LG 55LH90 LCD TV Review

No such combination of good and bad may have been encountered, as it can be seen in the LCD TV model that carries the name LG 55LH90. The LG representative seems to have it all: a large screen (55 inches), great black levels, great color accuracy, almost perfect connectivity, anti-reflective capabilities. Yet, there are some flaws that make the rain come down on this 55 inch LED-backlit LCD TV’s parade. It has no S video input, there are some image flaws present, like blooming, and washed out colors when watched from off angle, and the dejudder processing is not as good as seen on the latest Samsung models. All in all, LG 55LH90 does deliver great picture quality, and, if you can live with its flaws, then it is a good option for you. Also, if you think the price to be very important, you may find this model to be a little too expensive just yet

Features

• 1080p full HD
• Local dimming technology
• THX certification
• TruMotion 240Hz
• 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• Intelligent Sensor
• Picture Wizard
• Energy Star compliant
• USB 2.0
• 24p Real Cinema
• 4 HDMI outputs

Connectivity

As expected from a series that aims to have a say on the market, the LG 55LH90 model has solid connectivity options that include no less than 4 HDMI ports and one USB port. With the exception that it lacks an S-video input, LG 55LH90 has all that is needed: one PC input (to hook up your computer), 2 component-video inputs, two AV inputs with composite video, one RF input for antenna or cable, an optical digital audio output, and one USB port.

Design

The design of LG 55LH90 is rather sophisticated, with blue edging that delivers quite a high tech effect against the glossy black frame. The look is complemented by the swivel stand, which, besides being practical, it is also interesting design-wise, because of silver disc surrounding the stalk.

Performance

Although it does show some issues that are the result of the LED-backlit technology, like blooming and showing of washed out colors when watched from off angle – , overall LG 55LH90 is capable of delivering quite a great performance. While it may not be on par with the best plasma TVs that are sold on the market, it does have good black levels, and accurate colors, which both contribute to a very good picture quality. Some issues concerning video processing abilities are also prone to diminish the enthusiasm in praising this particular product, and, provided that the price will go down a bit, LG 55LH90 would make a very good HDTV to have installed in your living room.

Black Levels

As far as LCD TVs are concerned, LG 55LH90 does a very good job, when it comes to black levels. It is not that near to plasma TVs that are now all the rage, but it should be appreciated that LG struggled so much to overcome this gap in performance, by delivering some great looking blacks. Even shadow detailing delivers great performance, and this is not something to be taken lightly, as other LCD TV manufacturers still learn the ropes about this particular aspect of image quality. If it had not been for the blooming that affects the screen when white objects are shown on black background, the commentary on LG 55LH90’s black levels would have been but positive.

Colors

LG 55LH90 can truly boast about its ability to display some great looking colors. Because it sports a truly competitive grayscale, the blacks are maintained very well, and there is no bluish tinge present in darker scenes, like seen on Samsung B650 and Samsung B750 series. Skin tones also look natural, and all the primary and secondary colors are displayed properly. It is possible to say that these colors are not as punching as seen on plasma TVs, but they are still great and over the top for an LCD TV.

Video Processing

Despite the words of praise that LG 55LH90 deserves so far, there is one aspect that is a little troublesome: video processing capabilities present some problems. One is that in order to take advantage of the anti-blurring effect you also need to engage the dejudder processing, which means that it is hard to tell which does what. Also, some minor artifacts are noticeable from time to time, which does not do any good to the LG name. On the good side, however, the presence of the 24p Real Cinema mode helps with watching movies in their original cadence, and the effect is, indeed, worth watching.

Uniformity

The LED backlighting technology serves well in preserving uniformity across the screen, but watching the screen from off-angle causes the colors to look washed out. As this is one aspect that is tributary to the same technology, there is no wonder that LG 55LH90 shows the same mishaps.

Standard Definition (SDTV) Performance

LG 55LH90 is perfectly capable of handling standard definition content. You can watch regular DVDs on this 55 inch screen, without having to face any issues. The noise reduction features work well, and jaggies are smoothed out with no hassle, while motes are eliminated from sky shots and the like. Moire is not present either, and pulling down the image is also done in one fell swoop.

Performance under Bright Light

The matte screen present on LG 55LH90 does a good job when light reflections are involved. As opposed to Samsung models, that have a poor anti-reflective performance, LG 55LH90 is able to fight off light, without showing any reflections, which is a great plus for this particular model.

Conclusion

LG 55LH90 is a great LCD TV that gathers many of the new technologies in the field, like 240Hz refresh rate, and local dimming, along with LED backlighting. It does have some issue, especially with blooming, and watching from extreme angles, but, overall, its performance is closing in the distance between plasma and LCD, as far as image quality is concerned.