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LG 55LW5600 55" 3D HDTV-Ready LCD TVWelcome to the third dimension! The LW5600 delivers LG Cinema 3D technology and a whole lot more. It lets you tap into the virtually limitless entertainment capabilities of LG Smart TV and enjoy better picture quality with LG s LED Plus display technology.
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8 Reviews from Epinions.com
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LG 55" 55LW5600
Other forums offer tons of techie type details. I consulted these but what I really wanted was some basic info for a guy going from a 32” tube tv to a 55” LCD tv. I had NO IDEA what to expect. I will gear my review from this perspective.
SIZE:
The sucker is BIG. A 55” screen compared to a 32” tube tv screen makes a world of difference. So does the flat vs boxy footprint. I was concerned the sucker would be too big for my 13 X 18 family room. I can say that while the screen is much larger, I became accustom to it in minutes. In fact, I probably could have gone bigger! The average viewing distance is anywhere from 6 feet to 9 feet to 12 feet. The size is never overwhelming. The foot print, though large, is flat but not obtrusive. We have the set angled in a corner. As far as weight…I almost killed myself moving the 32” tube tv. I had no problem maneuvering the 55” set by myself. That includes removing it from the box (it was well packed), attaching the stand, setting it on the tv stand and turning it as I connected my wires for DVD, stereo, cable etc etc. Bottom line; do not let the size intimidate you!
CONNECTIONS:
To be honest, the act of disconnecting everything (Audio, cable, vcr, dvd) and having to reconnect everything likely kept in the same boat with my 32” tube tv for a year longer than I would have liked.
Connections turned out to be easy though. Not having the incredible heavy tube tv to swing around to access all the wiring in the back makes life so much easier. There was way I could pull the tv stand out with that heavy sucker on it. Its so simple to swing the 55” flat screen around and get to the back of the new tv and stand though that I did not even need to move the stand. I essentially pulled out all my old wires and started over. First I ditched the VCR and DVD altogether. The cable box was next hooked to the tv via a simple single HDMI cable. The wiring for the audio was pretty much left as it was. I bought a new Blue ray player….it used a single HDMI cable as well. SIMPLE connections! I would not connectivity intimidate you either. In fact I added one further HDMI that hangs there if the kids want to bring the gaming system down and attach to the tv.
PICTURE:
There are tons of adjustments to picture quality. They range from simple presets, to walk thrus to explicit detailed settings. I am happy to report, that while I tinkered with all this, I really pretty happy with the default settings the set came with. If anything I opted Normal View or Cinema View.
Now the real question…how does the picture look. First off…I was not completely impressed…unit I realized I had to change a setting on my CABLE BOX!! Essentially I needed to tell the cable box to send the signal to the tv in 1080p as opposed to it default of 480p. Again, that’s a cable box setting I had to make. You may not need to but its good to know. In fact I’d find out and make the change before you watch the new tv. Anyway, after that change all was GREAT….assuming you have an HD cable box. If you do I am happy to report the picture is completely awesome. Bright, sharp, colorful and clear occupying the entire 55” screen. It’s incredible. I immediately found that I had to re-learn where all the HD channels were on my cable box though. (there is a regular tier of channels and an HD tier)
The downside to this technology comes when you do not have a particular channel broadcast in HD. When that happens the picture generally does not occupy the whole screen. There is setting to make it fit the whole screen but then things start to look a little stretched out. Its usually more squarish than rectangular. On these type channels, sometimes channel looks real good and others times it look pixilated or grainy. It seams to be hit or miss In other words, sometimes the old tube tv had a better picture for these type channels. Fortunately most channels are available in HD.
The problem persists with standard dvds and some blue ray dvds. At first I thought it was the new tv set or at least some sort of adjustment was needed. Some dvds looked grainy. After some research I learned that the method they used to convert they movie to dvd will impact the quality of what you see. The media the movie was recorded on plays into it as well. I have a $5 Walmart Blue Ray DVD of: Field of Dreams which looks AWEFULL…full of grain. On the other hand I have a Blue Ray of the new Sherlock Holmes and it looks fine. Similarly, my oldQuincyseries dvds look real grainy but a standard DVD of Marmaduke was fine. You can read up on this…I pretty much convinced myself the tv set was not at fault…more an issue for the generation of tv sets now available. Bottom line, some dvds simply looks better on the old tube tv.
SOUND:
Well, no doubt about it, the sound on my 32” tube set was far superior. Then again…the speakers they fit in that 1 inch thick LED screen likely can not be expected to perform like those in the old tube model. It is VERY noticeable at first but soon you become accustom to it. For the most part it lacks bass. You can turn on your surround system…which I do for movies…for the most part though, after a few nights you won’t know what you are missing.
3D TV:
Some sets offer the ability to convert whatever you are watching into 3D…movies, sport, news….whatever. Some sets force you to wear battery operated glasses that cost tens if not hundreds of dollars. The LG does not. You may use the same glasses you pay an upgrade fee for when you see a 3d movie in a theater. The good news is it works great! You do not get dizzy or anything. The broadcast somehow simply appears to be 3 dimensional. It’s pretty awesome. The only problem is that if one is watching in 3d, you all must be or the picture will look fuzzy to those not wearing the glasses. Oh, you also have to hit a button on the remote and get up and grab your glasses!
INTERNET:
Yes, the tv gets on the internet. At first it pretty awesome to google something or get to You Tube. It wears off fast since there is no keyboard on either remote provided. That means you must click one letter at a time using the onscreen keyboard. That gets old real quick. Also, the browser software is a bit cumbersome. It’s a novelty. It was simple to hook up…I just stuck this little wireless thing in one of the USB ports on the side of the set and entered my router key…but…..if I want to be on the net my lap top still trumps the tv.
REMOTES:
The set comes with two remotes. One is your standard typical remote. The second is a Wii like controller that somehow projects crosshair on the tv screen which you can move around and click things…like letters on a keyboard if surfing the net. I was lucky enough that my cable provider’s remote was able to be programmed to handle the basic functions so I really seldom need the LG remotes.
BOTTOM LNE:
I am very pleased with this set and the fine picture it offers. I am a little disappointed that the tech in these tvs do not allow for as great a picture with some older medium. Still, you have a giant, bright, vivid picture and once you have it you will never want to go back!
LG 55 LW 5600 Knocks your socks off!
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: Vivid Picture, Nice Price, 3D, Internet
Cons: Older Medium at times looks pixilated on such a huge screen
The Bottom Line:
Eventually we all will need to upgrade to this new technology....my experience leaves me wondering why I waited so long. Ths is a GREAT set!
Other forums offer tons of techie type details. I consulted these but what I really wanted was some basic info for a guy going from a 32” tube tv to a 55” LCD tv. I had NO IDEA what to expect. I will gear my review from this perspective.
SIZE:
The sucker is BIG. A 55” screen compared to a 32” tube tv screen makes a world of difference. So does the flat vs boxy footprint. I was concerned the sucker would be too big for my 13 X 18 family room. I can say that while the screen is much larger, I became accustom to it in minutes. In fact, I probably could have gone bigger! The average viewing distance is anywhere from 6 feet to 9 feet to 12 feet. The size is never overwhelming. The foot print, though large, is flat but not obtrusive. We have the set angled in a corner. As far as weight…I almost killed myself moving the 32” tube tv. I had no problem maneuvering the 55” set by myself. That includes removing it from the box (it was well packed), attaching the stand, setting it on the tv stand and turning it as I connected my wires for DVD, stereo, cable etc etc. Bottom line; do not let the size intimidate you!
CONNECTIONS:
To be honest, the act of disconnecting everything (Audio, cable, vcr, dvd) and having to reconnect everything likely kept in the same boat with my 32” tube tv for a year longer than I would have liked.
Connections turned out to be easy though. Not having the incredible heavy tube tv to swing around to access all the wiring in the back makes life so much easier. There was way I could pull the tv stand out with that heavy sucker on it. Its so simple to swing the 55” flat screen around and get to the back of the new tv and stand though that I did not even need to move the stand. I essentially pulled out all my old wires and started over. First I ditched the VCR and DVD altogether. The cable box was next hooked to the tv via a simple single HDMI cable. The wiring for the audio was pretty much left as it was. I bought a new Blue ray player….it used a single HDMI cable as well. SIMPLE connections! I would not connectivity intimidate you either. In fact I added one further HDMI that hangs there if the kids want to bring the gaming system down and attach to the tv.
PICTURE:
There are tons of adjustments to picture quality. They range from simple presets, to walk thrus to explicit detailed settings. I am happy to report, that while I tinkered with all this, I really pretty happy with the default settings the set came with. If anything I opted Normal View or Cinema View.
Now the real question…how does the picture look. First off…I was not completely impressed…unit I realized I had to change a setting on my CABLE BOX!! Essentially I needed to tell the cable box to send the signal to the tv in 1080p as opposed to it default of 480p. Again, that’s a cable box setting I had to make. You may not need to but its good to know. In fact I’d find out and make the change before you watch the new tv. Anyway, after that change all was GREAT….assuming you have an HD cable box. If you do I am happy to report the picture is completely awesome. Bright, sharp, colorful and clear occupying the entire 55” screen. It’s incredible. I immediately found that I had to re-learn where all the HD channels were on my cable box though. (there is a regular tier of channels and an HD tier)
The downside to this technology comes when you do not have a particular channel broadcast in HD. When that happens the picture generally does not occupy the whole screen. There is setting to make it fit the whole screen but then things start to look a little stretched out. Its usually more squarish than rectangular. On these type channels, sometimes channel looks real good and others times it look pixilated or grainy. It seams to be hit or miss In other words, sometimes the old tube tv had a better picture for these type channels. Fortunately most channels are available in HD.
The problem persists with standard dvds and some blue ray dvds. At first I thought it was the new tv set or at least some sort of adjustment was needed. Some dvds looked grainy. After some research I learned that the method they used to convert they movie to dvd will impact the quality of what you see. The media the movie was recorded on plays into it as well. I have a $5 Walmart Blue Ray DVD of: Field of Dreams which looks AWEFULL…full of grain. On the other hand I have a Blue Ray of the new Sherlock Holmes and it looks fine. Similarly, my oldQuincyseries dvds look real grainy but a standard DVD of Marmaduke was fine. You can read up on this…I pretty much convinced myself the tv set was not at fault…more an issue for the generation of tv sets now available. Bottom line, some dvds simply looks better on the old tube tv.
SOUND:
Well, no doubt about it, the sound on my 32” tube set was far superior. Then again…the speakers they fit in that 1 inch thick LED screen likely can not be expected to perform like those in the old tube model. It is VERY noticeable at first but soon you become accustom to it. For the most part it lacks bass. You can turn on your surround system…which I do for movies…for the most part though, after a few nights you won’t know what you are missing.
3D TV:
Some sets offer the ability to convert whatever you are watching into 3D…movies, sport, news….whatever. Some sets force you to wear battery operated glasses that cost tens if not hundreds of dollars. The LG does not. You may use the same glasses you pay an upgrade fee for when you see a 3d movie in a theater. The good news is it works great! You do not get dizzy or anything. The broadcast somehow simply appears to be 3 dimensional. It’s pretty awesome. The only problem is that if one is watching in 3d, you all must be or the picture will look fuzzy to those not wearing the glasses. Oh, you also have to hit a button on the remote and get up and grab your glasses!
INTERNET:
Yes, the tv gets on the internet. At first it pretty awesome to google something or get to You Tube. It wears off fast since there is no keyboard on either remote provided. That means you must click one letter at a time using the onscreen keyboard. That gets old real quick. Also, the browser software is a bit cumbersome. It’s a novelty. It was simple to hook up…I just stuck this little wireless thing in one of the USB ports on the side of the set and entered my router key…but…..if I want to be on the net my lap top still trumps the tv.
REMOTES:
The set comes with two remotes. One is your standard typical remote. The second is a Wii like controller that somehow projects crosshair on the tv screen which you can move around and click things…like letters on a keyboard if surfing the net. I was lucky enough that my cable provider’s remote was able to be programmed to handle the basic functions so I really seldom need the LG remotes.
BOTTOM LNE:
I am very pleased with this set and the fine picture it offers. I am a little disappointed that the tech in these tvs do not allow for as great a picture with some older medium. Still, you have a giant, bright, vivid picture and once you have it you will never want to go back!
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