Television

Introduction Why keep it simple, when we can make things complicated instead? In Korean manufacturer LG Electronics’ naming system, the most expensive and – they claim – best TVs don’t have the highest numbers in their names. In the current catalog, therefore, it’s the LH 5000, and not the LH 7000, that leads the way. But the LH 7000 series ...

Introduction Family trees don’t always run in perfectly straight lines. But while the twists and turns of real life often result from personal weaknesses or a stroke of fate, the confusion in TV-manufacturer LG’s family tree seems to be pure coincidence. Whatever the cause may be, the fact is: You cannot tell where LH-series TVs fit in the family simply ...

What Hooked Us: Integrated hard-disk recorder (160 GB). Permanent buffering for time-shift TV, any time you like. Well-adjusted presets. Why We Grumbled: Average contrast and motion clarity. Inaccurate 24p reproduction. Display brightness cannot be adjusted. No headphone socket. The Final Verdict: It’s a 42-incher with a built-in hard-disk recorder — sounds pretty good for 750 pounds. Well, it’s not that ...

What Hooked Us: Excellent motion clarity if you turn down the brightness. Decent SDTV signal processing. Super-sleek design. Why We Grumbled: Low maximum contrast. Imperfections in HDTV processing. Weak sound. No S-Video or headphone connections. Judder in 24p movies. The Final Verdict: OK, this is a great everyday TV — it’d be unfair to say otherwise. What we can say ...

What Hooked Us: Excellent motion clarity. Loads of picture settings. Low power consumption. Accurate 24p reproduction. Why We Grumbled: Bluish residual illumination. Weak sound from the built-in speakers. Way too little contrast. Reflective front panel. The Final Verdict: LG’s chic new flat-panel scores plus-points for its gorgeous design, accurate video processing, decent motion clarity, and low power consumption. But we’re ...

What Hooked Us: Good colour balance. First-rate video processing. Accurate 24p. Sharp motion. Lots of picture settings. Why We Grumbled: Low contrast. Tuner picture lacks sharpness. Awkward operation in TV mode. The Final Verdict: Plenty of value for money: The LG impresses with a bright picture, excellent video processing, a large number of picture controls, and decent built-in speakers. But ...