42in LCD Picture Sound Features Usability Value Outstanding HD picture quality tempered by average black levels and average SD performance. HD Ready: yes Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Rating: 89%

Reviewed: 15 July 2007

Design

• For the LF66, part of LG's design brief for their Milan based design studios was to create an LCD TV with an ultra thin profile. Striking in its slim line appearance this objective has clearly been met, and combined with glossy black frame and matching pedestal the 42LF66 is at the forefront of distinctive LCD design.

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

Features

Although LG's 42LF66 boasts a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080) it falls just short of the Korean manufacturers LY range in terms of specification. The 42LF66 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: 42in 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, Intelligent Eye, Simple Link, comb Filter. Sockets: 2 HDMI, 2 Scart, S-video, component video, composite video, PC input.

 

The LG 42LF66 may not get top billing, but this is still an impressively specified machine. A Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 is accompanied by 1:1 pixel mapping which allows sources such as standard or high definition pictures from Sky (1080i) to be mapped pixel for pixel to the screen.

Additionally, the 42LF66 boasts 2 HDMI inputs, 2 SCARTS (1 RGB) along with composite, component and s-video inputs.

Picture processing technology on the 42LF66 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 42LF66 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

High Definition (HD) is where the LG 42LF66 excels. The level of detail and sharpness is outstanding, with the benefits of 1-to-1 pixel mapping clearly visible on the large 42in screen. The improvement that a Full HD resolution screen offers is not huge, but its there, and clearly visible.

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 42LF66 is an improvement on previous LCD TV's from LG which have suffered from over saturated colours. The 42LF66 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 42LF66'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.

We were also little disappointed with Standard Definition material on the 42LF66. The performance doesn't detract too much from the overall viewing experience, but it was disappointing to see some obvious video noise on terrestrial freeview. Saying that however, the fast motion capabilities of the 42LF66 were impressive, and showed very little evidence of motion smearing.

Acoustically, the LG 42LF66 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

At under £1,000 and with a Full HD resolution, the LG 42LF66 offers excellent value and strong performance in most areas. Still worth a close look, but if it hadn't been for average black levels and slightly disappointing SD performance this screen would be a class leader.