First and foremost this TV is not for high-end videophiles, audiophiles with highly sensitive, discerning taste, or dedicated, scrutinizing gamers. If you want that type of TV, you'll need to step it up a notch and of course pay more money. This is a medium, entry level 1080P TV with a clear, crisp picture and enough features to satisfy the average TV and occasional movie viewer, mom, pop and the 'family' -- That type of consumer. Maybe, just maybe some higher-end users will enjoy this as a second TV to use when they're not watching blue-ray on the high-end, expensive TV.
Some reviewers criticized this TV for not having features of previous models in this price range. Well, I never had those features and don't miss them, nor do I need them. So to a new buyer its most important that you remember if you don't need a certain feature and/or never had it to begin with and don't miss it, it's not a big deal.
I consider myself a savvy shopper and critical when it comes to quality of a product. I was looking for a low-priced TV that had some decent picture and sound quality. I just purchased this TV today from a local, big-box store for well under $380 and I'm very pleased with the great picture quality and especially the low price and great value.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that don't over-buy in size. Everyone seems to want to buy the biggest TV they can afford. Well let me tell you, that's not always the best thing to do. I bought this TV because it is eventually going into a bedroom. So I opted for the 32". Right now it is set up in the living room and to be honest, the size is perfect for the living room. I was considering a 40"-50" at one time, and that would have been overkill.
Also, DO NOT go by the picture quality at the stores no matter how 'great' they try to make it look. It's not a true representation of the TV's picture quality, nor how it will look in 'your' home, in 'your' lighting. It is also very hard to decide on a size when all the other sizes are sitting next to one another. It's very overwhelming a one can get confused trying to figure out which size will be best.
My advice is to look at your room and space and try to decide on a TV that is not too overpowering yet not too small where the room dwarfs the TV. Here is an idea ... tape together pieces of poster board the size of the TV and place it in the space intended to get a perspective on size. Actually I think a 32" is a great size for most medium-sized rooms. Once you decide the size you're looking for, go shopping. You may change your mind a little bit smaller or a little bit bigger, but at least you'll have a base line to start before you go.
Okay, so now with all of that being said and out of the way, here is my review.
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Pros
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Esthetics (design) ---> Modern, clean lines. Thin profile, but not the thinnest and not like the older, thicker models either. This TV has about a 2" black frame around the screen. It seems these days people are interested in the paper-thin frames, or the frame-less TV's. Actually, I 'thought' that was going to be my preference, as it is more sleek, minimalist, etc. But actually, when I got this home I really liked the fact it has a wider black frame. It accents nicely against the white walls and gives it sort of a 'picture frame' type of appeal. It makes the T.V. more of a focal point in the room. If you already have one big piece of furniture or artwork that is the main focal point of the room, then maybe a thin-frame or frame-less TV would be better in your situation. So anyway my advice is, don't go by what is 'trendy' go by what will look good in your particular home and environment. In my home the wider frame looks very nice.
There are no buttons on the front of the TV, which is nice. It has flat, flush, touch-sensitive selectors for volume, channel, menu, etc. This keeps the TV looking clean, and uncluttered. Some manufactures hide 'buttons' under the frame or on the side of the frame. The 'clicking' of buttons just seems old-fashioned to me, at least now with iPads and such, and everything going to touch panels. I actually like the touch-sensitive, flat selectors on the 'front' of this TV within clear view of what I am pressing.
This TV is very lightweight. Really it is. I carried this with one hand out of the store, and easily lifted this up onto my mantel with no problem. This means if you wish to move it from one room to another it can be done by one person. This was a blessing because I can remember not too long ago the behemoth tube TV's needed 3 people to help carry and install. This TV is truly a do-it-yourself TV. Nice!
Assembly---> Easy. Out of the box, all that needed to be done is screw on the base, plug in your video source and power cord and that's it! You're done. Oh and put the 'included' batteries in the remote.
Picture and Audio Set Up ---> Simple and intuitive. Using the 'picture wizard' guides you step by step to calibrate the TV and adjust picture settings. There are advanced settings to fine tune the picture even more. The auto-tune feature pulls in all your cable stations into the built-in tuner fast, easy and automatically.
Selecting the audio preference is just as easy. Faux surround sound, etc.. Just a few selections and you'll soon be listening to the TV to your liking.
Picture Quality ---> Sharp, vivid, clear picture quality for the price. Now compare this to the 50" plasma the store had on display running Avatar on Blue-ray and this TV pales in comparison. (but so did most of the other TV's on the floor). The bigger TV was 5+ times the price of this one. So you get what you pay for. Watching ABC, CBS, NBC and other cable stations, this TV has an amazing picture that will not disappoint. Blue-ray and DVD are just as fine.
Audio Quality ---> Pretty good actually. It has a faux surround mode that does a nice job of dynamically enhancing the sound. There is also a feature to enhance the voices too so they don't get lost in background music and such. This TV does not have the tinny, AM radio sound you may expect from a low priced TV. Nor does it have the booming sound of a higher-end TV. This TV has very acceptable and clear, crisp sound for the price. The sound easily fills the room. You won't be disappointed in the sound from built-in speakers.
USB connector ---> This is a nice, added feature if friends or family come by and you'd like to watch a home video or pictures on your TV. Just plug in the USB drive and start watching.
Remote Control ---> A very basic, simple, easy to use remote. You won't find a bunch of confusing bells and whistles on the remote. No it's not going to make your toast and start your car. Nope, it has just exactly what you need and nothing more. So, the reason I like that is because I don't have to worry about family or guests trying to figure out how in the heck to turn on or operate the TV with a confusing remote. It spares me the agony of conducting a 'TV 101' classroom session for family and friends. Ugh!
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Cons
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Not very many cons actually. I mean for under $380 dollars for a 32" 1080P TV, you're really getting great quality and value. Seriously, technology is advancing so rapidly that in 5 to 10 years most computers and TV's are behind the times and out of date anyway. So, at this price one could easily afford to buy another mid-level TV like this one every 5 years. On the other hand, spending $1,000+ on a TV to try to get a few more bells and whistles might extend the time a bit more until it's out of date, but probably not by much. In 5-10 years you're still stuck with an out-of-date TV.
Hookups ---> No VGA connector to hook up to a computer. This is only a slight con, because you can use one of the HDMI connectors if your computer has an HDMI. Most newer computers have HDMI.
Some people are complaining this TV only has 2 HDMI connections. This again is only a slight con, because you can buy an HDMI 1080P hub and expand the amount of HDMI connections if you really need more.
For my needs, all I really need is one HDMI to hook it up to Apple TV and one for my blue-ray player That's it. The Apple TV pretty much does everything I need. It has digital audio out, so I can hook it up to a surround sound system If I choose (expanding the capability of the TV) And what is not available on NetFlix or my purchases, I can use my Blue-ray player. I can mirror my iPad through Apple TV to have internet on my TV. So, having only 2 HDMI connections is not such a drawback, for my needs anyway.
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Conclusion
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The LG 32" CS560 is an excellent TV at a very low price. It combines a clear, crisp 1080P picture quality with impressive, built-in sound quality. For well under $380 dollars, you can't go wrong buying this TV. This TV is not going to replace a high-end theater or gaming TV for your theater room, but it will make a good living room, bedroom or family room TV. Who knows, once you buy this TV, you may decide you don't really need to spend extra bucks on a bigger, home theater TV. At such a low price, it allows a person to purchase a newer TV in 5 or 10 years without feeling like you're constantly spending tons of money to always upgrade your TV. You'll be surprised how much quality is packed into a TV at such a low price.
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