47in LCD Picture Sound Features Usability Value Excellent HD picture quality let down by  average black levels and inconsistent colour reproduction HD Ready: yes Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Rating: 85%

Reviewed: 01 September 2007

Design

Even at 47in, LG's 47LY95 LCD TV has a discreet presence which belies its quite considerable size. With unique flush fitting speakers either side of the frame, an ultra thin profile with glossy black finish and matching pedestal, the LG 47LY95 looks every inch the designer piece of kit from the Milan based studios the Korean manufacturer employs.

We have to mention built quality too which is absolutely top notch and on par with any other LCD manufacturer.

Features

LG's LY95 series of LCD TV's is a step up from the entry level LF66 (and the LG 37LY95) sporting a 'Wide Colour Gamut' backlight system, and 10 bit rather than an 8 bit panel.

	Screen: 47in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound System: Nicam Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Contrast Ratio: 5,000:1 Brightness: 500cd/m2 Other Features: XD Full HD picture processing, Wide Colour Gamut, Intelligent Eye, Simple Link, comb Filter. Sockets: 2 HDMI, 2 Scart, S-video, component video, PC input, Digital Optical Out.

 

The 10 bit panel on the LG 47LY95 provides a Color Saturation of NTSC 92%. This is a measurement of colour purity and is compared against the NTSC (National Television Standard Committee) standard of 100. Commercial CRT TVs and LCD TVs normally have a colour saturation of 72%

The most impressive feature of LG's 47LY95 is its new Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) resolution which could potentially 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). At 47in, LG's 47LY95 has the size to really take advantage of this configuration.

Picture processing technology on the 47LY95 comes in the shape of LG's proprietary XD engine which in its latest guise is dubbed XD Full HD, the Full HD a reference to the fact that it has been optimised for the 1920 x 1080 resolution panels. The 47LY95 also sports an enhanced noise reduction function and a Digital Comb Filter.

Designed to enhance the general quality of the viewing experience, LG's 'Intelligent Eye' has been designed to automatically adjust the picture depending upon current lighting conditions.

Simple Link technology (HDMI-CEC) technology allows you to control all LG-compatible equipment through a single remote control.

As we would expect, the LG 47LY95 has good connectivity with 2 HDMI inputs (1.3 spec), 2 Scarts, Component input and S-video input along with PC input. Additionally the 47LY95 sports an integrated digital Freeview tuner with 7-day Electronic Programming Guide (EPG).

Strangely, LG has dropped its Picture-in-Picture functionality on the LY95 range.

Performance

The high point of the LG 47LY95's performance is the screen's ability to produce supremely sharp and detailed High Definition (HD) pictures. The 1:1 pixel mode comes into its own on the 47in screen with negligible picture noise and wonderfully vibrant colours.

In fact, the LG 47LY95 produces one of the most vibrant colour performances we have seen on any LCD, with an intensity to hues that LG's have built a reputation for, but with the addition of subtle colour blends which previous LG's have tended not to produce.

As with most LCD TV's however, we have come to expect top notch HD performance, and the standards are now being set by panels whose Standard Definition (SD) ability sets them apart from the crowd.

It is disappointing to discover then, that the LG 47LY95 suffers from some mediocre black levels with a noticeable grey tinge to all SD material with darker scenes. The knock on effect of a less than perfect black canvass is that colours appear dull, and skin tones in particular tend to give a slightly lifeless hue to faces when close up.

Any screen approaching 40in and beyond is entirely unforgiving when it comes to SD pictures, and the LG 47LY95 is no exception. At times video noise begins to encroach on the viewing experience, and fast action scenes don't fair to well with noticeable jaggedness to the most demanding scenes.

Acoustically, the LG 47LY95 is a solid performer with the twin 10w speakers delivering quite an impressive level of bass and a surround sound system (Surround MAX) that actually delivers a surround sound effect.

Conclusion

With a great HD performance, the LG 47LY95 could form the backbone of a competent budget home cinema system. As an all rounder however, standard definition performance doesn't cut it even in the budget category with competition from the likes of Samsung and Panasonic who are offering better screens foe less.