The Smart TV Feature Nobody Talks About
A couple of weeks ago, on The Front Row , the AVSForum podcast, we had a pretty interesting discussion about where TVs are heading in the future. One of the things that came up was how differently younger generations consume content compared to how a lot of us grew up watching movies and television. More and more people are watching content on phones, tablets, and laptops instead of chasing the biggest screen possible. Dare I say the "big screen experience" isn't the priority for everyone in the same way it used to be?
That naturally led to the question of where TVs go from here. If they're no longer just devices dedicated to watching movies and TV shows, what do they become? One point that really stuck with me from that conversation was the idea that TVs are slowly turning into extensions of the smart devices we already carry around in our pockets. They're becoming more lifestyle-oriented products rather than just displays.
The more I thought about that, the more I realized we're already seeing it happen. Maybe not through social media integration just yet, but definitely through the rise of lifestyle TVs over the last few years. The new "Frame TVs" are probably the biggest example of this. Whether home theater enthusiasts like it or not, there's clearly a growing audience that wants a TV to blend into a room and display artwork when it's not being used.
A lot of us on AVSForum might immediately start talking about things like peak brightness, black levels, even blooming, and to be fair, those things absolutely matter. But the reality is every major manufacturer is now pushing further into this category, which tells you there's clearly demand for it.
One thing I often see is people wondering where all of the artwork actually comes from. Are people really downloading images onto USB sticks and manually loading them onto their TVs? That really doesn't seem practical, and I think we're to the point where manufacturers are realizing there's a pretty big market for it. Instead of treating artwork like a side feature, they're building entire ecosystems around it with curated galleries, subscriptions, and downloadable collections directly onto the TV itself.
As many of you have probably already seen, AVSForum is currently partnering with LG for a Review & Win Giveaway centered around LG Gallery+. If you have a LG TV:
-
Sign up for the event to receive a 3 month free subscription voucher,Try LG Gallery+ on your TV
-
Leave your impression and review in the comment section
-
By writing the review, you are automatically entered for a chance to win a 2026 LG Gallery TV (3 Winners)
The link can be found HERE .
With that going on, I reached out to LG because I was curious about Gallery+ myself. Lifestyle TVs and digital artwork on TVs have become a much bigger part of the industry over the last few years, but I had never really spent a lot of time living with an art-focused platform. So for the last couple of weeks, I've been living with LG Gallery+ in my own setup, and there are some really great things about the service, along with a few quirks that stood out during my time with it.
Living With LG Gallery+
But before I dive into all of that, it probably helps to explain what LG Gallery+ actually is. At its core, LG Gallery+ is both a lifestyle feature and a digital art service built into LG smart TVs that turns the television into more of a digital canvas or photo frame when it's not actively being used. Instead of leaving a giant black screen sitting in the middle of the room, the TV can display curated artwork, photography, personal photos, videos, and other ambient content.
The service currently includes over 5,000 pieces of artwork and photography through partnerships with places like the National Gallery and Guggenheim New York. You can also connect Google Photos, create playlists of artwork, pair ambient music with different pieces, and even generate custom images using some of LG's AI tools. One thing I noticed fairly quickly is that the artwork and video backgrounds subtly move over time instead of remaining completely static. LG says this is designed to help reduce the chances of image retention or burn-in over longer periods of use.
Gallery+ is still a fairly new platform, only being around for about 9 to 10 months, but it's essentially LG combining and expanding the older Art Gallery app that many people have probably already seen on previous LG TVs, while also integrating the newer Always Ready functionality. It allows the TV to display artwork, clocks, videos, personal photos, and other themes while the TV itself appears powered off. It basically ends up functioning a bit like a digital photo frame or slideshow built directly into the display. New artwork and content are also added regularly, which helps keep it from feeling repetitive after a while.
As for pricing, there's both a free and paid tier. The free version gives you access to around 100 curated images, along with some of the more basic features like clocks and music pairing. The full version requires a subscription through webOS Pay. LG currently includes a free one-month trial, though you still have to enter a credit card during setup even if you're only using the trial. After that, the service costs $5 per month.
LG Gallery+ is available on all 2025 and 2026 LG TV models running webOS 25 or higher. Owners of select 2022 through 2024 TV models can also enjoy LG Gallery+ by updating the software to the latest version.
Setting Up Gallery+
So how do you actually use it? The process itself is pretty straightforward. Gallery+ is built directly into webOS, so you simply navigate to the main home page and open the Gallery+ app. From there, you log into your LG account, and once everything is connected, you're brought to the main Gallery+ home screen.
The homepage is filled with different collections and categories to browse through, and there's actually a lot more content here than I initially expected. During my time with it, I downloaded tons of artwork from collections like Sedition Digital Art, National Gallery, Loupe Art, and several others. There's even a Ubisoft section for people who want gaming artwork and promotional visuals displayed on the screen.
The interface itself is easy enough to navigate. You can browse by collections, photos, recently viewed content, playlists, and featured artwork. Once you enter a collection, you can download individual images directly to the TV. Download speeds were pretty reasonable during my testing, though I did occasionally notice some lag here and there while navigating larger collections.
One thing I did notice while testing is that Gallery+ limits the number of downloaded items you can have active at one time. You can choose, download, and play up to 10 images, while video content is limited to a single downloaded video. You may be able to download 3-4 small videos, but if you have already downloaded a large video, you can download 1 additional video content due to TV storage limitation. But regardless of the number of downloads, you can only select and play one video at a time. It's not a huge limitation, but it is something to be aware of if you plan on cycling through a large collection of artwork.
You can also download video backgrounds in addition to static artwork. The HD videos are where the service looked the most impressive to me. Some of the ambient landscape and motion backgrounds looked fantastic on a large panel. My only real complaint here is that the interface doesn't always clearly indicate the resolution of the videos before downloading them. There is a dedicated HD downloads section, but outside of that, I downloaded several videos that ended up being standard definition without realizing it beforehand. I do wish LG made the resolution labels more obvious throughout the interface.
Thoughts After Two Weeks
I ended up enjoying LG Gallery+ more than I expected going into it. At first, I looked at it as one of those features that seemed neat but probably wasn't something I'd actually use day to day. The more time I spent with it, though, the more I found myself browsing through different collections and downloading artwork to display around the room. It almost became one of those things where every couple of days I'd find myself going back into the app just to see what else was there.
What really changed my opinion was actually living with it over the course of a couple of weeks instead of just trying it for five minutes. Since the TV was set up in the bedroom, the Always Ready feature would cycle through the artwork I downloaded whenever we walked into the room. And as many of you know, happy wife, happy life. My wife actually ended up loving that aspect of it. Instead of seeing a giant black screen hanging on the wall, it looked more like framed artwork sitting in the room whenever we walked in.
I tend to gravitate more toward the abstract artwork collections, and a lot of them looked really good on the TV. Even on the QN85A I was using, the colors still popped nicely, especially with some of the brighter artwork and motion backgrounds. Sure, there were some collections and pieces that I wasn't really a fan of, but there's so much content available that it never really mattered. If I didn't like something, I'd just delete it and move on to another collection. There's enough variety there that most people will eventually find a style that fits the vibe they're going for.
After spending a couple of weeks with LG Gallery+, I can definitely see the value in what LG is trying to do here. Going into this, I wasn't sure how much I would actually use something like this long term. But once you start living with it day to day, it makes a lot more sense. Yes, it is another paid service, and I know a lot of us are getting a little tired of subscriptions for everything these days. But at $5 a month, or $60 a year, I don't think the pricing is unreasonable for what you're getting here. Between the large artwork library and ambient video, it feels like a much more complete experience than just a basic screensaver app or a YouTube video playing in the background.
I also think a service like this makes a lot more sense when paired with one of the newer lifestyle-focused TVs. Whether people like it or not, TVs are clearly becoming more integrated into room design, and Gallery+ feels like LG recognizing that and building a platform around it. There are still a few quirks with the interface and download limitations that I'd like to see improved over time. But overall, I came away enjoying the experience much more than I expected to, and I'm absolutely continuing to use it moving forward. It's one of those features where you don't really think you need it until you actually spend time living with it. Then once it's gone, the room feels a little empty without it.
The Review and Win LG Gallery+ giveaway is still ongoing, so be sure to check it out at the link below.
