LG 37LH40 37-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Gloss Black Review
I had an old 20" Philips tv for several years, and while it had been good to me, it was starting to show its age, so I felt it was the right time to FINALLY get an LCD tv. My room isn't particularly large (somewhere around 15' x 15' or a bit larger) so this size fit PERFECTLY. Really feels big in that size room.
Design and extras:
This thing is slick looking. Like my PS3, it really likes to attract dust, although that might just be true of most black electronics. Call me a geek but I love the little light show it does in the bottom corner when you turn in on... very Knight Rider-esque. It has quite a few ports, 4 HDMI and pretty much every connection you need, except for S-Video, but that wasn't a dealbreaker to me at all. Even has a USB port in the side where you can hook up an ipod or a music / pictures source.
Video:
Visual quality overall is fantastic. Blu-rays look amazing, and any nextgen system will really shine on it. Uncharted 2 looked incredible and was one of the first things I tried on it!
Trumotion... I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I'm not one of those people that gets turned off by that "look" you get with 120hz video, but I did notice that with certain kinds of fast movement, Trumotion had a tendency to display some motion artifacting around the object being moved. For example: in Assassin's Creed II when the character reaches a viewpoint and the camera spins around your character, there is visible artifacting in the background around the edges of the character. This is NOT present when Trumotion is turned off. I've read that usually (despite LG advertising Trumotion heavily) most people don't have it on except for sports, or will keep it at Low at the most. In general however, it looks great. Keep in mind that the TV offers a LOT of freedom with calibrating the colors (via Expert mode) manually, so if you aren't thrilled with the colors out of the box, you can still easily tweak it. I was much more pleased once I experimented with a set of calibration options I found on a site reviewing the TV.
Audio:
I can't really figure out what they were going for with their audio set-up. It doesn't really provide a convincing fake stereo surround sound the way that they claim, but the sound IS good for an LCD tv to be sure. The speakers are cleverly hidden in the bottom but it doesn't negatively impact the sound. There is also a mode that helps dialogue pop a bit more if you're trying to keep your volume low, and it does a decent job of that.
There IS an issue that inconsistently happens with owners of this line, and I think it's only fair to mention it. There have been reports of problems with audio sync where the audio will be maybe half a second off from the video, just enough that you notice something doesn't look quite right. LG offers a firmware upgrade if your TV experiences this problem, although they will insist on sending someone to set-up the upgrade for you rather than just giving you the usb that has it.
Initially after the first week or two I noticed this on some channels as well as potentially when playing on the PS3 (this was hard to tell however as the characters in the game were animated and I wasn't sure if maybe the game's lipsync itself was just off). After looking on some forums, I noticed a potential problem could be the cable box you're using. In my case it was an HD Motorola box from TimeWarner. If you have the same box, switch the audio option from Auto or HDMI to PCM, which is what seemed to resolve the problem for me. I haven't noticed an issue since, but I will always be wary of this issue since I know it has hit others in the past.
Sort of a side note, but I wish the Closed Captioning option on it wasn't restricted to just the SD cable input. The CC option is grayed out otherwise and I was so used to having on CC on my old TV in the evening to help keep my volume lower. Perhaps that's why other reviewers were a little miffed that the TV doesn't have a headphone jack, but that was pretty low on my list of negatives.
Also, do keep in mind that this TV needs HDMI cables at 1.3b or higher, but still compatible with 1.3. I made the mistake of picking up a couple cheap HDMI cables which ultimately were useless because they were just regular 1.3.
Overall, I'm VERY pleased with my LG however. The price was just within my range, the size was decent, and there are a LOT of features and oomph packed into this TV compared to similar sets from other brands. Just keep a watchful eye out for audio/lipsync issues when you initially get your TV and you should be just fine.
LG 37LH40 37-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Gloss Black Feature
- LCD HDTV features an elegant & distinctive design with swivel stand
- 1080p Full HD resolution 1920 x 1080p Trumotion 120Hz panel for clear smooth images even for fast action scenes with 4x HDMI v 1.3 digital inputs
- Intelligent Sensor Mode LG's Smart Energy Saving Technology, Energy Star 3.0 compliant
- Invisible speaker system with Dolby Digital 5.1 & Clear voice for richer more balanced sound & a polished look
- 70,000:1 Dynamic contrast ratio
LG 37LH40 37-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV, Gloss Black Overview
37" LCD HDTV, 1920 x 1080 Resolution, 120 Hz, 70,000:1 Contrast Ratio, ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM - 1 Tuner, SRS TruSurround XT, 4 HDMI input
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Customer Reviews
Fantastic Television! - Tamara Musgrove - Burlington, VT
I could not be happier with this LG 37-inch 1080p 120Hz television. I did my research for a long while before making this purchase, and the price was unbeatable for all of the features that this model offers. The 1080p was a priority for me, as well as the 120Hz. I watch a great deal of sports so this feature was a must-have! The picture quality is terrific, and the overall appearance of the television is sleek and stylish. The set-up was very easy as well. The 37-inch is hard to find elsewhere, and it is perfect for the size of my living room. I would recommend this television without hesitation!
Picture ratio never right - Scott Weaver - Mishawaka, Indiana
I bought this over the Samsung I wanted because it was a 37" which is closer to what I wanted instead of a 40". When I got it home it set up quick and easy. However, the picture has yet to be the correct ratio. Whether it is 4:3 or 16:9 the picture is either a little stretched or cut off. I've tried both the auto settings and the manual and neither appear to make any difference. The beauty of my Samsung is that it automatically adjusts to the program for the proper picture ratio....the LG does not. As for picture quality it is terrible. The 20 year old RCA CRT TV that I just ditched for this had a better quality picture. All-in-all I am very disappointed and will soon be returning this the store where I purchased it.
Fantastic TV that won't break the bank - C. Vincent -
This TV is incredible. Sure, you can buy a Vizio or Hitachi or something for much less, but come on, if you're spending 0+, get something great! The options on this TV are fantastic, so you can adjust the picture until it is absolutely perfect for you. The 120Hz TruMotion works quite well, but if you don't like it, you can easily turn it off...same with the 24P Real Cinema, Intelligent Sensor, Energy Saver, and every other feature.
The only thing more incredible than the TV was the service I received from Video & Audio Center (I purchased the TV on Amazon, but from V&AC). There was an issue with my original purchase, and I have never dealt with a more gracious, quick-to-help seller than Video & Audio Center. Just fantastic.
Note: my DirecTV looks awesome via HDMI, my PC looks awesome via the SVGA HD15 input (be aware, there is no DVI input, so you may need a DVI/SVGA or DVI/HDMI adapter, which can be purchased at monoprice for ), and my old DVD player looks fine via component cables.
Also note: I have occasionally noticed some video/audio sync issues, but it has nothing to do with the TV or type of cable used to connect to the DirecTV. What I have found is that on some of the older programming (things not filmed in HD but now being broadcast in HD), you see the sync issue (which is not corrected by switching to component cables, as some people have suggested), but when you watch new programming there is no issue at all. And even if there is an actual sync issue, which is doubtful, your 37" tv qualifies for free in-house servicing, which would probably take care of any issue in 10 minutes.
This LG is far superior to the Samsung - Kevin Speed Racer - Riverside, CA USA
I purchased the LG 37LH40 a few months ago and simply love it. It is the perfect size for my bedroom. I started with a 40" 1080p Samsung that I got at Costco. It was too big for my space. Plus, the picture was not very sharp, not very clear or crisp. I figured that was because I wasn't using an HD input (just regular digital satellite-no HD channels) and that it was the best I was going to get. I took the Samsung back to Costco a week later because it was too big. I then got the 32" LG from Costco, thinking it would be the right size. Nope, it was too small. I gave it to my parents. It's a good size for their bedroom. I carefully measured my armoire and decided the 37" would fit, so I ordered it. It came and I hooked it up. It looked great. The picture was clear and crisp. The picture quality beat the pants off of the Samsung, which is supposed to be the best picture out there. Nope, not by a long shot. This LG is fantastic. I really mean it. Plus, it's less expensive. What a deal. I highly recommend the LG. It's the only LCD TV I'll ever buy.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 23, 2010 13:40:03
