Best Flat Screen Tv: LG 42LD450 42-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LCD HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this TV to replace my 3-year old Samsung Series 3 32" LCD TV in my master bedroom because I wanted a larger size TV now that prices have dropped a good bit (paid over $1,400 for my 32" a few years ago). I debated between this one and a 40" Samsung for the same price, both were 60hz models, which is fine since I'm only using this for my DVR. Since I've seen a few older LGs before that had decent picture quality, I went with this one for it's larger size with slighly better specs than the Samsung, although I've always preferred Samsung. I figured since this was a newer model than those I've seen, with better specs I couldn't lose....I was wrong!

I put this one on the wall where my old one was and my first night watching it I was quite disappointed! Although the picture is sharp and vibratant, it's only that way if you are directly in front of it. The viewing angel is terrible with this set, especially vertically below, which is my problem since I'm using this on a wall in my bedroom and viewing it from the bed, which puts me slighly below the screen (the TV is just above my dresser, maybe 3 feet above the floor). In this position, the screen washes out terribly, much like some of the older laptop displays did. Blacks become gray and colors very washed out. My Samsungs don't have this problem, neither my old 32" or my 52" in the living room. The construction itself is also very flimsy compared to the Samsung models I've owned. It's strange though, that I installed a 42" LG for a friend that's over 2 years older than this one and it was much more solid and has a better picture and viewing angle than this one.

I realize this is a lower-end set, and I did not want the best just for the bedroom, but considering that I replaced a 3 year old set with only 30,000:1 contrast ratio and 720p with this one that is supposed to be 100,000:1 and 1080p and yet my old one produced much deeper blacks and vibrant whites and colors, I'm quite dissapointed.Also, another reviewer mentioned that he didn't notice any backlight coming out of the back, but that's not my experience. While I've seen worse, this one projects a good bit of backlight out through all the vents onto the wall. I guess I can live with it, but why? None of my others had this issue either.

I was considering returning it, but don't feel like going through the hastle and don't want to spend a bunch more money to get a higher-end set. I decided to change my wall mount to a tilt mount and angle the TV downward, with it slighly higher on the wall and that helps a good bit because it gets the viewing angel of the TV perfectly alligned with my viewing area, so it looks pretty good now and I can deal with it.

Bottom line, I'm going to be happy with it, but I'm not truly happy! I wouldn't recommend this one personally and if I had to do it over I probably would have gone with the 40" Samsung instead, or paid a little more to get a 42" or 46" Samsung.

Update on 6/23/2010

After trying to make myself like this TV for 3 days I decided to return it. It is just that bad!Even with the tilt wall mount it still isn't good. The blacks are still very gray and there is so much bright gray coming thru the LCD panel that it just washes out everything and lights up the lower half of my bedroom brightly, even when there's no picture displayed. That and all the backlight purring out of the back onto the walls, which is now much more noticeable with the tilt mount.

I went ahead and ordered the 40" samsung that I probably should have got it the first place and Amazon is making the process easy. They said they will pick up the bad one when they deliver the new one.

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Product Description:
A great way to get into high-definition entertainment, the affordable 42-inch LG 42LD450 LCD HDTV offers 1080p Full HD resolution for crystal-clear detail, multiple AV Modes to optimize the picture depending on what you're watching (Cinema, Sports, or Games), and an amazing 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for more stunning colors and deeper blacks. Other features include a 4ms (millisecond) response time, capability to play MP3 audio files and JPEG photo slideshows from a USB drive, stereo speakers with 20 watts of power and Dolby Digital decoding, and three HDMI inputs.

Key Features

Full HD 1080p resolution
This stunning picture is the reason you wanted HDTV in the first place. With almost double the pixel resolution, Full HD 1080p gives it superior picture quality over standard HDTV. You'll see details and colors like never before.

100,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
No more worrying about dark scenes or dull colors. The dynamic contrast ratio of 100,000:1 delivers more stunning colors and deeper blacks than you can imagine.

AV Mode
Sports, movies and video games are best enjoyed with customized settings. With AV Mode, you can easily select from one of three picture modes for "Cinema", Sports" or "Games" to enjoy an optimized picture and sound experience.

Picture Wizard
Get easy self-calibration with on-screen reference points for key picture quality elements such as black level, color, tint, sharpness and backlight levels. Take the guesswork out of picture adjustments with this simple-to-use feature. It's not actually magic, but it will sure seem that way.

24P Real Cinema
Stay in for the theater. Enjoy a true cinema-like experience in your own home with movies the way they are meant to be seen. LG's Real Cinema technology precisely displays 24p source frames on your screen, the same as on a movie screen. If you love movies, you'll love Real Cinema. ISFccc Calibration Ready
LG's ISFccc Ready HDTVs contain the detailed standards necessary for professional calibration of brightness, contrast, tint, sharpness, color levels and much more to meet local lighting conditions for both day and nighttime viewing. Settings are added to preset modes for easy access from your LG remote. Clear Voice II
Get audio the way it was meant to be heard. Clear Voice II enhances and amplifies the frequency range of the human voice to help keep dialogue audible when background noise swells.
Infinite Sound
What's a great picture without great sounds to match? Infinite Sound delivers an amazing listening experience with deep, rich bass to make the most of your entertainment.

Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital lets you experience compelling 5.1-channel surround sound. And you can trust that you'll get the same great Dolby Digital audio quality no matter what you're watching--a DVD or Blu-Ray Disc, TV programming or downloaded content. Best of all, you can be confident that you'll hear the audio exactly as it was intended, because Dolby Digital is also used to create the soundtracks for movies and games. USB 2.0
Now reliving that fantastic family vacation can happen in the comfort of your living room. Easily connect your external USB devices to enjoy JPEG photos or listen to MP3 files. HDMI V.1.3 with Deep Color
Make installation of any enabled device a snap. Get 10.2Gbps of bandwidth for deeper colors and more to take advantage of the best Full HD experience. HDMI V.1.3 connectivity lets you prepare yourself for tomorrow's technology today. SimpLink
Having a hard time keeping track of your remotes? With SimpLink, all your LG devices can be controlled with just one remote. Smart Energy Saving
With LG's Smart Energy Saving Features, you can conserve money and energy.

Key Specifications

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Connections

HDMI (version 1.3, HDCP):

Component:

Composite A/V:

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PC input (15-pin, D-Sub):

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Digital audio output:

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Dimensions

LG 2010 HDTV Comparison

Series: LD350 LD450 LD520 LD550 LD650 LE5300 LE5400 LE8500 LX6500 PJ350 PK550 PK750 Models: 22-inch
26-inch
32-inch 32-inch
37-inch
42-inch
47-inch 32-inch
42-inch
47-inch
55-inch 32-inch
42-inch
46-inch
52-inch 47-inch
55-inch 22-inch
26-inch
32-inch
37-inch 32-inch
42-inch
47-inch
55-inch 47-inch
55-inch 47-inch
55-inch 42-inch
50-inch 50-inch
60-inch 50-inch
60-inch Panel type LCD LCD LCD LCD LCD LED LCD LED LCD LED LCD 3D LED Plasma Plasma Plasma LED Local Dimming -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3D Ready -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Resolution 720p 1080p 1080p 1080p 1080p 1080p 1080p 1080p 1080p 720p 1080p 1080p Contrast ratio 50k:1
dynamic 100k:1
dynamic 100k:1
dynamic 150k:1
dynamic 200k:1
dynamic 3mil:1
dynamic 4mil:1
dynamic 9mil:1
dynamic 8mil:1
dynamic 3mil:1
dynamic 3mil:1
dynamic 3mil:1
dynamic Refresh rate 60Hz 60Hz 120Hz 120Hz 240Hz 60Hz 120Hz 120Hz 240Hz 600Hz 600Hz 600Hz Response time 5ms 4ms 2.4 2.4 2 2.4ms 2.6ms 1ms 2ms -- -- -- Netcast Entertainment -- -- -- -- -- -- HDMI input 2 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 Component input
(Y, PB, PR) 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 Composite input 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 PC input USB port 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 MP3 and JPEG
playback -- DivX video
playback -- -- -- -- -- Ethernet -- -- -- -- -- -- Wireless 1080p Ready -- -- -- -- -- -- Energy Star -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Series: LD350 LCD LD450 LCD LD520 LCD LD550 LCD LD650 LCD LE5300 LED LE5400 LED LE8500 LED LX6500
3D LED PJ350 Plasma PK550 Plasma PK750 Plasma

Learn More

Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?

With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience.
If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get.

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LG 42LD450 42-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LCD HDTV Review