Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good TV, albeit with a few problems
Comment: Overall, this TV is great; offering 3 HDMI ports, a RGB VHS port, 2 component video ports, etc., it's clearly not lacking.
I'll only delve into what I *don't* like about this TV.
1) Aside from a component and S-VHS port on the side of the TV, everything's on the back. If you are using the TV on a table, this wouldn't be a problem. But if you want to wall-mount, if say your buddy brings over his XBOX360, unless it is one that supports HDMI (and you have an HDMI cable into say your DVD player), you'd have to unmount the TV, hook up an HDMI cable, re-mount the TV. Is it the end of the world? No, but it is a definite pain. Especially considering there are other TV's which have the hook-ups on the side (likely for this very reason).
2) In certain cases (very dark scenes), the TV has almost a 'milky' looking background. It's hard to describe, and I likely wouldn't have even noticed it, until I saw a review on another forum complaining about this. Is it an actual defect? I don't know -- I haven't contacted LG (yet), as it rarely exhibits itself, but when it does, it is annoying.
3) As noted above, it has 3 HDMI ports. UNFORTUNATELY, if you want to use a Harmony remote, you can only program it to 'directly' connect to HDMI1 or HDMI2, NOT HDMI3. I've attempted to work-around this, but have had only limited success. (I could alternatively program the remote to navigate input selection differently, but that would result in increased time to switch to a port.)
Those are really the only two *bad* things I have to say about this TV. Otherwise, it's great. Note that I'm not an expert by any means, and clearly the source used to feed it can also have a direct impact (I use a PS3 for Blu-Ray, HD-A2 for HD-DVD, a NAD T-534 for SD-DVD, and Comcast HD Digital Cable).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good TV with very good features
Comment: I've had this TV for a couple weeks now, so although I cannot comment on the reliability of this TV, I can comment on its performance.
When I was shopping for an HDTV, this was the least expensive HDTV that I could find in the 45"-49" size that would accept 1080p over VGA and component inputs (not common) in addition to HDMI. This included plasma TVs.
Overall, the TV is very good in the $1500 price range. It has very good off-angle viewing for an LCD (something LCDs aren't good at). The black levels are average for an LCD, which most people won't have a problem with. With sports, I find that the TV does a very good job with fast motion. The only time I notice blurring or pixelation is when a logo/graphic moves across the screen (Fox does this periodically during football games when doing instant replays).
I have not watched any HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies yet, so I can't comment on how 1080p looks, but the picture quality with TV programming (720p or 1080i) is excellent. When watching standard def TV (480i), I find that the TV does a good job with scaling.
For all you "green" people, you will like the fact that this TV is Energy Star compliant.
Other comments:
Remote/controls - The remote allows you to choose which input to display. This may not sound like much, but some TVs force you to go through each input in order if you want to change it. With this TV, you simply press the Input button, then use the arrow buttons to highlight which input to select. There is also a set of buttons (on/off, volume, channel, etc.) on the right-hand side of the TV. They aren't very noticeable, so they won't detract from the design of the TV, but are handy if you need them.
Speakers - I find that the built-in speakers are average. If you need to turn up the volume (above 60), I find that the speakers don't get enough power, so you get some vibrating noise. This isn't a big deal if you plan on using a receiver and external speakers.
Stand - The stand that comes mounted on the TV is very basic. It doesn't allow you to swivel, so turning the TV involves turning the stand as well.
Color settings - The TV comes with four preset video settings, plus two custom ones that you can set. The default setting (Dynamic) is set too high and makes all programs look horrible (washed out and jaggy). I recommend using the following settings (which I found on AVSForum):
Contrast 85
Brightness 40
Color 60
Tint 0
Sharpness 37
Backlight 17
Black level high (only available if using HDMI)
cinime 3.2 mode - off
aspect 16.9
xd - manual
xd contrast - off
xd color - off
xd noise - on
color temp - user (all are set on 0)
With these settings, the picture looks significantly better across all types of programming. I would recommend people use these settings as a starting point, then make their own adjustments. The default setting is too far off to watch any TV or movies (regardless of the source resolution).
Another nice feature is each input has its own distinct video setting. That means that the video settings for the Component 1 input can be set differently from the HDMI 1 input. This is nice because you may find that you like different settings depending on your video source. For example, I like using the Dynamic for my Xbox 360, but for cable, I use the above settings.
Documentation - The TV comes with a printed booklet, which is more like a "quick start guide". It also comes with a CD which contains the PDF versions of the owner's manual. Despite it being 113 pages long, it doesn't do a very good job describing the different settings that you can change. It simply lists the different options.
Packaging - LG does an excellent job packaging this TV. It's in a normal rectangular cardboard box (like most HDTVs). The difference, however, is that you can take the sides and top off when unpacking the TV... kind of like taking the cover off a dessert tray. This makes removing the TV from the box a one-person job. Although relatively light (about 83 lbs with the stand; 70 lbs without), I still recommend having another person when lifting the TV.
Connections - 1080p is supported over VGA, HDMI and component. The main connections are located on the back of the TV, which you then can route the cables downward. There are also a set of inputs on the left-hand side of the TV (USB - for photos or MP3s, S-video, composite).
Firmware - Many TVs offer the ability to upgrade the firmware simply by downloading the update from the manufacturer's website onto a USB memory stick. Unfortunately, I have no idea if this TV offers the same functionality. The manual doesn't state anything, and I wasn't able to find any information on LG's website. My guess is that it doesn't support this, but I have not verified this with LG.
Tuner - This TV has a built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, so if you want to, you can simply connect an external antenna (e.g. "rabbit ears") to get over-the-air (OTA) digital signals (including HD). I tested this functionality, and it comes in very well. The downside with OTA signals is that if the signal isn't strong enough, you will notice pixelation or freezing. This is normal with digital programming, because with digital... you're either receiving the signal or not.
Here's a link to LG's website for more info on the TV. You can find the specs for this TV and the owner's manual here.
[...]
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great buy
Comment: I just hooked this tv to HDTV cable and it is WOW!!!. I have been researching on LCD for about 3 months now and was all set to spend about 3 k for the 'S' brands before I saw this one which gave me equaly great product for half the cost. Visit local store and check out this one before buying anything else in this size.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great TV for the price
Comment: I paid $1499 for this TV and have had it for about a week now. I am very satisfied using it with FIOS HD. The Motorola box provides a 1080i signal and HD channels and programming such as "Planet Earth" are stunning. I was looking for a good TV for a modest apartment and no crazy HD Theater setup...this TV fits the bill. If you want to get picky about black colors, wall mounting, shadowing on gaming this review is not for you. I simply wanted to say that I am happy with the TV, it looks nice and I'm enjoying it.
Why not 4 stars? My macbook pro, at 1080P does not fill the entire screen as it should. Yup.. I'm using a DVI > HDMI converter. The new macbooks can and do push a great 1080P signal and the TV has a black frame of about 2 inches around the display... other than that.. I would have given it 5 stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good value at this price point
Comment: This 1080P flat panel LCD High-definition television provides value at a low price point. Overall picture quality appears to be good, however the black level is not really adjustable (i.e., too bright black level even on the "low black level" setting) and the black level across the screen doesn't appear to be uniformly black, with some visible and non-uniform areas or splotches appearing when in a very dark room and the screen is blacked out.
Additionally, there is a somewhat more serious issue if you intend to mount this HTV panel to the wall--the flat panel mounting screw holes are too far apart for a standard VESA mount - I had to saw my wall mounting plate in half at attach it to the wall securely in two, slightly separated pieces. This is a bit of a disappointment. If you intend to wall mount, first talk to your mounting hardware supplier to see if you can get one that suspends a mounting surface that is greater than 32 inches wide.
Summary: Good TV, albeit with a few problems
Comment: Overall, this TV is great; offering 3 HDMI ports, a RGB VHS port, 2 component video ports, etc., it's clearly not lacking.
I'll only delve into what I *don't* like about this TV.
1) Aside from a component and S-VHS port on the side of the TV, everything's on the back. If you are using the TV on a table, this wouldn't be a problem. But if you want to wall-mount, if say your buddy brings over his XBOX360, unless it is one that supports HDMI (and you have an HDMI cable into say your DVD player), you'd have to unmount the TV, hook up an HDMI cable, re-mount the TV. Is it the end of the world? No, but it is a definite pain. Especially considering there are other TV's which have the hook-ups on the side (likely for this very reason).
2) In certain cases (very dark scenes), the TV has almost a 'milky' looking background. It's hard to describe, and I likely wouldn't have even noticed it, until I saw a review on another forum complaining about this. Is it an actual defect? I don't know -- I haven't contacted LG (yet), as it rarely exhibits itself, but when it does, it is annoying.
3) As noted above, it has 3 HDMI ports. UNFORTUNATELY, if you want to use a Harmony remote, you can only program it to 'directly' connect to HDMI1 or HDMI2, NOT HDMI3. I've attempted to work-around this, but have had only limited success. (I could alternatively program the remote to navigate input selection differently, but that would result in increased time to switch to a port.)
Those are really the only two *bad* things I have to say about this TV. Otherwise, it's great. Note that I'm not an expert by any means, and clearly the source used to feed it can also have a direct impact (I use a PS3 for Blu-Ray, HD-A2 for HD-DVD, a NAD T-534 for SD-DVD, and Comcast HD Digital Cable).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good TV with very good features
Comment: I've had this TV for a couple weeks now, so although I cannot comment on the reliability of this TV, I can comment on its performance.
When I was shopping for an HDTV, this was the least expensive HDTV that I could find in the 45"-49" size that would accept 1080p over VGA and component inputs (not common) in addition to HDMI. This included plasma TVs.
Overall, the TV is very good in the $1500 price range. It has very good off-angle viewing for an LCD (something LCDs aren't good at). The black levels are average for an LCD, which most people won't have a problem with. With sports, I find that the TV does a very good job with fast motion. The only time I notice blurring or pixelation is when a logo/graphic moves across the screen (Fox does this periodically during football games when doing instant replays).
I have not watched any HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies yet, so I can't comment on how 1080p looks, but the picture quality with TV programming (720p or 1080i) is excellent. When watching standard def TV (480i), I find that the TV does a good job with scaling.
For all you "green" people, you will like the fact that this TV is Energy Star compliant.
Other comments:
Remote/controls - The remote allows you to choose which input to display. This may not sound like much, but some TVs force you to go through each input in order if you want to change it. With this TV, you simply press the Input button, then use the arrow buttons to highlight which input to select. There is also a set of buttons (on/off, volume, channel, etc.) on the right-hand side of the TV. They aren't very noticeable, so they won't detract from the design of the TV, but are handy if you need them.
Speakers - I find that the built-in speakers are average. If you need to turn up the volume (above 60), I find that the speakers don't get enough power, so you get some vibrating noise. This isn't a big deal if you plan on using a receiver and external speakers.
Stand - The stand that comes mounted on the TV is very basic. It doesn't allow you to swivel, so turning the TV involves turning the stand as well.
Color settings - The TV comes with four preset video settings, plus two custom ones that you can set. The default setting (Dynamic) is set too high and makes all programs look horrible (washed out and jaggy). I recommend using the following settings (which I found on AVSForum):
Contrast 85
Brightness 40
Color 60
Tint 0
Sharpness 37
Backlight 17
Black level high (only available if using HDMI)
cinime 3.2 mode - off
aspect 16.9
xd - manual
xd contrast - off
xd color - off
xd noise - on
color temp - user (all are set on 0)
With these settings, the picture looks significantly better across all types of programming. I would recommend people use these settings as a starting point, then make their own adjustments. The default setting is too far off to watch any TV or movies (regardless of the source resolution).
Another nice feature is each input has its own distinct video setting. That means that the video settings for the Component 1 input can be set differently from the HDMI 1 input. This is nice because you may find that you like different settings depending on your video source. For example, I like using the Dynamic for my Xbox 360, but for cable, I use the above settings.
Documentation - The TV comes with a printed booklet, which is more like a "quick start guide". It also comes with a CD which contains the PDF versions of the owner's manual. Despite it being 113 pages long, it doesn't do a very good job describing the different settings that you can change. It simply lists the different options.
Packaging - LG does an excellent job packaging this TV. It's in a normal rectangular cardboard box (like most HDTVs). The difference, however, is that you can take the sides and top off when unpacking the TV... kind of like taking the cover off a dessert tray. This makes removing the TV from the box a one-person job. Although relatively light (about 83 lbs with the stand; 70 lbs without), I still recommend having another person when lifting the TV.
Connections - 1080p is supported over VGA, HDMI and component. The main connections are located on the back of the TV, which you then can route the cables downward. There are also a set of inputs on the left-hand side of the TV (USB - for photos or MP3s, S-video, composite).
Firmware - Many TVs offer the ability to upgrade the firmware simply by downloading the update from the manufacturer's website onto a USB memory stick. Unfortunately, I have no idea if this TV offers the same functionality. The manual doesn't state anything, and I wasn't able to find any information on LG's website. My guess is that it doesn't support this, but I have not verified this with LG.
Tuner - This TV has a built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, so if you want to, you can simply connect an external antenna (e.g. "rabbit ears") to get over-the-air (OTA) digital signals (including HD). I tested this functionality, and it comes in very well. The downside with OTA signals is that if the signal isn't strong enough, you will notice pixelation or freezing. This is normal with digital programming, because with digital... you're either receiving the signal or not.
Here's a link to LG's website for more info on the TV. You can find the specs for this TV and the owner's manual here.
[...]
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great buy
Comment: I just hooked this tv to HDTV cable and it is WOW!!!. I have been researching on LCD for about 3 months now and was all set to spend about 3 k for the 'S' brands before I saw this one which gave me equaly great product for half the cost. Visit local store and check out this one before buying anything else in this size.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great TV for the price
Comment: I paid $1499 for this TV and have had it for about a week now. I am very satisfied using it with FIOS HD. The Motorola box provides a 1080i signal and HD channels and programming such as "Planet Earth" are stunning. I was looking for a good TV for a modest apartment and no crazy HD Theater setup...this TV fits the bill. If you want to get picky about black colors, wall mounting, shadowing on gaming this review is not for you. I simply wanted to say that I am happy with the TV, it looks nice and I'm enjoying it.
Why not 4 stars? My macbook pro, at 1080P does not fill the entire screen as it should. Yup.. I'm using a DVI > HDMI converter. The new macbooks can and do push a great 1080P signal and the TV has a black frame of about 2 inches around the display... other than that.. I would have given it 5 stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good value at this price point
Comment: This 1080P flat panel LCD High-definition television provides value at a low price point. Overall picture quality appears to be good, however the black level is not really adjustable (i.e., too bright black level even on the "low black level" setting) and the black level across the screen doesn't appear to be uniformly black, with some visible and non-uniform areas or splotches appearing when in a very dark room and the screen is blacked out.
Additionally, there is a somewhat more serious issue if you intend to mount this HTV panel to the wall--the flat panel mounting screw holes are too far apart for a standard VESA mount - I had to saw my wall mounting plate in half at attach it to the wall securely in two, slightly separated pieces. This is a bit of a disappointment. If you intend to wall mount, first talk to your mounting hardware supplier to see if you can get one that suspends a mounting surface that is greater than 32 inches wide.