LG 42LV5500 User Reviews
Kalidescope Picture by KaraokeJunkie
The dazzling clarity and expanded color spectrum are a welcomed benefit of the this LED TV. Actually, they are amazing compared to my last TV. And the Magic Motion remote is a new toy to enjoy on the internet using the LG Dongle in the USB interface port. The picture is bright and clear and almost life-like, like no other I've ever owned. And the Smart TV applications are simple to use and very cool!! I am very satisfied I chose LG, so much so that I also bought an LG 2011 Network Blu-Ray player which is Region Free because it contains an internal converter.
First day impression by M.R. Reynolds
I selected this TV based on size and the good picture I saw on this model at Sears. Purchased from Amazon after price shopping. UPS delivered a slightly scuffed up shipping box. The shipping box said it had the AUSYLJR panel. I compared the LG web site contrast ratio to the two different Amazon stated contrast ratio and none agree. Installing the base with eight screws was easy. After my DW assisted me in carefully lifting the TV to the top of my dresser I was ready for the smoke test. But first I noticed a small factory nick on the frame under the protective sticky tape. One star deduction for this blemish. On power up the set went into a simple set up mode but I was stopped cold when it first wanted to scan OTA channels. I hooked up some powered rabbit ears and let it automatically do it's thing. Once that was done I switched the input to an HDMI cable from my cable box and all looked good. It was quite easy getting a WiFi connection. All I had to do was enter my Linky password. Then I clicked on Netflix and got an authorization message. Meanwhile the TV started updating its software which took maybe 10 minutes. After it rebooted I discovered that it erased my Linky password so I entered that again. Now for the Netflix test.
I selected the documentary Restrepo, hooked in my headphones and began the Netflix test. Immediately I was blown away by the video and audio quality I was watching. Trust me. It was outstanding ! !
Great for Newbies to HDTV by B. McEwan
I consider myself relatively savvy about technology but I have not had an HDTV before purchasing this LG model. Since I am not anywhere near as sophisticated as some others who have already reviewed this television, I thought it would be good for me to write a review for other informed consumers who are just moving into the HDTV realm and concerned about getting their equipment set up and working properly. I have now had this TV for a week and am overall very happy with it.
First, it arrived well packaged, with clear instructions about setup, which took me all of about 10 minutes. I am using the included stand rather than a wall mount. The TV comes with two remotes, one of which is standard with all the buttons, bells and whistles and another "magic wand" type that is super simple and elegant to use. If you hook up a gaming system to this TV, the wand remote will put you right in heaven.
Although I have high def cable, I first set up the TV without connecting it to the cable so that I could see how it operated on its own. With the aid of a cheap digital antenna the LG pulled in 47 different stations, all in absolutely breathtaking clarity. The picture is truly beautiful and definitely rates a 5. The sound, however, is a different story. It seems muffled and at times the TV has to be turned up quite high in order to clearly hear certain programs, especially anything that has a dramatic scene where the actors are whispering or speaking against background noise. Then, of course, the sound level blasts you out of your seat when the scene changes to a commercial or a something where the sound is less nuanced. I rate the sound a 3, which is why my overall rating for picture *and* sound averages to a 4. I plan to purchase some good speakers and connect them to the television, which should take care of the sound problems.
When it came time to connect the LG to my cable box, I opted to use an HDMI connection because it's the simplest, although you can also use an RGB connection and get close to the same quality as the HDMI. (The set also has standard composite connection sockets, but why accept that loss in quality after you've already gone to the trouble and expense of purchasing an HDTV?)
Nice TV, Reasonably Capable DLNA Implementation by J Stewart
I've had this TV for a few weeks and am pleased with it. The picture is sharp and overcomes the ambient light issues we have in the family room where it is installed. While I have it hooked directly to my media server PC (running TwonkyMedia Manager) via HDMI cable, the DLNA implementation (plugged into my wired 1GB Ethernet network) is nice and actually easier to use than the 1920x1080p PC-mode display.
My only gripe is the separation of digital and analog TV stations into separate groups. Rather than interleaving the digital and analog stations into a single sequence, you either have to cycle through all of one group before getting to the next or you have to specifically select a channel from either group (not all that difficult) to allow you to cycle through that group. My Samsung and Sony Bravia TV's behave in my preferred manner. The audio from the built-in speakers has been adequate for my needs. While I've played around with the free LG applications, I consider them a frill that isn't worth my time.
If NetFlix ever provides a reasonable selection of new movies, I might consider using that embedded application, but for now, the basic TV capabilities are sufficient. Overall, I'm quite pleased with my purchase.
