LG 55LH55 Review: 55″ LCD HDTV

Up for review: LG 55LH55 55-inch LCD TV. One of the stunners from LG’s 2009 lineup, the LG LH55 Series is a Full 1080p LCD HDTV. All HDTV’s in this series have a slim silhouette and is supported with a sleek panel and an invisible speaker system. The panel is ‘Full 1080p’ with a new ISFccc ready calibration system. LG claims to have done an excellent job with calibration and menu settings, in this series. This model features the LG’s advanced TruMotion 240Hz technology. The LH55 is a step up from the LG’s LH50 series; however it is short of the ethernet connectivity available in the LH50 series. Slated to release in March 2009 this series includes screen sizes in the range of 37″ to 55″.

The LH55 Series also consists of a USB port for access to digital photos and music along with four HDMI inputs. To eliminate motion blur and provide ultra-fast motion picture response times, LG uses a scanning backlight and LG’s Super In-Plane Switching technology.  The LG 55LH55 LCD TV also has a smart room lighting sensor for higher energy conservation and is Energy Star 3.0 compliant.

LCD Televisions can use up a lot of power while displaying a black or extremely dark image. This being a difficult process, and in spite of the developments in LCD black levels technology only the best LCD televisions can afford crystal clear display. The LH55 LCD displays, by contrast uses electric charges to bend and unravel liquid crystals, which enables them to block light and subsequently, produce clear blacks. As compared to plasma, recent improvements in LCD HDTV’s have allowed them to reach displays near the level of plasma. However one drawback of most LCD TV’s is that black levels consistently drop when viewing at an angle.

LG 55LH55 Features and Specifications Review:

55″ Screen
Full HD 1080p
TruMotion 240Hz
Intelligent Sensor
24p Real Cinema
Four (4) HDMI V.1.3 with Deep Color
ISFccc Ready
USB 2.0 for access to digital music and photos (MP3, JPEG)
Smart Energy Saving Plus
LG Core Technologies
Native Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Dynamic Contrast Ratio: 15,000:1
Response Time (G to G): 5ms
Brightness: 500 cd/m2
Viewing Angle: 178º / 178º
Life Span (Typical): 60,000 hr
Built-in Tuner: ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM
HDMI™/HDCP Input: 3 – v1.3, Deep Color
Cabinet Color: Glossy Piano-Black
Limited Warranty: 1 Year Parts/Labor

Like most LG HDTV’s, this model offers extensive picture controls, including the same 10-point IRE system and full color management controls we loved on the 2008 series.  A new “picture wizard” which employs a series of onscreen test patterns to ease user calibration is also available.

The new feature for hyper action gaming fans, the 240Hz TruMotion technology might be a useful. In the 2009 series TruMotion 240Hz supports an exclusive scanning backlight technique to perk up motion picture response time with a more ordinary picture. LG fans have often complained about the motion lag which has been a constant and irritating problem in LCD TVs for years. Thus the TruMotion technology is there to undo this problem.

YouReviewElectronics.com gives LG 55LH55 9/10 stars!