The LG Infinia 42LV5500 is an LED HDTV that boasts a huge range of features. Not only designed with an excellent quality screen for viewing your TV shows and movies, it also comes ready to connect to the internet and your favorite websites. The question is, are these extra features really worth the seemingly-high price tag of this model?
Key Specs For The [ReviewAZON_Tooltip asin=”integrated” titlewordcount=”3″]LG Infinia 42LV5500[/ReviewAZON_Tooltip]
Average Price: 850-1,259
Released: 2011
3D-Ready? No
Screen Size: 42
Screen Type: LED-Lit
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Aspect Ratio: 16:09
Contrast Ratio: 5,000,000:1
Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
Viewing Angle: 180°/180° Horizontal/Vertical
Response Time: 2.6 ms
Connectivity: Wi-Fi Ready
HDMI Inputs: 4
Dimensions: 39.8 x 1.2 x 24.3 inches
Benefits Of The LG Infinia 42LV5500
Wi-Fi: Only the highest level televisions come with Wi-Fi included as standard, so the fact that this is a feature of the LG Infinia 42LV5500 will be a bonus for many potential buyers. The addition of a number of apps means you can connect to your favorite video and social networking websites right from your TV screen.
Picture Quality: The picture on the LG Infinia 42LV5500 is of exceptional quality in its class of television. It has a good contrast ratio, showing excellent range of dark colors, very sharp resolution, and good motion display thanks to TruMotion 120Hz technology. Good motion display means images won’t blur: absolutely essential for those action movies or sports games.
Picture Controls: Most HDTVs will need a little tweaking out of the box, to create the kind of color and brightness you feel happy with. The picture controls on the LG Infinia 42LV5500 are extremely easy to use, thanks to the inbuilt “picture wizard”. This is a step by step guide that’ll take you through all of the options, helping you to get it right first time.
The LG Infinia 42LV5500 also features automatic brightness adjustment as part of its energy saving features. As the light changes in the room, the brightness will automatically adjust with it to save power.
Remote: There is a standard remote with the LG Infinia 42LV5500, as well as the second “Magic Motion”remote. This is the minimal option and it looks and feels absolutely fantastic.
Customizable Dashboard: Another feature of the LG Infinia 42LV5500 that hints at the fact it’s more than just a standard TV is the fact that it comes with LG Smart TV. This means that you can arrange all of your apps into your own personalized dashboard, making it easier to use and faster to access the features that you use the most.
Sound: There are mixed reviews about the sound of the LG Infinia 42LV5500. On the one hand, no HDTV is going to have the best quality sound. These sets are designed to be as thin as possible, meaning there isn’t much room for a set of quality speakers. Most users choose to enhance their sets with external speakers instead.
On the other hand, many users have reported the sound quality to be surprisingly good on the LG Infinia 42LV5500 when compared to other models on the market. Whether or not the speakers will suit you depends on if you want to recreate the full cinema experience.
Drawbacks Of The LG Infinia 42LV5500
Price: Unfortunately, the price of the LG Infinia 42LV5500 is a little more than you’d usually pay for HDTV options in this screen size. The fact that it comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and a range of internet apps has pushed it into a higher price range.
Poor Selection Of Apps: With a lot of competition in the world of internet-ready TVs, many users have found that the LG Infinia 42LV5500 just doesn’t match up to its rivals in terms of available apps.
Inbuilt Browser: Although there is a built in web browser, which is definitely a benefit, it doesn’t feature Flash capability. This means you won’t be able to watch videos on most websites, or view websites that use Flash design features. This is a major drawback to those who want as much freedom as possible within their TV web browser.
Remote: Although the remotes look fantastic, they would have been enhanced even further had there been an option of a Qwerty keyboard. Many of the top internet-ready TVs include one thanks to the fact that it makes it easer to browse the web, update your Facebook status and more.
Should You Buy The LG Infinia 42LV5500?
Unfortunately, the LG Infinia 42LV5500 doesn’t quite hit the mark in terms of internet features. It has a lot of promise, and a higher price tag to match the wide rage of features, but you’ll find that other televisions do it better. There is, however, extremely good picture quality. If you’re not too bothered by having the best internet apps, this could still be a good HDTV option for you.