Every bit as good as I expected

Every bit as good as I expected
By Jamie
This review is a little long winded. Skip to the bottom for just the pros and cons. Or, keep reading to waste 10 minutes of your life.

Over the last 5 years, I have been using a 58" Panasonic Plasma TV. Not a bad TV, but not the greatest either. It was only 1080i, it got hot pretty fast (which made the room hot and the air condition kick on too often), and the dimensions were weird (I looked at entertainment centers that should fit a 60" TV, but the TV still wouldn't fit.). I felt an upgrade was in order.

I'll have to admit, shopping for a TV was pretty fun. A lot of work though. The research was overwhelming at times. Websites upon websites, magazines, books, different people's inputs, salesmen trying to sell you different things depending on which store you went to, etc. I narrowed it down to one of many Sony HDTVs or a Samsung C or D series. After narrowing it down to those 2 brands, it was a little easier. I went to about 4 different Fry's Electronics and 7 different Best Buys to check it out in different situations. After that, it came down to the UN55D8000 (boy, did I memorize those numbers). To make the decision easier, I was looking on Amazon, and to my amazement, they had it for $500 less that everyone else, plus free shipping. Score!

With the free shipping, it usually takes a little longer. I would say, from the time the order was placed, until it got to my front door, it took about 1.5 weeks. It came delivered from Home Direct, USA and had no issues with delivery. They were going to set up the TV, but I told them not to, since my entertainment center hadn't come in yet. I opened up the box, put the TV on a soft cloth (our bed's comforter) and installed the stand. Eight screws, piece of cake. I connected the Directv receiver and a PS3. There are a few settings you will set in the beginning when the TV turns on. Takes about 2 minutes, literally. After that, the fun begins! Going from 1080i to 1080p is a huge difference! I had a recording of Chuck on the DVR and it almost looked live. I also watched some regular satellite programming and even the non-HD channels looked amazing.

After wiping the drool off the floor, I wanted to check out the 3D part of the TV. I popped in the free copy of Shrek the 3rd in the PS3, put on the glasses and waited to be amazed. Aside from the amazing colors, it looked exactly like 2D! WTH?! Then, I remember reading somewhere that the PS3 does indeed play 3D movies, BUT with an upgrade. I waited about 30 minutes for the upgrade to finish. After that, loaded up the dvd again, and there was the movie with that funky 3D image. Hey wait, I have 3D glasses on, how come I see that. Oh, oops. Batteries need to be installed in the glasses. Finally! The 3D image was awesome! Seriously, watching TV in 3D is amazing. I can't wait `til there's more media in 3D. As it stands right now, the only real movies in 3D are either documentaries or cartoons, with the exception of a few regular movies (i.e. Resident Evil, Step Up 3, etc.)

I just set it up last night, so I can't give you a whole lot more information. But, even if I did have more time, I don't think I can give you the detailed specs that you might be looking for. I'm not an expert on home theater. Here's an overview of pros and cons:

PROS:
* The lack of a bigger bezel really does make a difference. Not only aesthetically, but in terms of functionality, too (better 3D viewing. It looks like you're looking thru a window.).
* Images are spectacular. Whether it be regular programming, HDTV programming, or Blu-Ray.
* Price on Amazon was very good!
* Delivery was pain-free.
* A lot of settings options, so you can set up the TV to your preference and the viewing scenario (i.e. movie, standard, etc.)
* 3D movie watching is stunning! I just wish Panasonic didn't have exclusive rights on Avatar.

CONS:
* SmartTV is a cool feature. But, not a necessity. I really doubt that I'll Facebook or Tweet from the TV.
* Audio isn't great, but it's adequate. I wasn't really expecting much from a flat screen TV.
* Did not come with the touch-screen remote as was supposed to be the case in the beginning of the year.
* Have to mail in the vouchers (or register online) in order to get the 3D glasses. True, you do get a 3D starter kit with this TV, which has the glasses, but those glasses are a little different and use batteries. Also, you have to send out to get the free copy of Shrek Forever and Megamind. I really shouldn't complain, though, since these are free.
* Needs a more detailed manual on how to use most of the features. The manual it comes with is thick, but it's just because it's the same thing in different languages.

Sorry for the long review. Us Yelpers write a lot of gibberish, don't we?

UPDATE: After playing around with the TV a little more this weekend, I noticed that the top of the screen had some light flickering (around where the bezel meets the screen and it was about 1/16" tall and went almost across the whole TV. I'm hoping it's not the "edge lighting.") It only did this on some channels on Directv. Most channels were fine and Blu-Ray was fine. I'm thinking it's either the receiver or possibly the cheap HDMI cable. I have a Monster M1000 series cable coming in later this week, so I'll switch it out and update.

Also, there has been talk all over online about people having problems pairing the remote. I had zero problem and did it about 5 feet away from the TV.

One last thing, one of the glasses in the free 3D kit didn't seem to work. I changed out batteries and nothing. Then, the next morning, I tried it again, but this time turning off the bluetooth in my phone, and it worked. Whether this had an effect on it, I don't know. But, just thought I'd throw that out there.

BTW, this weekend, I watched Tangled in 3D and played MLB2K11 on the PS3...... WOW! I'll have to admit, I liked 3D, but I thought it was just a novelty. No way. 3D is much different now than when we had those blue and red glasses. It changes the whole experience.

UPDATE #2: Didn't have to do anything to get the line gone. It just went away one day.

Also, I finally got the 3D glasses from the voucher that's in the TV. Unfortunately, they are the 3300s and not the 3700s that I kept seeing from people at CES. I won't knock the rating down, but I am a little disappointed that the glasses and the remote that were advertised earlier in the year didn't come with the unit, nor even thru mail. Also, the charger for the glasses is $199! No, thanks. I'll just charge it using the USB cable. 

Why you should buy this TV, from a skeptic!

Why you should buy this TV, from a skeptic!

By Firedogee

I am value shopper who wants the most bang for my buck. I took a risk on this TV (after reading very educated reviews like the one J. Finkel wrote. He did all the work for me.)

Here are (5) quick ways to turn this 3-star sub five hundred dollar TV into a 5-star one thousand dollar set.

1. Don't believe all the negative reviews. The picture on this set is amazing, but not right out of the box. It needs some adjusting. Refer to J. Finkel's review for the exact settings. The picture is beautiful after 10 minutes of tweaking.

2. The sound has no bass. Buy a cheap PC subwoofer (under $20) and plug it into the analog line out. Then switch the line out volume to variable. Voila. I now have a great sound system. My wife said,"that is 100% better!" right after I plugged it in.

3. Sports on this TV is great. I watch a lot of NFL/NCAA football and the picture looks great. Just use the sports setting and if you have a good quality signal like HD cable or HD digital broadcast you will rarely notice any blurring. I was considering a plasma to avoid blurring for sports, but this TV is more than adequate for all the benefits it has over plasma (LED lamps will last forever, bright high-contrast no-glare screen, and this set only weights 20 pounds)

4. Gaming on this tv is the best experience you could hope for. Just plugged in my XBOX360 and set it's output to 1080p to the TV. Never seen anything prettier than Skyrim, Madden 12, Halo Reach, Deadspace 2, and Dance Central. These games are gorgeous in 1080P and play with zero lag on the Game setting. PS. 120HZ TRUmotion is not used for GAME setting and it is for the better...just like all other TVs with this setting, it prevents lag from processing the signal so your movements on the controller are quick and responsive. No loss in quality of the picture without the 120HZ TRUmotion. That's only needed for viewing sports.

5. Smart TV? No. Amazing TV? YES

Before you buy this TV you have to know what you are getting. It is a 42" LED edge-lit LCD 1080P TV. It is not a smart TV and it is not full of bells and whistles. It will give you a bright, beautiful display with accurate colors, plenty of inputs, a 20 degree swivel base, a great viewing angle and sound that needs upgrading for movies/gaming. It will not give you the ability to tweak black levels, but there are plenty of ways to work around that. Just read the other educated reviews. Just like a good marriage, it takes work but rewards far exceed cost. If I want a smart TV I can just plug in my internet connected XBOX 360 (or PS3), laptop, or just buy a Roku player for under a hundred bucks. No sense paying an extra $300 dollars for the "SMART" label.

6. A bonus tip...if all else fails and the screen just doesn't look right to you...turn OFF the ENERGY SAVING MODE! So many reviewers leave that on and never get to see what the set can do in full backlighting.

Bottom Line:

Great Value, Great Picture. This is an excellent no-frills LED HDTV for the price. You won't be disappointed if you understand what you are getting with this TV...for better or worse. Have any questions? Feel free to ask.

423 of 442 people found the following review helpful.

The LG 42LV4400 LED HDTV performs well overall, but lacks some important features you may see in competing televisions.

By J. Finkel
The LG 42LV4400 LED HDTV performs well overall, but lacks some important features you may see in competing televisions.

==Menu==
The menu is the same one LG has been using for a few years now. Pushing the "home" button brings up selections for changing picture/audio/parental/time/channel settings etc. These sub-menus are easy to navigate thanks to pictures and large text. While the organization of the menus are great, the breadth of the options available is disappointing.

==Picture==
The picture on most LCD's is rather good these days. The 42LV4400 ranks right up there with any mid-range HDTV. The blacks could be much better, but with some good tweaking in the regular menu settings, you can achieve fairly decent color accuracy and 'pop' (the sensation of depth and realism). As with most LCD's, the brightness is more than abundant, making it a good TV for any room. It also has a matte finish, which makes it difficult to see reflections.

==Aesthetics==
The bezel of the TV is 1" on top and sides but almost 3" on the bottom. The bezel and stand are a high-gloss black with very simple contours and slightly rounded edges. Overall, it looks plain but also attractively understated. It would be a good choice for a professional environment as well as a home.

==Build==
The LG 42LV4400 is fairly light, making it easy to setup by oneself. The stand seems sturdy enough, but a little more weight would have been comforting. The stand doesn't offer any tilt and doesn't swivel too well. The inputs are...streamlined: there is one component input and no composite inputs besides; no dvi. The three HDMI inputs are ample though and the USB port is a good addition. The buttons on the TV are not in the most convenient place, being recessed on the side by 2.5". The buttons feel cheap, but are responsive. Most people will use the remote anyway, which is more of the same. The remote feels cheap as well, but looks okay and works fine. Since there aren't a ton of features on this TV, the remote is simple enough. There is no ethernet nor wi-fi.

==Motion Handling==
One option I always look for right away is smoothing out motion (sometimes separated into blur and judder). Most LCD's have issues producing clear, smooth, flowing video of motion. This is a major disadvantage vs. plasma, which does not suffer the same problem. The refresh rates (120Hz or 240Hz instead of 60Hz) are used to adjust the way your eyes see the motion on the television. In the best TV sets, the video is processed so that there is no stuttering and also no "Soap Opera Effect," a problem introduced when there is too much processing that can make any video look unnaturally smooth as the processing tries to correct the normal variations in speed that us living things tend to do so much when we move about. Unfortunately, with the 42LV4400, you have almost no control over the motion handling, aside from selecting a picture mode (Cinema, Game, Sport, etc). In Game mode, the motion handling is turned off to reduce input lag. In Sport mode, it is turned all the way up, so you can see a football gliding from the quarterback to receiver without too much choppiness.

==Calibration==
If you plan to calibrate this TV yourself, you'll be sorely disappointed. My older 42LH90 has settings for 10-point IRE gray scale and color/tint settings for primary and secondary colors. Such features as those may only interest videophiles with a spectrometer at their disposal, but the 42LV4400 completely lacks the ability to adjust the gray scale. Most other TV's I've come across in the last few years at least have a 2-point IRE gray scale adjustment. I assume more calibration settings are available in the service menu, but I haven't found how to access that, despite reading through the manual on the included CD.

==Other Features==
The picture menu lacks some important settings, but does let you create a fairly convincing picture overall. See the end of the review for my settings (though every panel is different). Parental controls are well laid out. The Game mode seems to work well enough to play FPS, though a game like Rock Band may still need some adjustment in-game. Sound is okay, but I'd recommend using external speakers with any TV. Unfortunately, the USB access will only let you view pictures. You can't view movies or listen to music from the USB port like you can on some other LG models. Also, I did run into a peculiar issue where this TV failed to input any signal from my DVDO video filter. Both functioned normally when paired with other devices.

==Conclusion==
The 42LV4400 lacks the features necessary to be considered a high-end TV, but it is capable of producing an excellent picture that will rival any mid-range TV. I'd recommend this model to anyone trying to get the best picture for the least amount of money. It would best fit a consumer who typically doesn't bother adjusting the settings on their TV and isn't bothered by the way some LCD's poorly handle motion. It would also be a great fit for professional settings, like a conference room or waiting area.

UPDATE: I just measured the input lag of this TV compared to my HP ZR24w (S-IPS LCD, not CRT) computer monitor and using game mode. The LV4400 averaged roughly 10-15ms behind. In the other modes it crept up to around 30-40ms. These results are very good and likely reflect the moderate use of video processing.

UPDATE (11/28): I recently added a close-up of the pixels in what looks like a ">>>" shape. This indicates that my LG 42LV4400 is an IPS panel. The viewing angles are very good as would be typical of an IPS. The prime viewing angle seems to be +/- 30° from center (side to side) with only minor loss of contrast up to +/- 45° and subtle degradation at wider angles.

--My Settings (3 sets)--
Aspect 16:9 -- Set by Program -- Set by Program
Energy Saving: Auto -- Medium -- Minimum
Picture Mode: Cinema -- Standard -- Game
Backlight: 30 (can't change if energy saving is Auto) -- 70 -- 70
Contrast: 80 -- 88 -- 85
Brightness: 60 -- 52 -- 50
Sharpness: 56 -- 50 -- 55 (set lower if viewing only HD)
Color: 55 -- 65 -- 55
Tint: 0 -- 0
Color Temp: Medium -- Medium -- Medium
Fresh Contrast: High -- High -- Off
Fresh Color: Low -- Low -- Off
Noise Reduction: Medium -- Medium -- Off
Gamma: High -- Medium -- Low
Black Level: Auto(cant change in any setting -- Auto - -Auto
Eye Care: Off -- Off - Off
Real Cinema: On -- On -- Off

UPDATE for calibration enthusiasts:
Notes on calibration from color spectrometer readings with HFCR and EyeOne Display2: The Game mode produced the flattest gamma but all were roughly 2.1 on average with the other modes spiking up high towards the 90% and 100% on grayscale. The grayscale was very good with Cinema mode producing mostly 5-6 and in Standard mode 6-8. Game mode the grayscale error suffered, pushing up to 10 on many readings. The Cinema mode had a wildly off Blue result of 50, but otherwise the primary and secondary colors were on the 10-20 delta E range. I was able to push the contrast to Y=200 at 100% and Y=0.1 at 0% without much trouble. My calibrated settings were around Y=100 at 100% and Y=0.2-0.4 at 0%. I was unable to access the service menu; Pronto access codes for Harmony remote did not work, though they did function on my LG 42LH90.

232 of 237 people found the following review helpful.