 48" C1 and I love it for playing games and watching content, but I would not be able to use it as a primary display. Still concerned about burn-in, lack of wake from sleep options, etc. Would love to see them make a proper 32"-40" monitor using the same tech. Also, the size- the 32" monitor I use now feels absolutely massive on my desk and I don't think a 42" would work.

The bigger desk is the key. I tried a 48 inch on a 60cm deep desk and it was really sore on my eyes and gave headaches. I changed to a 100cm desk and mounted the monitor to the desk so it was as far away as possible. No issues since!

A few months ago i bought a TCL 43C725 (43") TV to use as a monitor and I love it. The cost was only £280 (Costco, with 5 year warranty) for a QLED 4K HDR display with android tv built in, which i find has a better system for app choices than other tv's like LG and Samsung with their own limited app selection. I am not a big gamer so only having 60Hz wasn't an issue but I am blown away by the great colour with this TV and Blacks are really good too. The only issue I have is a slightly darker band on the right hand side of the screen when showing a white background but I can live with that. I used to have a 32" Benq 1440p monitor which had banding so I am used to it but this TCL TV has less banding than the Benq. When OLED gets cheap enough then that will be the next step up for me. EDIT: I have just checked Costco and it is currently down to £249.89!

The processor you mention is just the image processor. TV's use ARM based chipsets of various kinds to drive function. If snappier it likely has an updated chipset.

What about productivity? Is the PPI enough to get good text clarity? Can you split the screen well? Will you use it as your main monitor from now on?

You should be able to get an adapter that will do HDMI 2.1. Thunderbolt 4 doesn't *quite* have the full bandwidth to drive HDMI 2.1 all the way to its max spec, but it *can* do better than the built-in HDMI 2.0 port. For example 4k/144 should be possible with the "HyperDrive USB-C to 8K 60Hz / 4K 144Hz HDMI Adapter" (no link because youtube will think that's spam, but you can just google for it…).

Way late to the party, but I just snagged this off of Amazon for $996. Seems like a great deal. I had also tried the 48” when it was released, but was a bit too much. In addition, I’m moving up from the LG 38WN95C-W that you have… I flipping loved the 48” that’s is now used as just a TV so am pumped for this!

Hey there! Thanks for the video! I´ve seen a few videos now about the monitor because im interested in it aswell. I always saw the issue, that the panel has like a color shift/hue shift/idk from the middle to one side where the white gets more of an blue. Especially when watching white content. Have you experienced that? Thanks a lot!

Would love to see how 21:9 ultra wide gaming looks on the 42 inch oled vs your 38 inch. I have a similar 38 inch monitor and have thought about switching, but I love the 21:9 fov

It is such a shame that 42" version does not have the same panel as 55", 65" versions... u pay for last year model basically.

I’ve been using a an LG CX “55 as a monitor for the last two years. The difference for me is I use it to display virtual machines from my MacBook Pro that I use for work. I have them in various aspect ratios and typically have 4 on-screen at any given time. The biggest is the equivalent of a 27” monitor. Because I can move them around I don’t t experience any strain. I also have a PS5 and gaming PC connected. I keep the background black to preserve the screen. Have not had any burn-in or image retention issues. Works great. I am very interested, however, in the 42”.

Been using the CX for 2 years. Love it. Just wish the refresh rate was higher. Sad to see this is still 120hz.

Hi Tom, i think you didnt mention anything on text clarity in the video. I am considering this for an office monitor and wonder if the text is as clear on the C2 as on a 27 inch monitor. Thanks!

Definitely would prefer 40” if available, but on OLED vs QLED, so long as it doesn’t use PWM flickering which makes me sick, would prefer OLED.

I’m still loving the 48”. I have mine on a monitor arm but the stand on the 42 seems perfect.

It looks absolutely stunning 👍

I think the perfect size for a monitor is 32". Anything bigger than that is just too big and can cause eye strain. I have the m7 to use with my windows PC and Nintendo switch and it works great. It's wall mounted so I can pull out if I want it closer to the couch when watching tv. Otherwise I go downstairs to the bigger tv and home theater setup.

Good to know the auto-dimming is still an issue. I returned my 48” C1 because of this issue, and was curious if LG had fixed it.

Thanks for this review although I am still on the fence and plan to wait for "Black Friday" or other Christmas holiday-related sales. God bless

I once used a 40 inch TV as a monitor years ago. It wasn't a TV designed for PC or even gaming use. There was definitely eye strain because of the size of the screen. It was great for gaming, and nice for productivity.

I've been using the C1 48" for about 8 months now. I love it for gaming! The auto-dimming is annoying when trying to do any productivity work but I find like you said in the video, switching tabs or even minimizing then full-screening an app sorts it out. The only slight regret I have is I'd have much preferred the 42" version rather than the 48" version, but this wasn't out at the time. It's not the size, it's the stand. The stand on the 48" is just HUGE, I really like the look of the new stand and the fact you can route cables under it. Over all, OLED gaming is top notch and I really do recommend it

Long term burn-in the only thing concerns me...

You can turn off the auto dimming feature using the LG Service remote, which you can buy relatively cheap through Chinese suppliers (around €35). I had the same experience and after i turned it off, it is a lot better (LG C1 48)

omg, perfect timing, just as I was looking to buy this tv, thank you legend!

Still way to big as a monitor for me personally. 32 inches is my max and even then I would prefer 27. Would rather just spend a little bit more and get 55+ inches for an amazing TV.

This is pretty much exactly what I want I just hate how pricey it is

Hey Tech Chap, I got an Acer Predator CG437K-S 43" (the version with 2 x HDMI 2.1, USB-C and DP 1.4) and I'm loving it! Don't have to worry about OLED and checks all the boxes I wanted : 4k, 144hz, HDR1000, 43" .... plus I got it with 45% discount from MSRP! Have you tried this monitor as well ?

When I first heard about the possibility of a 42-in option early last year, I waited but couldn't wait any longer and bought the 48-in CX. Honestly, I love the screen but it is a challenge that I have to step at about 90 cm when my desk is about 60 while gaming. I tend to view web pages on a smaller scale rather than full scale.

42 inch would be a great size. The 38 inch ultrawide is by no means too large, and the 42 is the same width, just taller. I'm sorely tempted to upgrade, my own LG 38 inch is fantastic, but you can't really claim it can do deep blacks or anything remotely approaching HDR.

Don’t do it! It will burn in and LG won’t help you. I have a $3k+ 65inch oled that’s unusable after 2 years. And that’s not even being used as a computer monitor. The LG OS elements and RU-vid buttons and logo are what burned in

Great vid!! Also do a review for those Asus OLED gaming monitor

How far do you need to sit so it doesn't stain your eyes? What's the minimum brightness level nits? Does reducing the pixel brightness below 50 completely stop the auto dimming? Is is certified flicker free for monitor use?