LG 47LW550T review

For this review we tested the 47in model in the LW550T range, but it’s also available in 42in (42LW550T) and 55in (55LW550T) screen sizes. All models have identical specifications except for their dimensions and power usage. We’re confident that image quality will be practically identical across the range.

Although it isn’t technically LG’s range-topping model (that plaudit goes to the LW650T), the LW550T has an extensive list of features that should tick all the boxes for anyone looking to upgrade their old TV.

With a 47in full HD display panel, this is certainly a TV for the living room rather than an office or bedroom. A thin plastic display bezel looks good, but isn’t as sturdy as the ones we’ve seen from Panasonic and Sony. Against the right background, the silver stand gives the impression that the screen itself is floating, but it’s still no comparison to how it would look once wall-mounted.

Around the back, there are plenty of connections: four HDMI inputs, component, composite, Scart and VGA inputs, as well as optical S/PDIF and analogue audio outputs are split between the rear and side of the set. There are two USB ports, which can be used to play multimedia files, but not for recording television broadcasts. We were impressed with the speakers: they managed to produce a well-rounded sound, and were louder than most.

Also included is an Ethernet port; like a lot of higher-end TVs this year, LG has included internet services (known as Smart TV) in the LW550T. There aren’t many exciting services, though. Facebook, Google Maps, Twitter and YouTube are par for the course, but catch-up TV courtesy of BBC iPlayer is undoubtedly the highlight. You can watch HD programmes in iPlayer on the LW550T, subject to the speed of your internet connection. It’s a shame that the Smart TV interface felt so sluggish when moving between menus, as it looks very good and has a sensible layout, unlike the remote control.

When watching live TV, standard definition Freeview channels suffer from being shown across the large 47in screen. Higher quality channels such as BBC One coped reasonably well, but still looked slightly lacking in detail. Low-quality channels looked much worse, with most facial detail missing from the presenters on BBC News, for example. High definition channels fared much better, producing sharp images that looked very detailed.

Full HD content on Blu-ray looked even better, with LG’s TruMotion frame-creation system managing to remove jerky motion during fast-moving scenes. The backlight was even across all scenes and colours were incredibly vibrant. LG is also one of the only TV manufacturers to really push passive 3D technology, so it comes as no surprise to see it here. While other TVs use battery-powered active shutter glasses, the LW550T comes with a single pair of passive glasses that don’t need charging and weigh much less. Although passive 3D halves the resolution seen by each eye, the glasses don’t dim the image as active pairs do, so we could watch Avatar in a well-lit room and see the 3D effects more prominently. We could also watch from a wider angle, which would make this an ideal 3D set for use in a wide room.

Because it uses LCD with edge-lit LED backlighting rather than a Plasma panel, we would expect the LW550T to be cheaper than the equivalent plasma model from Panasonic. However, compared to the excellent [A HREF=”https://www.expertreviews.com/uk/reviews/1285465/panasonic-viera-tx-p42gt30b” target=”_blank”]Panasonic Viera GT30 range[/A, there’s actually very little difference in price. Considering the image quality is much better on the GT30, your choice will depend very much on how much you plan to use your TV for 3D content. LG’s passive glasses are cheaper and more convenient than the active shutter alternative, but for 2D content, the LW550T can’t match the competition.