LG 32LC56 Review

32in LCD

Picture
Sound
Features
Usability
Value

Excellent all round performance for the price.

HD Ready:

yes

Resolution:

1366 x 768

Rating:

88%

Reviewed: 12 November 2007

Design

LG now farms out the design of many of its screens to a studio in Milan, with even the base range of LCD TV's of which the 32LC56 forms a part coming in for the stylistic treatment. With sleek crisp lines and an ultra thin profile, the 32LC56 finds itself at the forefront of flat panel design.

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

Features

As part of their budget range of LCD TV's, the LG 32LC56 comes with a screen resolution of 1377 x 768 rather than the Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) on the higher spec LY/LF range, and along with the LF series it is equipped with an 8-bit rather than a 10-bit panel and as such loses the 'Wide Colour Gamut' of the top end LY series.

Screen: 32in 16:9

Tuner: Digital

Sound System: Nicam

Resolution: 1366 x 768

Contrast Ratio: 5,000:1

Brightness: 450cd/m2

Other Features: XD Full HD picture processing, Intelligent Eye, Simple Link, comb Filter.

Sockets: 2 HDMI, 2 Scart, S-video, component video, composite video, PC input.

Additionally, the 32LC56 boasts 2 HDMI inputs, 2 SCARTS (1 RGB) along with composite, component and s-video inputs.

Picture processing technology on the 32LC56 comes in the shape of LG's proprietary XD engine. The XD Engine brings together a range of picture processing enhancements under the XD umbrella, and amongst other things focuses on improving the input signal quality.

The 32LC56 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.

Performance

The absence of Full HD resolution on the 1366 x 768 37LC55 does not detract from its performance to any great degree, with the 32in panel not really large enough to show the benefits too their full. High Definition pictures on the LY/LF series are better, but not by much - the 37LC55 is impressively sharp and detailed with HD inputs.

Colour performance from the 8-bit panel is very good, but we couldn't help comparing it with LG's new 10-bit panels which offer that extra little bit of vibrancy to on-screen colour. Saying that, the LG 32LC56 is an improvement on previous LCD TV's from LG which have suffered from over saturated colours. The 32LC56 displays an impressive realism to difficult areas such as skin tones that indicates the indicates that inconsistent colour tones are a thing of the past.

The only real negative aspect of the LG 32LC56's performance are its black levels. As you would expect, not so noticeable in daylight conditions, turn the lights down however and darker areas show a hint of greyness. Shadow detail to a degree is retained, but not to the level of the class leading best.

LG makes some extravagant claims for its XD Engine, notably the conversion of standard definition input to near high definition quality. Although the XD engine performs well, producing some impressive SD pictures with the better quality input, we can't help thinking the marketing blurb is just a little over the top. The picture does deteriorate with terrestrial freeview with a disappointing amount of digital noise. Saying that however, the fast motion capabilities of the 32LC56 were impressive, and showed very little evidence of motion smearing.

Acoustically, the LG 32LC56 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

Although the LC series from LG forms the base range of LCD TV's from the Korean Manufacturer, there is a noticeable overall improvement in performance from previous budget LG's. Aimed at the budget conscious consumer, the 32LC56 is not the most accomplished LCD out there, but at around £400 it is certainly one of the best value.