LG 37LG6000 Review

37in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Combine good performance with great value and the LG 37LG6000 presents itself as a compelling option.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1920 x 1080

Rating:

90%

Reviewed: 28 June 2008

Design

LG’s high end 'scarlet' range of LCD TV’s does not, as you might imagine, refer to the glossy red coloured panels on the back of these screens, but rather the scarlet glow which comes from the circular hole in the middle of the bezel when the TV is in standby mode.

Nice design touch or an unnecessary embellishment, we leave you to decide. What most people will agree on however, is that by employing an Italian design studio for some years now, LG have shaken up the rather staid world of LCD design. With LG leading the way, most manufacturers have now cottoned on to the fact that good design sells LCD's, and sells them in large numbers.

It is no longer enough to produce a technically brilliant flat panel, and with their 'scarlet' series, LG have tuned into consumer desire for slimmer screens, for some distinctive design feature, and also for some form of decoration on the back of the screen.

At just over 8cm at its widest point, the 37LG6000 presents a very slim profile and by colouring the back of the panel in a striking scarlet finish LG may have hit upon something not so obvious to most of us, that this part of the TV is quite often visible (at least in part) and therefore deserves some form of embellishment.

Features

No less than four HDMI (v1.3) inputs gives the 37LG6000 an edge in the connectivity stakes and a USB 2.0 adds to the mix allowing you to display your still MPEG's or play MP3 files through a slick on-screen menu interface.

Screen: 37in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Contrast Ratio: 50,000:1

Other Features: XD Engine.

Sockets: 4 HDMI (v1.3), 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input, USB 2.0.

Having had mixed feelings about the effectiveness of LG's TruMotion 100Hz technology on the 42LG6000, we were not too disappointed with its absence on the slightly smaller 37in model.

LG's proprietary XD engine is the picture processing heart of the panel, bringing together a range of picture processing enhancements under the XD umbrella which focuses on improving the panels operation in two distinct areas. It works with the input signal to improve the quality of incoming feeds and then with the panel itself to improve the presentation of these feeds.

The 37LG6000's Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution has the potential to give a marked improvement in the display of sources such as Sky TV (1080i) where the 1080 lines of resolution match the resolution of the screen, negating the need for any picture scaling to fit (with LG's 1:1 pixel mapping through HDMI).

By continually analyzing the brightness and colour temperature of the area surrounding the screen, LG's 'Intelligent Sensor' technology optimizes the brightness, contrast, colour, sharpness, and white balance to reduce unnecessary on-screen brightness. LG claim the technology can protect against eyestrain and reduce power consumption with potential savings of up to 62%.

With Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Sport, and Game modes, the 37LG6000 has a number of presets to suit a variety of viewing options for on-screen content.

A hidden speaker system tuned by the renowned hi-fi specialist, Mark Levinson, gives us some optimism for LG's acoustic ability. Interestingly there are a number of preset acoustic modes from which to choose; Standard, Music, Cinema, Game and Sport.

Performance

Testament to the quality of the 37LG6000 is its ability to upscale a Standard Definition (SD) source onto a considerable number of pixels in the shape of a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. SD pictures at their lowest quality provide less than 576 lines of detail and although some fine detailing and sharpness is lost with terrestrial Freeview, this loss of detail is minimal.

With fast motion sequences, the 37LG6000 can't quite match the composure displayed by the likes of Sony's excellent W4000 series. Fast sporting action gives rise to some on screen smearing and loss of detail, but again, the effects are minimal.

LG have made huge strides of late with the black level ability of their LCD TV's. Gone are the murky greys and in their place are deep rich graduations of black across darker scenes. The best screens offer more detail with darker content but you have to look hard to spot the LG's shortcomings in this respect.

The vibrant colour displayed by LCD TV's from LG is not to everyone's tastes and the picture in this respect certainly could not be described as subdued. What LG have managed to achieve however is a more subtle colour palette which has lost the 'garish' appearance of previous efforts. Tricky facial tones presented in a much more realistic fashion are an indication of LG's improvement in this area.

High Definition (HD) is predictably good with a stunning level of detail and sharpness. Again, we have seen better performing HD screens, but you have to look towards Panasonic's latest range of Full HD plasma to witness any significant advantage.

As a pleasant surprise, LG have managed to create a more powerful and ultimately much more satisfying acoustic performance with their 'scarlet' range of LCD TV's. There is no substitute for a stand alone speaker arrangement, but with some innovative speaker technology and expert tuning, LG have managed to achieve one of the better performing LCD TV's in this respect.

Conclusion

The LG 37LG6000 is one of the most stylish screens around, and although ultimately, the picture performance is just off the pace of the very best LCD TV's, the margins are small. With a high spec and presenting great value, the 37LG6000 is a compelling option.