LG 3D SMART TV - Review

OK. Even though LG’s smart TV doesn’t have as many apps as Samsung’s smart tv, the apps are much better.  Let’s start with the menu. The menu is one of the cleanest ones  I’ve seen, and I’ve used almost every smart TV there is except for Philips. The simplicity of the layout gives great advantages in using the magic remote. I also noticed the speed is a lot faster than Samsung’s and Sony’s smart tv.

Now I’ll talk about the main app I use on the TV, facebook. To access this app, you need to set your privacy settings on your facebook account to allow access from the TV. You’ll have to do this from a computer by going to http://tvfacebook.lge.com . Afterwards, you can access your account from your TV. It has all the functions as using from the computer. You can watch videos, look at images, and even comment on them. Everything looks better IMO on the TV.

Another app that I enjoy is the MLB app. This app lets you watch any MLB game that is on, way better than watching games you’re not interested in on FOX or TNT. You can also watch previous games that you may have missed.  You can access it by just clicking it on the premium apps menu.

Youtube is another great app on this TV. All you have to do is click the app and type in any video you would like to see and you’re set. Watching the vids on a big screen definitely looks nicer.

There are definitely a lot of great apps on LG’s smart TV. More and more quality apps are introduced with each firmware update. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next one.

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LG 3D SMART TV

Can you say smart? TVs are now called Smart TV, well at least LG models are. Im surprised they don’t come with a given IQ score. These Smart TVs are packed with all sorts of goodies; Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, MLB, you name it. All the stuff from the PC, straight onto your big screen TV.  That’s not all, facebook, the world’s most popular social networking site has now integrated its site into the Smart TV software. You can now enjoy everything with the touch of the magic wand remote, which is a remote with only a few buttons that utilizes a cursor on the TV to access the functions. The best thing is, all this can be enjoyed while sitting on the couch. I will post an update with an detailed review shortly.

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Worlds most energy-friendly LCD TV

Say good bye to expensive heat… well in this case electricity.  You may now be able to pay your bills on time after those countless football games on a big HDTV. LG has developed a TV utilizing a one-sided Edge method, allowing only 28 w of usage while turned on, giving it the title, “Worlds most energy-friendly LCD TV”.

Power consumption is one of the main problems of big TVs especially plasmas, leaving consumers reluctant on purchasing current mainstream models. The difference in power consumption can be quite significant per inch when crossing over the 40” barrier. That is why engineers have been constantly working on developing more power-efficient products.

“LG says that they have set a new record as their 47-inch TV consumes just 28 W – even less than most 20-inch monitors today. LG also claims that they still achieve a fairly high brightness level from the 47-inch panel, which has a slim 8.5 mm bezel.  The low power consumption level is made possible by using one-sided Edge LED backlighting. Instead of incorporating LEDs on all sides or on top and bottom, LG has integrated LEDs on only one side of the LCD panel, thus lowering power consumption because fewer LED are lit. The light is distributed across the panel with a light diffuser”. http://www.flatpanelshd.com

LG has not announced a date for when these new panels will be implemented into current TV models however we can expect them in the lineup as earlier as next year. 

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47LW5700 vs 44UND7000

I recently got the chance to check out two 3D LED TVs at a friend’s house and had enough time to do a small review.  The two models he had were the LG 47LW5700 and the Samsung UN44D7000.  He mostly does gaming on the LG and watches movies on the Samsung but this review will only cover the movie part.

Both TVs are 3D TVs and have a resolution of 1080p in both modes (2D, 3D) although the LG one is a passive type which means they require the use of polarized glasses (battery-free) while sending images to both eyes simultaneously when showing 3D images. The Samsung TV is an active type which shows its 3D images by the TV transmitting each image to the shutter glasses for each eye one at a time. This is done at a high rate of speed through the use of the battery-powered shutter glasses.

Now the remote for these two TVs are completely different.  LG uses a wand-like remote which has a only a few buttons with a motion sensor attached to the front. The Samsung uses the traditional remote with many buttons for each function. I highly preferred the LG remote. 

The glasses were quite interesting. The LG cinema 3D glasses didn’t look as nice as the Samsung shutter glasses, but after trying them on it was a different story.  The Cinema 3D glasses were very comfortable and didn’t have any like coming through from the top of the frames. The shutter glasses on the other hand were fairly heavy and uncomfortable. At times they felt like they were dangling from my head. The amount of movement restriction these glasses implement is quite annoying. 

Time was limited so the movie I chose to use was Tron, a highly demanding 3D title for blue-ray.  Both TVs had great, crisp 2D images. I was surprised to see such a difference in brightness between the two. The black levels seemed pretty mediocre but overall both did great. 

In 3D mode is where things started to differ. Even though LG’s  3D technology is the passive type, its resolution seemed more detailed. This might have been due to the crosstalk that kept occurring on the Samsung. Some of the images just didn’t seem that great.  LG is the winner for 3D.

LW5700, notice the clean crisp image

44UND7000, has some blurring and detail issues

I wish I had the chance to test out gaming on these two TVs but didn’t have enough time. My friend uses the LG for gaming and recommended it over the Samsung.  I might follow up with one in the future.

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LG LW5300, LG's newest most affordable 3D LED TV

Today I want to discuss the new passive 3D LED TV that has been just released by LG. The LW5300 is one of the lower-end TVs  in LG’s cinema 3D line up but certainly proves to be a major contender for people who want an affordable 3D TV without sacrificing too much performance.

55" LW5300

Cinema 3D Glasses

 I’ll get right into the specs of this TV. The LW5300 is a passive 3D TV with LED Plus and Full HD resolution panels with Local Dimming giving you deep black levels and richer colors. The TV is equipped with plus Trumotion technology rated at 120Hz giving you virtually no blurring and includes Picture Wizard II self-calibration tech.  We can forget the flickers that are associated with active 3D TVs as this TV is certified flicker free. This TV comes in 47” and 55” models.  The 47” model is priced at around $900 and the 55” around $1300. This TV comes with four pairs of cinema 3D glasses which I will talk more about.

These cinema 3D glasses are not only battery-free but weigh at approximately 14 grams (1/2 oz).  They feel rather weightless yet at the same time durable enough to wear without them falling off. Now I noticed something that review sites don’t ever mention which is the light leakage from the active shutter glasses (active 3D types). If you ever happen to try them on and watch a movie, you will notice a lot of light leak in and out of the top part of the lens, which can be extremely annoying. The Cinema 3D glasses that come with this TV have very large lens that prevents light leakage through the top. 

For a 3D LED TV that’s 47” costing under a thousand bucks is certainly a great deal, especially when most of the TVs come bundled with a blue-ray player and a couple movies. You can find out more about these deals by searching google shopping or other internet retailers.  

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Toshiba glasses-free and being broke , both available in 3D

Toshiba recently announced a 55-inch glasses-free 3D TV called Regza 55X3 which will be available in December 2011 in Japan.  The TV will be able to show 2D resolution at a mind-boggling 3,840 x 2,160 resolution using two CEVO image processors. Now I’m still at awe when I see my 1920 x 1080 resolution on my LG LW9800 and yet this TV has double the amount?? A big waste of money; only for the purest TV enthusiast indeed, especially when priced at a whopping $10,000. And with the highest percentage of TVs purchased by consumers being  21-34 aged males, I highly doubt many have 10 grand saved up at all, and yet for a TV.  Now lets take a look at the stats on paper:

Regza 55X3

55”

3840 x 2160 resolution in 2D

1280 x 720 resolution in 3D ( My LG LW9800 is 1080p in 3D)

120 hz rating (Mine is 480hz)

No glasses required

 Price $10,000 est.

Sorry to say, I’m not impressed in the least bit. 720p in 3D? That’s a lower resolution in 3D than a LW9800 47 inch model which you can get for under $3000.  Usually, when something totally new is released, consumers have the obligation to pay a premium for the new technology. With that being said, as with all new techs, it isn’t the best possible grade. 3D TV has been around for quite some time now and the ONLY thing this TV boasts besides a heavy price tag is the “glasses-free” 3D feature which I would gladly omit from my TV if it had a $10,000 price tag. My LG cinema 3D glasses weigh 14 grams, that’s next to nothing.  Toshiba may deserve some credit for opening the door to the future for glasses-free 3D TV, but with current TV technology being so great and this being just a tip-toe ahead, I’ll wait.  

LG 47LW9800 ($2800 est)

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