LG 55LH90 Review

LG 55LH90

Design Rating: 79/100
Features Rating: 81/100
Performance Rating: 80/100
Overall Rating: 80/100

LG 55LH90 is the best LCD TV from LG 2009 line-up, that uses LED backlighting with local dimming and delivers FULL HD 1080p resolution (the best available) with a 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 2,4 ms response time. From a top rated LCD TV like LG 55LH90 we can’t expect anything but the best, so is normal to have 240Hz refresh rate. If you are thinking of buying a top LCD TV then have a look at this one because it’s worth it.

Specifications
Diagonal size: 42 inch;
Resolution: 1920 x 1080;
Contrast:2,000,000:1;
Refresh rate:240Hz;
Response time:2,4ms;

Note: We have made an in-depth review on the 55-inch LG 55LH90 , but this evaluation also applies on the 47-inch LG 47LH90 and the 42-inch LG 42LH90.They all have identical features and specifications.

Pros:

• Amazing black levels and detail in dark areas;
• Excellent shadow detail;
• We are big fans of the matte screen ;
• The best accurate color;
• Good connectivity including four HDMI and PC input;

Cons:

• Difficult to discern benefits of 240Hz refresh rate;
• Lacks internet-connected interactive capability found on most of high-end LCD TVs;
• Can’t separate antiblur and dejudder processing like Toshiba’s high-end SV670U series;
• Like B750 series from Samsung it lacks S-Video inputs;
• Relatively expensive for our taste;

LG 55LH90 is the new high-end model that tries to blow us away with amazing features. The battle between plasma and LCD TV is getting more and more to an end. With every release LCD TV manufactures try to obtain deeper blacks and accurate color. That’s why, more end more high-end LCD TVs are equipped with LED backlighting with local dimming. This technology was first used by Samsung on A950 series and then by Sony on Sony XBR8 series. These were the LCD TVs that closed the gap considerably compared with best plasma TVs. Since then, more and more manufactures start using this technology. This is the case with LG 55LH90 as well but we are going to talk more about this technology in the features area of this review. With this model LG has succeed to obtain amazing deep black level and the best accurate color available on the market. This LCD TV is by far the best model that LG has ever produced. Not the best HDTV on the market, but deserves a place in our top rated LCD TVs.

55LH90 Design

Compared to previous models from LG, this one has some major visual improvements. Thanks to LED Backlight technology this LCD panel is super slim with less then one inch thickness. This panel is even thinner then the B7000 series from Samsung that has a 1.2-inch thick panel. How a LCD TV looks is very important to a customer nowadays and that’s why manufactures complete TVs design with visual features. Samsung has TOC (touch of color), Toshiba has Deep Lagoon Design and LG has a semitransparent tint of blue that extends beyond the edge on all four sides of the LCD TV. The LCD matte screen is surrounded by a glossy-black frame and supporting the panel, is a blue-tinted stand stalk above the circular, always appreciated, swivel stand. Other visual features that can be found on LH90 series are the small LG logo, the three letters “L E D” indicating that this panel has a LED backlight technology and the illuminated power indicator. Some customers complain that the standby power indicator is a little too bright. The design offered by this model is futuristic, eye-caching and sophisticated.

55LH90 Remote control

This year LG decided to go with backlight buttons and more spacing between keys. This are the major improvements compared to last year remote control. We appreciate that buttons are grouped logically and that major functions have dedicated keys, but we didn’t like that they have similar size and shapes. The only major function that doesn’t have a dedicated key is “aspect ratio” but for those of you who want to save on the electric bill there is a remarkable button labeled “Energy Saving”.

The menu

Compared to last year menu we didn’t notice many changes. An addition to it is the onscreen manual that offers users basic information. We like that you can easily access picture and sound modes, timer, aspect ratio and other features but we don’t like that it lacks explanatory text for each menu item, especially because some of them are pretty advanced.

55LH90 features

With all major manufactures fighting for supremacy, LG couldn’t survive without a high-end LCD TV with top features. This is the case with this model that is competing with best rated HDTVs from Samsung, Sony or Toshiba. LG 55LH90 is the best model that this manufacturer has ever produced, thanks to high-end features like LED based display with “local dimming“ -which is different form the LED based models from Samsung like B6000, B7000 and B8000 series, because the LEDs are arranged differently: LG has them behind the screen while Samsung has them along the edges – and 240Hz refresh rate that is also a different technology from the one used by Samsung or Sony. We will talk more about this features in there dedicated sections.

LED backlighting with local dimming

This is the big addition made by LG to this LCD TV compared to previous models. LED backlighting with local dimming allows 55LH90 to achieve deep blacks. This technology was used by Samsung on the A950 series and Sony on the XBR8 series and more recent by Toshiba on SV670U series. If behind most of the LCD TVs you will find standard fluorescent lamps, behind LG 55LH90 you will find groups of LEDs that can be individually dimmed – even switched off in some areas – to achieve deep blacks. With this feature the biggest improvement is made in contrast.

Fast content improved with 240Hz refresh rate

One of the biggest step-down for LCD TVs compared to plasma TVs is motion blur. To resolve this problem manufactures have implemented 240Hz refresh rate on high-end model to reduce motion blur. There are two types of “240Hz” technology. The true one is used by Samsung and Sony that actually quadruple original standard 60 frames to obtain reduction in motion blur. LG, Toshiba and Vizio use the other 240Hz technology which doubles standard 60 frames content, like a usual 120Hz LCD TV, while flashing the backlight very fast (faster then human vision can perceive). Both technologies have almost the same outcome; the method used by Samsung and Sony being slightly better. The title for true 240Hz technology goes of course to Sony and Sammy. We applaud the fact that Toshiba named the technology “240Hz effect” giving the customer an idea that there is a difference between what they offer and true 240Hz refresh rate. This is not the case with LG and Vizio who “omitted” this detail. We don’t appreciate the fact that they aren’t fair play with other manufactures and customers.

No Internet feature

Now this is something we didn’t expect from a 2009 high-end LCD TV – no internet interactive features. This is one big omission from LG, and a great feature that is found on competing models from Sony and Samsung. This feature is available only on LH50 series.

Dejudder processing

The new high-end models from Samsung and Toshiba allow you to separate dejudder from anti-blur and this is something we just love. LGs dejudder processing isn’t so great because it forces you to engage the smoothing effect if you want to enjoy benefits of reduced blurring. You can choose between three strengths of dejudder: Low, High and “Real Cinema” for 1080p/24 sources.

Picture controls

This is the section where LG overpowers other manufactures. We are used with LG to deliver the best picture controls but this model has even more adjustments then previous LCD TVs from last year. Its designed to please normal HDTV users with a Picture Wizard that helps them to perform basic calibration for controls like: brightness, contrast, color, tint, sharpness (horizontal and vertical) and backlight and also HDTV geeks with advanced controls like: three color temperature presets, noise reduction, three levels of gamma, a black-level control, edge enhancement, a room-lighting sensor and others.
This model also includes a THX picture preset that is found only on this high-end model and it tries to offer improved accuracy. We don’t like that the THX on this LG cannot be adjusted.

Intelligent Sensor

This feature is one of the nine picture memory slots – independent per input – and its LG’s answer to Toshiba’s Autoview feature. If you want to get the most out of your LCD TV then you must pay attention to ambient light. The biggest problem is that ambient light changes throw the day and if you want to see a movie in the evening then light condition will change. This is where Intelligent Sensor comes into play and reacts to ambient light conditions and automatically sets picture parameters accordingly.

Connectivity

This model offers good connectivity with:

• Four HDMI inputs (three on the back, one on the side)
• Two component-video inputs
• Two AV input with composite video(one in the back, one on the side)
• One RF input
• Optical digital audio output
• One RS-232 port for custom installations

Just like B750 series from Samsung, it lacks an S-video input.

Performance

LG 55LH90 is a great overall LCD TV and is doing a very good job competing with high-end models from others manufactures like Toshiba, Samsung or Sony. It delivers superb color and excellent black level performance. The only problem is that it suffers from poor off-angle performance but if you read the LCD TV screen size optimal viewing distance guide then you should be fine. If you want to get the most out of this LCD TV then you need to calibrate it. The outcome will be spectacular thanks to the LG’s excellent selection of user-menu controls.

Black level

This high-end LCD TV delivers great blacks that can be compared to those of the best conventional backlight LCD TV – B750 series- and LED based LCD TVs like A950, B7000 series from Samsung. They are not quite as deep as those of the best plasmas or Sony XBR8.When it comes to shadow detail this model performs good, better then B750 and the B7000 series, equal to A950 and XBR8, but not quite as good as best plasmas TVs.

Color accuracy

This model from LG is just … superb in this section. It has exceeded even our expectations delivering color accuracy better then most LCD TVs on the market.Better then B750 series, better then LED based LCD TVs from Samsung, better the XBR9 from Sony and almost as good as best plasma TVs and XBR8 series. The difference between this HDTV and best plasmas is quite subtle even side by side.

Very good even in bright light

This LCD TV performs very well in bright light thanks to the matte screen that reflects light less intensely then other shiny LCD screens such as the ones found on Samsung, Toshiba or plasma TVs. XBR8 series is the best LCD TV made by Sony and it has (just like LG LH90 series) a matte screen.

PC Usage

In this area this LCD TV performs as we expected: very good. You have 2 options: via HDMI and via analog PC input. Via HDMI it performs excellent resolving every line of a 1,920×1,080 source and via analog PC input it has some minor problems with ghosting along the edges that we couldn’t get ride of, but besides this the outcome is the same as via digital.

In the end

In the end we can say that this is an excellent LCD TV, the best ever produced by LG, not the best available on the market, but struggling to get the title.