LG 37LD450 37-Inch 1080p 60 Hz LCD HDTV Review
The LG 37LD450 TV is a 37-inch LCD TV with a decent contrast and color accuracy performances. It has a good amount of connectivity options, including two HDMI ports to cater to your Blu-ray or similar devices. It doesn’t have many extra features in it, which is unusual for a mid range TV.
A TFT Active Matrix screen with CCFL Backlight Technology powers this LG TV’s display. The display has a 1080p native format that will work well with any High Definition player or movie source. The TV has a widescreen 16:9 image aspect ratio. The TV’s backlight rates at 60,000 hours of operational life. The TV has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Motion performance is one of the TV’s disadvantages. The TV has a refresh rate of 60 Hz and a screen response time of 4 milliseconds. Latest TVs, like those in the Samsung 8000 series, feature refresh rates that are four times faster at 240 Hz. The slow response time and refresh rate limits the TV’s performance in displaying smooth images when viewing action or fast clips. Motion blurriness is noticeable when viewing fast films.
The TV rates at 60000:1 contrast ratio. The contrast performance is average, giving the TV the capability to produce decent image details in dark and bright images. The TV’s deep black level is not that impressive at 20 cd/m2. Good deep black levels should be 15 cd/m2 or lower. Peak brightness is above average for this LCD TV. Its good peak bright level allows this TV to provide sharp images in many highlights.
Color accuracy is excellent for this TV. The buyer can get vivid and life-like images with little adjustments to the TV’s settings. There are no noticeable errors or oversaturation in any of the major colors.
Uniformity across the screen is also good. There are no noticeable blotches or uneven color reproductions across the screen. There may be instances of white patches, caused by backlights, at the edges of the screen when viewing very dark images.
Like many LCD TVs, this TV has a limited effective viewing angle. The TV rates at 88 degrees of viewing angle. The LG 37LD450’s effective viewing angle is only about 30 degrees from the center. This limits the TV’s application and use to small-sized rooms or offices. Viewing images outside the 38-degree angle results to a noticeable drop in the TV’s contrast and color accuracy performance.
This TV features a Digital (QAM, ATSC) and Analog (NTSC) TV tuner. It also supports HDMI, Component and Composite video interfaces. There is a parental channel lock feature as well.
Other connectivity options include one HDMI input (19 pin HDMI Type A), one Digital audio output (optical, TOSLINK), one Remote control (Mini-phone 3.5 mm), one RGB input (15 pin HD D-Sub, HD-15), one Composite video/audio input (RCA phono x three), one Component video input (RCA phono x three), one Serial (nine-pin D-Sub) and two Audio line-in (RCA phono x two) port grouped at the rear of the device. There is one Headphone jack (Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm), one Composite video/audio input (RCA phono x three), one USB 2.0 (four-pin USB Type A) and one HDMI input (19 pin HDMI Type A) at the side of the TV’s panel. The TV’s USB port supports playback of still pictures, videos and MP3 music from thumbdrives. Picture files should be in JPG format.
Audio output is thru the TV’s internal speakers mounted at the left and right side of the device. Total output audio power is 20 Watts, and audio output is in Dolby Digital Stereo sound format. Coupled with LG’s Clear Voice II feature, this TV provides a decent audio performance. The TV will work great if connected to LG’s HT805TH 5.1 DVD home cinema system.
The TV’s dimensions are 36.1 x 3 x 22.6 inches (W x D x H), and it weighs approximately 28 lbs. The TV’s black, glossy panel borders the 37-inch LCD screen. The TV is also ENERGY STAR qualified and comes with a swivel stand and an infrared remote control. The swivel stand is convenient in providing access to the ports, which are mostly at the rear of the panel. Energy consumption in standby mode is about 0.1 Watt and about 139 Watts in operational mode. The TV is also HDCP compatible.
The TV’s menu system is fairly intuitive and easy to understand and navigate. The TV features a Quick Menu that looks like a rotary dial. The left and right buttons rotate the menu wheel while the up and down buttons alter the settings. This provides quick access and adjustments to the TV’s menu settings. The TV’s display menu can be set to French, Korean, English or Spanish languages.
One of its main competitors in its category is the Sony KDL 32EX700 LCD TV. This entry-level 32-inch LCD TV from Sony also supports 1080p native display format but costs $100 more than the LG TV. The Sony TV provides a better contrast and deep black performances enabling it to provide sharper images in shadows and dark scenes. Color accuracy performance is identical between the two TVs. The Sony TV has a better motion performance. This translates to less motion blurriness and ghosting in fast action films. The Sony TV also has a slightly wider effective viewing angle with 40 degrees compared to LG’s 30 degrees. The Sony TV has more connectivity options available with four HDMI ports and a DLNA port.
This LG TV provides full HD viewing with its 1080p native display format and two HDMI ports. Its decent color and contrast ratio will enable you to fully experience HD movies and gaming thru its large screen. It also features LG’s Freeview feature that will provide access to over 40 Freeview TV and Radio channels, an 8-day on-screen guide and access to other digital interactive services. This TV is an excellent choice when looking for a midrange set to compliment a small room or office.
