Customer Reviews

LG 47LC7DF 47-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've had this TV for a couple weeks now, so although I cannot comment on the reliability of this TV, I can comment on its performance.

When I was shopping for an HDTV, this was the least expensive HDTV that I could find in the 45"-49" size that would accept 1080p over VGA and component inputs (not common) in addition to HDMI. This included plasma TVs.

Overall, the TV is very good in the $1500 price range. It has very good off-angle viewing for an LCD (something LCDs aren't good at). The black levels are average for an LCD, which most people won't have a problem with. With sports, I find that the TV does a very good job with fast motion. The only time I notice blurring or pixelation is when a logo/graphic moves across the screen (Fox does this periodically during football games when doing instant replays).

I have not watched any HD-DVD or Blu-Ray movies yet, so I can't comment on how 1080p looks, but the picture quality with TV programming (720p or 1080i) is excellent. When watching standard def TV (480i), I find that the TV does a good job with scaling.

For all you "green" people, you will like the fact that this TV is Energy Star compliant.

Other comments:

Remote/controls - The remote allows you to choose which input to display. This may not sound like much, but some TVs force you to go through each input in order if you want to change it. With this TV, you simply press the Input button, then use the arrow buttons to highlight which input to select. There is also a set of buttons (on/off, volume, channel, etc.) on the right-hand side of the TV. They aren't very noticeable, so they won't detract from the design of the TV, but are handy if you need them.

Speakers - I find that the built-in speakers are average. If you need to turn up the volume (above 60), I find that the speakers don't get enough power, so you get some vibrating noise. This isn't a big deal if you plan on using a receiver and external speakers.

Stand - The stand that comes mounted on the TV is very basic. It doesn't allow you to swivel, so turning the TV involves turning the stand as well.

Color settings - The TV comes with four preset video settings, plus two custom ones that you can set. The default setting (Dynamic) is set too high and makes all programs look horrible (washed out and jaggy). I recommend using the following settings (which I found on AVSForum):

Contrast 85
Brightness 40
Color 60
Tint 0
Sharpness 37
Backlight 17
Black level high (only available if using HDMI)

cinime 3.2 mode - off
aspect 16.9
xd - manual
xd contrast - off
xd color - off
xd noise - on
color temp - user (all are set on 0)

With these settings, the picture looks significantly better across all types of programming. I would recommend people use these settings as a starting point, then make their own adjustments. The default setting is too far off to watch any TV or movies (regardless of the source resolution).

Another nice feature is each input has its own distinct video setting. That means that the video settings for the Component 1 input can be set differently from the HDMI 1 input. This is nice because you may find that you like different settings depending on your video source. For example, I like using the Dynamic for my Xbox 360, but for cable, I use the above settings.

Documentation - The TV comes with a printed booklet, which is more like a "quick start guide". It also comes with a CD which contains the PDF versions of the owner's manual. Despite it being 113 pages long, it doesn't do a very good job describing the different settings that you can change. It simply lists the different options.

Packaging - LG does an excellent job packaging this TV. It's in a normal rectangular cardboard box (like most HDTVs). The difference, however, is that you can take the sides and top off when unpacking the TV... kind of like taking the cover off a dessert tray. This makes removing the TV from the box a one-person job. Although relatively light (about 83 lbs with the stand; 70 lbs without), I still recommend having another person when lifting the TV.

Connections - 1080p is supported over VGA, HDMI and component. The main connections are located on the back of the TV, which you then can route the cables downward. There are also a set of inputs on the left-hand side of the TV (USB - for photos or MP3s, S-video, composite).

Firmware - Many TVs offer the ability to upgrade the firmware simply by downloading the update from the manufacturer's website onto a USB memory stick. Unfortunately, I have no idea if this TV offers the same functionality. The manual doesn't state anything, and I wasn't able to find any information on LG's website. My guess is that it doesn't support this, but I have not verified this with LG.

Tuner - This TV has a built-in ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, so if you want to, you can simply connect an external antenna (e.g. "rabbit ears") to get over-the-air (OTA) digital signals (including HD). I tested this functionality, and it comes in very well. The downside with OTA signals is that if the signal isn't strong enough, you will notice pixelation or freezing. This is normal with digital programming, because with digital... you're either receiving the signal or not.

Here's a link to LG's website for more info on the TV. You can find the specs for this TV and the owner's manual here.

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I paid $1499 for this TV and have had it for about a week now. I am very satisfied using it with FIOS HD. The Motorola box provides a 1080i signal and HD channels and programming such as "Planet Earth" are stunning. I was looking for a good TV for a modest apartment and no crazy HD Theater setup...this TV fits the bill. If you want to get picky about black colors, wall mounting, shadowing on gaming this review is not for you. I simply wanted to say that I am happy with the TV, it looks nice and I'm enjoying it.

Why not 4 stars? My macbook pro, at 1080P does not fill the entire screen as it should. Yup.. I'm using a DVI > HDMI converter. The new macbooks can and do push a great 1080P signal and the TV has a black frame of about 2 inches around the display... other than that.. I would have given it 5 stars.

There's a general rule about rolling the dice and taking risks when buying electronics with cheaper price tags. The LG 47LC7DF is definately no exception to that rule. I have had mine for over two years and I would have to say that the biggest disappointment has to do with the short life span of the parts. When I brought my new tv home and set it up, I was quite happy with what I had paid for. The picture quality and the sound were decent enough (but not exactly mind blowing), but when I hooked up my PS3 and my PC to it with HD cables it was nothing short of perfection. Then, after eleven months of enjoyment, I went to turn on the tv one day - and the power light on the tv just blinked. It would blink about 16 to 18 times and then the backlight would come on, but nothing else would - no picture, no menu, nothing. Fortunately, it was still under warranty so I got it repaired for free. It turned out to be one of the boards. One of the guys who repaired it said that it was pretty common and that the new part would probably last just as long. Sure enough, just over a year later, the picture is gone again, and now it's no longer under warranty.

This is not an uncommon issue. As a matter of fact, it is just one of several common issues with this model. I have found quite a few forums where people are having this and many other problems with the LG 47LC7DF. I am now stuck with a dust collecting oversized paper weight because I can't afford to replace the bad part, which runs somewhere between $150 to well over $200.

Not everyone is as unfortunate with this tv. A few haven't had any problems, yet. So, go ahead and roll the dice. Who knows, you may get lucky.

While 1080p for this price is a decent value, there are significant drawbacks in picture quality. The black levels are not as good as more expensive brands or plasmas, which impacts movies and cable the most. The backlight is REALLY strong and gets really flashy/painful when bright scenes are suddenly displayed, like commercials. DVDs and Blurays look good but not great due to the black levels; I found the XD engine helpful for movies but it also distorts the overall picture in my opinion. Games look great on this tv; the notorious motion blur on LCDs is still present but not very noticeable/distracting. Overall this is a solid purchase but probably not the best, be sure to shop around for other brands/deals before settling on this one.

A word of caution to those considering to buy this television (which I do recommend, it is a great TV at a great price), the wall mount suggested by amazon.com (Peerless ST650P Tilting Wall Mount for 32" to 50" Flat Panel Displays) IS NOT COMPATIBLE with this particular TV.

Overall, this TV is great; offering 3 HDMI ports, a RGB VHS port, 2 component video ports, etc., it's clearly not lacking.

I'll only delve into what I *don't* like about this TV.

1) Aside from a component and S-VHS port on the side of the TV, everything's on the back. If you are using the TV on a table, this wouldn't be a problem. But if you want to wall-mount, if say your buddy brings over his XBOX360, unless it is one that supports HDMI (and you have an HDMI cable into say your DVD player), you'd have to unmount the TV, hook up an HDMI cable, re-mount the TV. Is it the end of the world? No, but it is a definite pain. Especially considering there are other TV's which have the hook-ups on the side (likely for this very reason).

2) In certain cases (very dark scenes), the TV has almost a 'milky' looking background. It's hard to describe, and I likely wouldn't have even noticed it, until I saw a review on another forum complaining about this. Is it an actual defect? I don't know -- I haven't contacted LG (yet), as it rarely exhibits itself, but when it does, it is annoying.

3) As noted above, it has 3 HDMI ports. UNFORTUNATELY, if you want to use a Harmony remote, you can only program it to 'directly' connect to HDMI1 or HDMI2, NOT HDMI3. I've attempted to work-around this, but have had only limited success. (I could alternatively program the remote to navigate input selection differently, but that would result in increased time to switch to a port.)

Those are really the only two *bad* things I have to say about this TV. Otherwise, it's great. Note that I'm not an expert by any means, and clearly the source used to feed it can also have a direct impact (I use a PS3 for Blu-Ray, HD-A2 for HD-DVD, a NAD T-534 for SD-DVD, and Comcast HD Digital Cable).

I just hooked this tv to HDTV cable and it is WOW!!!. I have been researching on LCD for about 3 months now and was all set to spend about 3 k for the 'S' brands before I saw this one which gave me equaly great product for half the cost. Visit local store and check out this one before buying anything else in this size.

When I purchased this T.V. 2.5 years ago, it was a decent offering.
60Hz (now 120, or 240Hz is standard). Its blacks were not great, but it was a decent set for $1500.

However, it just is not built to last, and this LG47LC7DF (and other LG 47 inch models) have been PLAGUED with reliability problems in the Digital Main Board, and in the power suppy boards. Generally, the capacitors on the boards go, and they seem to do it around 2 years. Some people get a little more (3-4 years), some people even less luck (1 year).

A digital set should last basically forever, no kidding. This thing has cheap crappy failure prone capacitors, and the engineers and finance guys building and pricing it should be tied up and dragged down the street until the skin comes off.

The set in short is CRAP in quality. Buy something else. Based on LG's quality (no one really offers a warranty anymore, but some sets are actually designed to last), I would have to say that this is the last LG set I will ever buy.

Since nearly all of the SCREENS themselves are made by Samsung, the digital main board and the power supply from LG are the problems here (well documented).

So, expect to pay $150-$300 for a new main board in 2 years. Or just buy a better set from someone else.

We were pretty stoked on the quality of the image, watching dvds is great, and all the HD cable channels too. But a couple of months ago, when we'd turn the TV on, there would be this loud "POP!", or perhaps more like a loud crack, like a bulb or something was overheating or something and it would shut off, and the screen would go black. It would only do this just when turning it on, and it would do this for a few times, and then the screen would finally stay on, perhaps once it had "warmed up" enough. In the searches that I've been doing online, it seems that this is a typical problem with this model, and it looks like the part costs about $150 to $200, who knows what labor would run. Apparently, that part only lasts a year or 2, so in another year or 2, I'm going to have to replace the same part again. For a $1500 TV, this is not a problem customers should be having. Especially one that is ongoing. I will not buy another LG tv again.

Gave this TV four stars but a high four stars after only having the set for a few days. Have NOT hooked up a Bluray player and to my understanding so far, that's the only source where you will CURRENTLY realize 1080p resolution. My cable box delivers 1080i and there may not be much of a difference but from what I've seen in the electronics stores, it does make a difference. Don't get me wrong, the picture on this LG is really nice but because I haven't tried Bluray, I don't see the very, very high detail I do at the stores. The stores have some TV's that are directly hooked to a Bluray player, thus the fantastic picture. So if you're thinking about this TV, simply see the picture for yourself in a store with Bluray.

Before buying this TV I compared its picture, right next to a Sony and some Samsung's. Every bit as good and in the case of the Sony, better! However, I'm disappointed with some of the views I've seen while at home, the biggest being the "distance" views of people's faces--what looks to be about 10 feet or so, away from the face. Less detail there than when very close up. Now, that could be my cable connection or the signal coming from my cable box, how the screen was shot, etc. Close up face pictures are fantastic.

This size TV is really nice, a true "home theater" experience and recommended minimum viewing distance from the set is about 8 feet! Size does matter. Ha. Oh, I wanted to mention this. If you're in the market for a wall mount I priced them at the stores. "Cir. Sity"= over $500 "Worst Buy"= $350 I ended up getting a mount on "Fleabay", that great on line auction site for about $100! It's called the "DUAL ARM LCD PLASMA MOUNT 37" 42" 50" 58" 63" SANUS 1" and it is one of the few wall mounts that will fit this TV. Be careful at the auctions. Some sellers will tell you their mount will fit but just look at their mount drawing that shows the dimensions. Must be 400 X 800 mm to work.

PROS ON THIS LCD: Nice picture and even though I've read other reviews on the poorer "black coloring" I've not noticed a problem with that. Love the "User 1" and "User 2" and other picture quality setting options. Yes, the settings make a difference when viewing HD or regular TV. (Access these quickly by sliding the plastic cover on the remote and hitting "Picture"----simple!) Love the size of the screen and the overall look of the set. Sound is average and a home theater system with a set like this is really the icing on the cake. Installation was pretty straight-forward. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to hook it up. Really like the USB hook up to show your home photos or to listen to your home music. Like the side mounted USB and S-video access and find the rear access not an inconvenience. I like being able to hook up my computer to the set too. This TV does a great job of showing good quality from stations that do not have HD too! Very nice picture.

CONS ON THIS LCD: Don't like the lessor quality picture in distance views but as mentioned, that could be my cable connection or what the movie was filmed in, better or worse definition, etc. (Varies with what you are watching) The information in the manual that comes with the TV is very poor and the on line manual and included C.D. is no better. It tells what the buttons on the remote are for and how to hook the TV up, etc. but nothing is really explained. Nothing. I guess the only way to get more info is to go directly to LG or through an on line forum.

I guess the bottom line is---just because it's an HD LCD TV don't expect this or any other HD set to give you a fantastic picture all the time. Too many factors, such as; what "broadcasters" are filming in, your personal settings, your cable company's set ups, etc. Do NOT watch the TV with the picture settings that come from the factory! You must go through all the settings and adjust them to your own eye. Only then will you get a good picture.

But if you're on the line of whether or not to buy, it truly is a home theater and I couldn't recommend it more highly. That being said, the news said that LCD's should drop in price, by half, by the day after Thanksgiving! You might want to hold off! Good luck.
Jerry

Update: I've watched movies and have determined that the problem with the lessor quality of picture of people, etc., further from the camera or in the background is the result of programs and movies NOT in HD or shot in a lessor resolution. The picture in HD is nothing less than fantastic!