LG LH55 1080p LCD HDTV Review

LG’s LH55 1080p LCD HDTVs are at the premium end of LG’s LCD range which utilize a conventional CCFL backlight. It differs little from the LH50 series or LH85 with those models having NetCast and Wireless Connectivity as differentiators. The LH55 models deliver a good quality image for a more affordable price than the better performing LED backlit and Plasma HDTVs. Underlying the good picture performance is a dynamic contrast ratio of 80,000:1.

LG LH55 LCD 1080P HDTV

Things to like about the LH55 models are the accurate color reproduction, extensive picture tuning controls (including LG’s excellent Picture Wizard), 250Hz smoothing, market leading 2.7ms response time and a good range of connectivity options. On the negative side, there has been some consistency in user comments about the gray look of areas of solid black. It also should be noted that there is no picture-in-picture (PIP) and an S-video connection is lacking.

TruMotion Drive (240Hz)

To combat motion blur, an inherent weakness of LCD displays, LG has included 240Hz capability which is only available in premium LCD HDTVs at the moment. LG use a “scanning backlight” to insert black frames rather than add extra interpolated frames (as do Samsung and Sony). While 240Hz does technically produce better motion blur reduction, it is not easy to spot the difference to 120Hz.

ISFccc Ready

ISFccc (Imaging Science Foundation Certified Calibration Configuration) Ready means that professional calibration technicians can calibrate a HDTV to deliver the best picture quality for the home theater environment including ambient lighting conditions. Calibration settings can be stored as ISF Day and ISF Night modes, for best image quality in the different lighting conditions.

24p Real Cinema

If you have a 24p output capable device, such as a Blu-ray Disc player, you can watch films on a LG60 LCD HDTV at the 24 fps they were shot at. If video deriving from film is not viewed at 24p, inserted frames can cause some lack of smoothness (judder).

Intelligent Sensor

Ambient light and reflections in the viewing environment affect picture quality. The intelligent sensor included with the LG LH55 models automatically optimizes the picture to the measured lighting level. Not only is the backlight level controlled – the LG video processor also optimizes picture quality elements including brightness, contrast, color, sharpness and white balance. The Intelligent Sensor contributes significantly to the miserly power use of the LH55.

Picture Wizard

Picture Wizard is an interesting and very handy new LG technology making picture calibration easier using on-screen reference points for key picture quality elements such as black level, color, tint, sharpness and backlight levels. It’s a technique common to calibration DVDs available except the test patterns are on-board already.

AV Mode II

With AV Mode II picture and sound settings can be optimized using three AV modes based on video content genre; cinema, sports and game. For the LG LH range, the Cinema Mode has been calibrated using ISFccc standards for a more natural, film-like appearance.

Audio

LG offer a good sound quality system with the LH55 which includes SRS TruSurround XT virtual surround sound. To produce a wider sound field that appears to radiate from the entire HDTV, LG embeds ‘invisible speakers’ at strategic points behind the front of the cabinet

Output Power: 10W x 2
Invisible Speaker System
Clear Voice II
SRS TruSurround XT
Smart Volume Controller
Dolby Digital 5.1 Decoder

Clear Voice II

Some find that background sounds (eg. action films) threatens con make dialog difficult to hear. LG’s Clear Voice technology automatically enhances and amplifies the frequency range of the human voice making dialogue audible when background noise rises in comparative volume. A six position adjustment range is available.