The Pros and Cons of the LG-47LH50 Flat Panel HDTV

The LG-47LH50 is one of the newer televisions in LG's line of HDTV products. No, it is not the newest, as this was released in 2009, but it has several distinctions that set it apart from others in the field. There is no question about it; this is a quality product from a company pushing into markets everywhere.

Has One of a Kind Features While Lacking Some of the Basics
The interesting thing with the LG-47LH50 is it sports features that no other HDTV does. Just to cover the basics, this is a 47 inch, 1080p full HD flat panel TV. It offers very accurate color control and management in the form of an advanced picture adjustment utility that uses on-screen wizards and test patterns to allow the user to adjust the set for their preferences. This is a significantly more advanced television than many other models although it is not truly unique. The picture quality is average based upon the actual specified hardware performance numbers.

This comes from the fact that the LG unit lacks LED backlighting which is quite popular on other models and the 240 Hz refresh rate found on the more expensive models. The performance is comparable to similar models , although it is not quite the top of the line. There are two different strengths of dejudder; the technology used to smooth out the motion in HDTV's. While that is a good feature, the unit's performance in "real cinema" mode, which is designed for 1080p/24, is a little less that perfect. Overall, the picture quality is not to be disparaged, however. The real power of this TV is the other built in features.

Interactive HDTV
This is the first LG TV to have full interactive features built in, the first of which is Netflix Streaming. This is an on demand service that allows you to watch movies from the internet directly. It is very exciting because you are in better control of your television watching experience and the convenience of click-n-watch is a big plus. This is just the beginning as the LG also has Yahoo! Widgets programmed in.

This is not the only HDTV on the market to offer this feature, although LG has raised the bar concerning its performance and the result is a more responsive experience. There is also a YouTube client included in the set. This is not just the Yahoo! Widget everyone knows, but it is a separate and superior application altogether that beats out the Yahoo! YouTube widget by a long shot. This means that you will be fighting with your kids for TV time rather than computer time, so there is a switch for you.

No Wireless?
The down side of all of these features is that the LG-47LH50 does not have wireless capabilities built in. Meaning that if you want to use wireless rather than an Ethernet cable to hook you TV to the internet, you will need to add an external Wi-Fi box, which can be a bit cumbersome and inconvenient Most HDTV's in the same price range, such as the Sony Bravia KDL-40EX700 also lack a built in Wi-Fi module. The Sony Bravia also offers interactive internet features like Amazon, Blip.tv and YouTube.

Price Comparison
For comparison, the Sony unit is priced the same as the LG at $1145. The price of the LG-47LH50 is $1199.00 the real comparison comes when you consider picture quality and the non-internet features of the two units. Both are comparable in general operation and have strengths and weaknesses in performance just the same. The difference is in the advanced nature of the internet features, which is bound to be a big issue for most people and possibly a deciding factor as this is the most desirable feature of any new HDTV. The LG has certainly made a big step and wins in this area as compared to most of the competition.

LG: 47LH50 Flat panel
CNet: LG 47LH50 Review
CNet: Sony Bravia KDL-40EX700
Sony: Sony Bravia KDL-40EX700