HD PICTURE QUALITY HD picture quality fell short, overall. On the positive side, reproduction of fine HD image detail was Excellent. Color accuracy was Excellent, so colors, especially flesh tones, look very natural and lifelike. However, contrast—the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites—was Good, so images had some depth, but it was not the best. Its reproduction of smooth edges on image content was Excellent both for deinterlacing of 1080i video, and for film mode detection of 1080i film-based content. On the negative side, black levels were overly bright, unfortunately, worse than many TVs. Image brightness was moderately low, dimmer than most even with the backlight control turned up—OK for a dark room but not the best choice for a bright room.
VIEWING ANGLE This LG model has a wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most TVs. It will provide fairly consistent picture quality, with fewer problems than most TVs, for typical viewing conditions—say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides. Our examination at various viewing angles indicated reasonably good consistency. In our tests, the picture did show moderate dimming from the sides. With dark scenes this model doesn't fare quite as well. When viewed from the sides, the depth of black levels varied depending on our vertical position. As we moved closer to the screen this limitation became even more apparent, especially if seated on the floor looking upward where black levels brightened significantly. When we viewed the TV from the sides the image had some loss of quality. We viewed the image from above and below center screen, and saw Excellent vertical viewing angle performance, with no significant changes in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR In our motion tests, this LG TV had Good motion performance, with some blurring. It does not have a special feature to minimize motion blur.
SOUND QUALITY We got sub-par sound quality, with below average performance. It could be acceptable for typical programming, but its shortcomings would be obvious with movie soundtracks and music. In our listening evaluations, we found the bass (low frequencies) to be lacking. Treble (high frequencies) lacked detail. The overall sound was thin and closed in. This TV is only OK for small, quiet rooms—we found that this TV's sound volume was limited and without obvious distortion. Overall, though imperfect, most people would find this sound quality acceptable. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a sound bar or other external speaker system—but if this smaller-screen set is a secondary TV, you might find its sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE Consider the TV's stand is 26 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on. The dark labeling of the connections on the TV console makes them very difficult to read. On first power up, an on-screen guide appeared—which you could choose to follow when setting up the TV. The remote controls the TV via an IR light beam which must be pointed at the TV. It has a full number keypad for entering channel numbers. It includes all the buttons we typically expect: power, channel up/down, volume control, mute, source input, menu and exit buttons. It also has dedicated buttons for streaming Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and LG Channels.
INTERNET FEATURES This TV provides internet functionality via its "WebOS" portal, with access to a library of applications from the LG Content Store, and a full web browser. Movie streaming services that can be downloaded to this TV, or are built-in, include Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney and HBO Max. Claimed support for external voice assistants (not built in to the TV) include Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
CONNECTIONS This model has two HDMI inputs (one supports ARC, audio return channel). It also has one USB port, an optical digital audio out, an Ethernet port, WiFi wireless networking, and DLNA—to access files within your home network.
WHAT'S INCLUDED A printed user manual, a quick start guide, an electronic user guide via the TV's menu, a remote control with batteries, and a detachable power cord.
