LG Infinia 55LW5600 Review

LG Infinia 55LW5600 Review

LG Infinia 47LW5600 Review


Well, I just learned that bigger is not always better.

We had purchased this 47" version of LG's new passive 3D line and were absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the image quality... it is PRISTINE! (Easily a 5-star+ set.) In fact, we were so pleased with that unit that we thought we might want just a slightly larger TV instead. So, we ordered the 55" model (55LW5600) and planned on returning the 47" one.

Well, amazingly, we're sending back the 55" TV. The image is noticeably less pristine (grainy/pixelated/dull - even on the highest resolution blu-ray content... and even more surprisingly, the 3D was making us sick. (So strange, since we totally LOVE the 3D on the 47" model.) Too bad... because we were really excited about the larger size... but we'd much rather have quality over quantity.

(Interestingly, it was my wife - who claims to not notice the "soap opera effect" of the new LCDs - who was most disturbed by the quality loss. It was glaringly obvious to her (as it was to me... though I didn't want to admit it, since I really wanted the larger model). If my wife notices the difference, trust me... it's there. I later did a side-by-side comparison between the 55LW5600 and the 47LW5600 which confirmed our suspicions.)

Here's a little more detail:

IMAGE QUALITY:

On the 55" model, image quality of even the highest resolution blu-ray discs was noticably less sharp, more pixelated/grainy, and overall just more dull. I played extensively with the settings but could not overcome these issues.

Alternatively, images on this 47" model are crisp and GORGEOUS. My hunch is that the resolution on both units is identical, but it is spread over a greater screen area on the larger unit, resulting in the ability to more easily see image flaws. I have not found specs to confirm this, though. We sit about 10-12 feet away from the TV, and we did notice a significant improvement in our perception of the image quality when moving back about 5 feet. But, the arrangement of our room does not allow us to sit this distance from the TV... so the 47" is the obvious choice for us.

I would say that you should not consider a larger version of this TV if you intend on sitting closer than 12 feet to the set. Further out than that, you may have a better experience.

3D EFFECT:

I also learned that 3D can (under certain circumstances) make us sick. Strange, because we've always enjoyed 3D in the theater... and we absolutely LOVE 3D on the 47" version of this TV. But, on the 55" model, there were some strange fluttering effects, especially in fast-motion video (using 3D blu-rays as our video source). We also noticed some kind of strange boxy/pixelated effect during quick scene changes, or when going from bright to dark (and vice versa) scenes.

None of these 3D issues occurred with this 47" version. In fact, not only was the image impeccable, but the 3D looked absolutely gorgeous (and truly appeared to be fully HD quality - despite the controversy to the contrary - with no noticeable resolution loss at all).

VERDICT:

So, if you're debating (like we were) about whether to go with LG's 47" version (47LW5600), or to go a little larger with the 55" model... we'd suggest sticking with the 47" TV unless you will be sitting a fairly significant distance away from the set. Otherwise, this 47" model is THE NEW STANDARD by which TVs (anywhere near this price range) will be judged going forward. Enjoy!

Oh... so what else did I learn? It turns out my wife's a videophile! Who knew?!? :-)

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UPDATE:

I was able to improve the 2D video quality of the 55" model significantly by using the settings given on hometheater.com ([...]). Blu-rays now look extremely good... perhaps still not quite as good as the 47" version, but MUCH better than the default settings. So much improved, in fact, that if we only wanted the TV for 2D viewing, I would no longer hesitate to keep the 55" version.

Alas, though the 3D image quality has improved on the 55" set with the new settings, you still really need to be a minimum of 13-15 feet away from the set to keep your eyes from wigging out when viewing objects that are closest to you in 3D space. Objects that go back into the screen fare the best, and border on stunning... the closer the object to the viewer, the more likely eye-strain/sickness will result.

Again, none of these issues were experienced with this 47" set. This has made the decision on which set to keep much more difficult. For now, 3D is an important enough feature for us to keep us leaning toward keeping this 47" set. Decisions, decisions... :-)

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FINAL UPDATE:

Well, we found a setting on the larger 55" TV (which is also present on the 47" model) that allows you to adjust the 3D image in such a way that it positions the image further back into the screen (essentially virtually giving us the additional 3 feet back we felt we needed). To access, simply click the quick menu button *while 3D content is onscreen*. Then, select the top option to adjust the 3D settings. From there, the bottom option allows you to send the 3D image further back (to the left) or you can also bring it further forward going the other direction. We found the setting of "-5" (about half way to the left) to be a good compromise, improving the 3D image for us immensely (so that we no longer felt nauseous when viewing) and still kept us from seeing ghosting. (Going all the way to the left introduced some faint ghosting and didn't seem to be necessary since adjusting it half-way seemed to alleviate the sickness we felt when watching 3D content.) So, with that, and the video settings we found at hometheater.com, we have now fallen in love with the 55" model.

So, our FINAL VERDICT is that the 47" model is better out-of-the-box. Plug it in and WOW! The 55" model requires a little more work, but it can eventually look every bit as good as the 47" set.

Hopefully our trial-and-error helps someone out there. :-) We're extremely happy with our decision now.

I wasn't even in the market for a 3D TV, but when my Sony HDTV blew yet another bulb, I decided it was time for something new.

Initially, I planned on getting one of the new Sharp 60" Quattron models, and headed to a nearby big box store to check out the selection. Picture quality was most important to me, where I was willing to accept a plasma if it blew me away, but I was definitely siding towards LCD or LED. I wasn't too shocked to find that while plasmas were nice, they weren't "that" nice, and settled in to the Sharp.

On my way out, I thought I'd check a couple of the 3D displays, just to be 100% sure I wasn't making a purchase I'd regret as soon as 3D content became more widespread. I looked at a couple of Panasonic models with active shutter glasses, and found that the 3D looked acceptable, but the glasses weren't comfortable on my head or to my eyes. A DirecTV rep all but insisted that I look at a high-end Samsung model connected to a DirecTV receiver, and I immediately noticed that getting the thing to display 3D apparently required messing with the DirecTV remote, the Samsung remote, and continually re-syncing the active glasses. "No, thanks." I thought.

Then I noticed an unloved LG display, with a bucket (yes, an actual bucket) of scratched passive glasses. No way was this going to look good, but it wasn't like I didn't have a few minutes to spare.

I was absolutely blown away. By far, the best 3D experience I've seen. Standing about six feet from the screen, there was a scene from an IMAX documentary where a fish seriously looked like it came out about halfway between where I was standing, and where the TV was. And I could see parasitic fish on the nose of that fish, moving around. It was incredible, clear, and I knew it had to be pretty expensive. Much to my surprise, it was in the same league as the Panasonic models. I had to have it.

Doing more research online, I saw that Amazon's price was even better (better, in fact, than a national warehouse club sells the non-3D version of this TV for). I ordered on a Monday, and scheduled my (free) shipping for Thursday afternoon. The delivery people came 15 minutes from the start of my four-hour delivery window, with no hassle at all.

Out of the box, the picture quality on this TV is pretty awesome. Better than I remembered it being in the store, for sure. But, I did notice that motion seemed really... weird. I wasn't sure if it was my satellite receiver, or the TV, but things just didn't seem to move naturally. After spending some time adjusting the dejudder and deblur settings, I was able to make the motion normal. But then, I figured, I might as well calibrate everything. Using a combination of the calibration feature on the Life Blu-Ray and recommended settings on various forums, I was able to achieve an absolutely stunning picture. Seriously, this thing looks like it cost hundreds upon hundreds more when it's calibrated.

1080i / 1080p content looked absolutely brilliant. SDTV, on the other hand, isn't the best I've seen. It's certainly acceptable, and arguably on the better side of what's commonly found on LCD / LED models, but I'd probably consider getting something different if most of your viewing is going to be sub-DVD quality content.

Then it was time to break out the 3D. I snagged a copy of Tron: Legacy (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy) and spent most of the movie sitting with a dumb smile on my face. The picture quality and depth were outstanding. Don't fall for the "active / passive" hype. Watching 3D content with the LG's passive glasses is certain to please anybody who can see. And going back to my memory of the Samsung set, when the LG detects 3D, a box pops up that tells you to put your glasses on. That's it. No messing around endlessly with modes to get it working.

I then decided to play with the 2D-to-3D function on some HD channels and standard Blu-Ray discs, and was actually pretty surprised. More often than not, the TV seems to process the image as you'd expect to see 3D. It's not something I'd want to do all the time, but I have to say, watching Moulin Rouge! [Blu-ray] with 2D-to-3D was actually pretty awesome.

The built-in applications were kind of a mixed bag. Getting the TV on my WPA2 wireless network was pretty simple, and the Wii-inspired remote worked better than I had expected. The Netflix and Amazon On Demand apps were both very solid -- arguably better than what you'd find on a Roku, and miles ahead of the ones built in to my Sony Blu-Ray player. The other apps were less than impressive. Bringing up the weather app is more time consuming than just tuning to the Weather Channel, for example. The included web browser is fine for "Hey, look what my TV can do" showing off, but you're probably not going to want to fire it up to look at IMDB in the middle of a show.

All things considered, this is probably the best value around. While I lost 5" of screen real estate over what I planned on buying originally, the difference in picture quality alone was a decent tradeoff. Getting 3D was gravy, to say the least. Unless this thing sets my house on fire, I'd be hard pressed to recommend anything else within a couple hundred dollars.