Customer Reviews

LG 55LX6500 55-Inch 3D 1080p 240 Hz LED Plus LCD HDTV, Espresso

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought the LG 55LX6500 HDTV as a bundled deal that included an LG BX580 3D/Network/BluRay player and four LG 3D glasses. In addition I bought the SquareDeal 4-year warranty and took advantage of the Amazon.com Store card's 24 month no interest special financing deal, which was the deal-clincher for me. The entire bundle was around two and a half grand. I've seen that on this same model in Best Buy just for the TV, so the Amazon bundle was quite a deal. The entire bundle was free shipping (and no taxes). Overall, it was a deal I couldn't pass up.

DELIVERY
The LG TV arrived in less than a week, the BluRay player afew days earlier, and the 3D active-shutter glasses arrived a couple weeks later. Neither the BluRay player, nor the HDTV comes with an HDMI cable. What LG supplies is the wimpy yellow, red, white low-resolution analog cable trio. Not including an HDMI high speed cable is, in my opinion, a poor marketing decision by LG because you can't get the best picture without an HDMI cable hookup. But don't be discouraged by it - the LG puts out a fantastic picture, and you can buy HDMI cables fairly cheaply on the internet, although the bubble wrapped varieties in retail stores are very pricey.

When the LG HDTV arrived, the delivery service was supposed to hook it up and verify it works -- power and picture, and sound - that's all. They also advised me to keep the shipping box for at least a week, in case I decided to return it. They basically carried the unit upstairs, put the base together, mounted the TV on it, plugged it in, got the LG logo up on the screen, and static on the speakers. It was obvious they didn't know squat about electronics, so I am happy with them not doing more. Anyway, I didn't expect white glove service, and I'm happy with them just hauling it up the stairway.

MOUNTING THE TV
The base pedestal that comes with the TV swivels +20 degrees, but it does not tilt. So if that's what you'll be using, you'll want the screen more or less at eye-level from wherever you're viewing. The TV itself is mostly only an inche thick, but the pedestal base will require about 13-1/2 inches of solid, level surface, which gives you plenty of wall clearance to plug in your cables. The manual recommends tying the screen to a wall to keep it from inadvertently tipping forward.

If you are going to mount the TV up on a wall, you will want a mount that both swivels and tilts. You won't be able to mount the TV flush to the wall - it needs at least 4 inches of clearance, which most mounting systems will give it. All the suitable wall mounts I've seen run around $100 and up.

HOOKING UP THE HDTV
Most of us are going to hook up to our cable or satellite decoder box. The hookup choices are coaxial cable, red-white-yellow RCA cable trio, red-blue-green composite video cable (plus the red-white audio cable), and HDMI cable.

Coaxial cable - That coaxial cable connector on the HDTV is only for an external antenna. But probably like most people upgrading from standard 3:4:5 analog TV to wide-screen HDTV, I just hooked the HDTV to the same coaxial cable out of the cable decoder box I just unhooked from the analog standard TV. BIG MISTAKE - DON'T DO IT - that old coaxial cable going from your cable decoder box to your old standard TV is absolutely the worst hookup to use for the HDTV! You will get a blurry picture and ghosting. Take that coaxial cable and stash it or trash it. The reason that coaxial cable causes such poor picture on your new wide-screen HDTV is that the digital signal into the cable/satellite decoder box is transformed into an analog radio frequency with an attendant loss in much of the digital information that HDTV requires to give you a superior picture. I even read some reviews where some buyers sent their new LG HDTV back because the picture was blurry. It's the coaxial cable hookup that causes the bad picture, not the HDTV.

red-white-yellow RCA cable trio -- This was the standard analog hook up for audio-video peripherals for years. Most of us have these cables lying around, and one set is supplied with this LG HDTV. This connector type is there for backwards compatibility with your legacy peripherals that don't have HDMI connectors. You can hook up the HDTV using this type cable to most cable/satellite decoder box. While it is significantly better than the coaxial cable, it still results in significant video and audio digital information loss. The yellow lead carries all the video signal as an analog signal - not digital, which results in the loss of full HD digital video information. The red and white leads are right and left audio channels only, and the full multi-channel sound out put of the TV is lost.

Red-blue-green composite video - This cable trio is for the video signal only, you still have to have a separate audio cable, at least the red-white RCA left-right, two-channel connector. The component cable results in a much better picture than the red-white-yellow RCA. The composite video connection is an analog signal, so there is still some loss of HD digital information.

HDMI highspeed - This is the cable designed and intended for High Definition devices. If you don't have one, get one or even two. You will not only get the best picture, but full multi-channel audio capability also. When I hooked up the HDMI cables - it was a fantastic, superb, gangbusters, sharp, detailed, picture - plus the sound was noticeably better.

A word about HDMI marketing hype -- The HDMI standards setting institute ([...]) only has five authorized HDMI logo modifiers (standard, high speed, standard with Ethernet, high speed with Ethernet, and standard automotive). You want the HDMI high-speed., or the high speed with internet. The "standard" may result in some signal loss. The "with Ethernet" option just says the cable can handle the extra signal traffic. It will work in the 55LX6500 model, but internet hookup has to be through the Ethernet connector or wifi through a USB hub. The "automotive" option is for equipment on vehicles running off of 12/24 volt direct current

All the other HDMI cable claims, such as 3D, 1080p, 120 Hz, 240 Hz, deep color, BluRay, etc., etc., are supported features of the peripheral equipment the HDMI cable hooks up to - and many cable manufacturers are just using those terms as marketing hype to justify asking prices of $40 to $100 for their cable. All high-speed HDMI cables will more than meet your 55LX6500 HDTV needs. That's because it is all digital information - a $6 cable HDMI delivers the same performance as a $100 cable. You can buy HDMI high-speed cable for bout $1 per foot on-line at Amazon.com, or ebay. Don't waste money on the over-priced, over-hyped cables costing tens of multiples more.

HD CONTENT:
All HD channels are not equal, and all content on the HD channels is not necessarily full 1080 HD quality. There is still a lot of content recorded in 720 HD. 720 HD might show up on the TV screen letter-boxed (with black borders all around), or it could be zoomed to 1080, in which case it may seem blurry. Analog 480 SD will show up letter-boxed on both sides. Full (1080) HD content is increasing, but these lesser resolutions will persist for years. So don't judge your 1080 LG HDTV picture quality by just what you see on the TV channels - a lot of it is not very high quality to begin with. The really good full 1080 HD quality content is on BluRay and DVD that says on the label - "full 1080 HD."

BUILT-IN SPEAKERS
The built-in speakers can only give you at most stereo sound or simulated surround sound. That's because all the built-in speakers are fixed in front of you. But they are very good speakers, even amazing, and you get a good, distortion-free sound from them. I had the sound level all the way up to 100 which is max for the TV speakers. The sound level at max was nice and loud, with a good frequency range, and lots of depth. But of course the limited speaker size can not deliver window-rattling, bone-jarring sub-bass. Most TV channels only give you monaural sound, so the built-in speakers are all you need for watching TV shows. Very little TV content actually carries stereo sound. Most DVD content only delivers stereo sound at best, but new content out may have 5.1 sound capability or better.

EXTERNAL SOUND SYSTEM
If you want ear-splitting, cinema-quality, multi-channel, surround sound with deafening thunder and explosions, you'll have to spring for a external sound system -- which is overkill unless you have a BluRay player or DVD player capable of decoding 5.1 sound, and a source (BluRay oe DVD disc) that was recorded in 5.1 sound. The LG BluRay player I have is capable of 7.1 sound, although there is little if any content recorded in 7.1 sound. If you are going to spring for an external sound system, get a digital 5.1 or 7.1 sound system with an optical cable hookup.

3D
There are three types of 3D to view: red-green, polarized, and active shutter (also called BluRay 3D.) The LG 55LX6500 is BluRay 3D ready. You can also watch the older red-green or polarized 3D movies on this TV, providing you have the red-green or polarized lenses, normally supplied with the DVD.

BluRay 3D requires active shutter glasses, which run around $100 or more a pair. Just because the DVD says 3D doesn't mean it's the higher quality BluRay 3D. BluRay 3D will say "BluRay 3D." If it doesn't, then it's not BluRay 3D. BluRay 3D discs requires a BluRay player.

Of the three 3D technologies, BluRay 3D gives the highest quality and highest definition picture. But don't throw away your old red-green or polarized 3D glasses just yet, because there is very little BluRay 3D content to view at present. In fact, the only BluRay 3D content I could find was on-line, and most of that was "coming soon." Cable and satellite companies, such as Direct TV and AT&T Uverse, are beginning to offer BluRay 3D channels and BluRay 3D video-on-demand as premium content. I get AT&T Uverse, but the only 3D channel (ESPN) had no actual content on it. There were only five BluRay 3D movies offered on Video-on-demand.

When I first tried viewing BluRay 3D content through my AT&T Uverse decoder box, it wouldn't work. I would get the split screen indicating 3D content, but pushing the 3D button on the HDTV remote resulted only in an error message that the signal was not 3D. I went a couple of rounds on the phone with LG and AT&T technicians, with each one blaming the other. Turns out I failed to set the AT&T Uverse decoder box setting for System "Aspect Ratio" to 1080i, which was clearly stated in their instructions. Once that adjustment was set, the 3D worked as intended.

My take on 3D content is that while 3D video is awesome - and there really is nothing comparable to the active shutter glasses - watching it too long might give you a headache as your eyes or brain get tired of composing the 3D image in your brain. Sometimes you see the double image and can't resolve the two-separate images into one stereoscopic image.

Active-shutter 3D is new technology, and there is still a way to go for total 3D emersion. I expect a lot of innovations and improvements that hopefully will be backwards compatible. 3D active-shutter content is all done in 1080 resolution. If you don't have 1080 resolution, you won't be able to see it. You can not receive 3D info through a coaxial cable, or the red-white-yellow RCA trio - you must use at least a composite video cable, or better yet an HDMI cable. The active shutter glasses are also very expensive - retailing around $100 and up.

All in all, I am glad to get in on the ground floor with BluRay 3D. But there are viewer comfort issues that could use improvement.

ETHERNET/INTERNET
The TV has an Ethernet connection to hook into your home network (LAN) for internet access I ran a 50-foot Ethernet cable to the nearest wired hub to hook into my LAN for the internet connection. You can also hook up to a wireless device to a USB port, but I like a hardwire connections - Ethernet always works. You have to have high-speed broadband (always on) internet service - a dial-up modem through your computer won't work.

As soon as the Ethernet cable was plugged in, I switched the HDTV input to Ethernet and the TV found the internet right away. The first thing the HDTV did was to update the software, which took several minutes to complete. Then it turned itself off and back on a couple of times, and everything was ready to go. You can only access the internet using the pre-installed apps on the HDTV..

In order for the TV to access your computer files, they must be specially shared files through Nero Essentials. A CD with Nero Essentials is included with the HDTV. Nero Essentials creates a server node on your LAN, then locates and catalogs music, picture, and video files on your computer. Once that server is created, you can access the content on it. I have yet to make it work, and I suspect it is a firewall problem with my computer security software. Eventually I will resolve this, but I am in no hurry to do so.

AUXILLARY PORTS
This LG HDTV model has four auxiliary ports on the back of the TV on the left side (as you're facing it), near the edge - out of sight but easy to reach. These ports are for temporary hookups of your portable audio-visual equipment such as digital camera, iPod, etc. The auxiliary connectors all mount parallel to the back of the panel, so they don't require any additional clearance from your wall. The auxiliary ports are 2 USB ports, one video-component-in micro-jack (a three cable RCA adapter is supplied), a micro jack for stereo audio-in, (a two-cable RCA adapter is supplied), a stereo earphone jack, and the 4th HDMI port.

I tested the USB ports with a flash drive with photos and music files. You select the appropriate input from input button on the remote control. The TV could see all the folders on the flash drive, including hidden files, but only mp3 and jpeg files could be seen or selected. There is a Picture app to display photos, and an app to play music. The picture app only sees jpeg (.jpg) files. You can't play music from the picture app. The music app will not see WMF audio files - it would only see and play MP3. My photos were recorded at very high resolution (14 mega-pixel) jpeg files. They were simply stunning and sharp on the big 55" LG screen. If there was ever an independent test of just how fabulous the TV display is, that was it.

COMPUTER MONITOR/GAME CONSOLES
This HDTV can apparantly be used as a computer monitor, accepting VGA or DVI hookup. If your computer video card supports it, you can also use the HDTV as a second or alternate monitor. I don't see myself doing this anytime soon, so I didn't pursue testing it.

Game consoles hook up normally. What's not so normal is the fantastic graphical display on the big 55-inch screen.

GAMES
The HDTV has some simple built-in games for those times you are bored, or waiting for a commercial to be over. The games menu is activated through the Menu button on the remote.

USER MANUAL
The user manual is on a CD - there is apparantly no paper manual. Most of the features on this TV are fairly intuitive, and you can probably figure out how to use them without reference to the manual. But this is a feature-rich TV, and you'll probably learn something you didn't know by reading the manual at least once.

SUMMARY
The LG 55LX6500 is an excellent HDTV with an outstanding, even fabulous, picture, and, as I purchased it, an exceptional value. But you must have a full 1080 HD source and use HDMI cables to fully benefit from all of its features and capabilities. Any type of cable other than HDMI will result in picture degradation - true for any brand. All the features, such as Ethernet, internet access, and USB input work very well as far as I tested them. The sound on the built-in speakers is very good quality, but limited in bone-rattling sub-bass. If you want deafening thunder and explosions, with true surround sound, you'll have to add in a THX sound system.

All in all, I'm very happy with the buy, and I would recommend it to a friend.

After reading the first review I thought I needed to put in my 2 cents worth. I bought a package which included the TV, LG580 3D blu-ray player and a couple of pairs of glasses from Vanns since at the time they had the lower price. I have found this TV to be astounding in every way possible. It has a low refeclection screen which was important to me because my room can get very bright. You have to turn on the 240HZ mode which could explain the blur in the first review because I have none. The picture is absolutly beautiful and my old DVD's played are so clear it's like watching a soap opera. The sound isn't bad from the TV but I have it hooked up to a digital receiver that is connected with optical cables so the sound is outstanding. I am streaming movies through the DVD player from Netflix and the picture is incredible. This may be do to the upgrade to HD or the fact that it is done through the DVD player and not the TV. The cables need tyo be upgraded from 3a to 4a or b because of the infomation they need to carry. I bought mine at amazon at abouut $20 per cable and their delivery is flawless. Now I have a 32" old Old HD tv in the bedroom and the difference is like night and day' I have had the TV for about a month so this is an early review but I enen enjoyed watching my Patroits lose to the Jets on it! Oh, I forgot to mention the LED part. This TV is about an inch thin so it doesn't look like the 300 Lb monster I removed from the living room. led I believe makes the picture bright and clear with long life and the since it's edge lit can shut off areas of the picture to make the blacks look very dark. Almost as good as a plasma.Update 5/24/2011: This TV has been flawless in all aspects that I can think of. Very happy with this purchase.

I have owned this TV for about a month now and I've been exploring the features. I use the TV primarily as a display hooked to a 5.1 audio receiver via HDMI (and optical out).

THE GOOD:

Picture Quality - Very good. I'm really impressed with how natural the skin tones are and I am picky. There are a ridiculous number of setting to tweak it as well.

Netcast - LG has several popular applications built into the TV. The TV becomes it's own entertainment system. We have used Netflix a lot. It uses the now standard Netflix interface. The video quality is exceptional. We have also played with YouTube. The YouTube interface is intuitive. The only down side I have seen is that it appears you are limited to playing a maximum of 360p video. No HD. Skype video chat is also available with the purchase of an optional video camera. It appears to be HD. There are also 2 pay per view movie "channels" and MLB.

Looks - The TV has a bronze dithering on the bezel. At first I thought this would a turn off, but it actually looks quite nice. Of course, the 1.2" thickness is very cool. The screen is a matte, so there is little reflection.

USB Media - After I attached a USB HDD this thing played most things. Supported video formats H264 (even level 5.1, 4.1 45mbps), VC-1, MPEG-2. Only AC-3/EAC-3 and AAC audio so far. Containers: MKV, MP4/MOV, TS/M2TS (renamed to TS) and MPG. The notable exception was the .mov movies (PCM audio) produced by my Canon camera. Video, but now audio. Hopefully this will be fixed by a firmware update.

THE BAD:

3D - It just doesn't work well. My TV suffers from something called crosstalk. 3D TV works by displaying the left eye and then switching to the right eye very quickly. The glasses make sure that your right eye is blocked when viewing the left eye. Crosstalk occurs when the left eye sees images intended for the right eye or vica versa. Best case, you see a ghost. Worst case you can see a triple image or the 3D just stops. It seems to be the worst when a light area is next to a dark area. The bad news is that this occurs in animation a lot. The worst news is that most of the 3D Blu-Rays available are animated. Finally, annoying 3D warnings that you can't turn off and you see everytime the TV goes into 3D mode.

Backlighting - When the image on the screen is mostly black with white text, you can see the black light. I don't consider this a major issue as this is infrequent.

Touch Controls - The "buttons" on the TV are touch and light up when you touch them. This is a cool thing to show, but hard to use. Turning on from the TV is particularly difficult as you can't see the "on" button. Tip: To access the TV buttons, run your finger accross all the buttons. They will light up and then they are easier to find.

THE OK:

Yahoo Widgets - Although a little hard to get working, these are useful. I especially like the weather.

Sound - Well, you just aren't going to get great sound out of a thin TV. It is better than my last LCD.

Network Playback - I was able to stream up to 720p video across my network (Gigabit). Music was ok.

No ARC (Audio Return Channel) - Or at least it doesn't work with my reciever (Denon 3311CI). Annoying because I had to run a second optical cable back to my receiver. Honestly, after reading the setup on my Denon I think the second cable is better anyway.

3D Glasses (AG-S100) - The glasses are light and comfortable, but the ends dig in. Need to adjust them occasionally.

CONCLUSION:

Good TV if you don't want to watch 3D Movies. Unfortunately, that is what a large number of people would buy this for. If you get it for the same price as an 2D TV and consider the 3D a bonus you will probably be happy with it. If it were a 2D TV, it would have probably gotten at least 4 stars.

Ordered my 55" LG 3D/HDTV through Amazon.com with little trepidation and everything turned out GREAT!! Delivery was before schedule, the delivery person set it up and it was smooth and easy. Best of all... GREAT picture quality, both in HDTV mode and when I watch 3D channels or 3D movies. Just like seeing it in the movie theatre. In fact, the HDTV channels are MORE clear than in the movie theatres. This is a FANTASTIC TV and ordering through Amazon.com was a great experience!

Let me set up the background scene before I get into the review. I am not a TV connoisseur that uses software to check "color temperature" or a calibrated meter to check "black levels" in candelas per square meter. I am a regular TV buyer/watcher that wants a good clear high definition picture with balanced images and bright colors. I was looking for a 1080p LED HDTV to replace my 55" Samsung 1080p DLP Projection HDTV. I had been searching for a month comparing the price, features, quality, etc. on everything that I came across.
I decided and jumped in on the promotional deal that included the LG 55LX6500 TV, four free LG 3D glasses and Amazon.com Store Card financing. I also bought a three year service plan since the cost was less than 10% of the TV price, and we (TV and I) are "gonna be tight" for years to come... needed to get some "health insurance" for my new friend.

Online Purchase
I have purchased a lot of things online but making a purchase this large online made me a bit uneasy, since it wouldn't be as simple as driving back to the store to return it. Amazon made me confident with their 30 Day free return policy. Confident online purchase - CHECK!

Delivery
So I scheduled the delivery at the time of purchase waited for my "TV Santa" to show up. It was a three hour window for delivery on delivery day, and the delivery company called me to tell me they would arrive in 30-45 minutes. The delivery guy came and dropped it off, but I would not let him leave until I plugged it in and powered it up. I had heard stories of TVs getting damaged during delivery and didn't want a broken TV in my house until they came back to pick it up at a later date. The TV powered up and looked good with no damage. Successful delivery - CHECK!

Set-up
I already had a mounting bracket on the wall from my previous TV. I switched the TVs and connected it to my Onkyo home theater receiver. The remote is not impressive by any means; it's just an average remote but does its job. The TV is very thin and looks great, I can't complain with how stylish it looks on the wall. I turned everything on and began to live the moment. TV Set-up - CHECK!

2D Experience
Now I was watching television on a DLP projection TV before, and I saw a drastic difference between this new LED TV and the older DLP TV. I tested the TV with HD channels, Blu-ray movies, and XBOX 360 games. The 240Hz refresh rate was noticeable; gives you sort of a "soap opera effect" and makes the picture look more "real" in a sense. I guess this is typical with LED TVs with higher refresh rates. I was blown away by how crisp and clear everything showed. The colors looked great and the picture was bright, so I was happy. As I had read in other reviews, the TV was as good as I expected. Good job with this one LG!

3D Experience
I was excited to test drive the 3D capability of the TV, understanding that I was not going to get an "IMAX 3D experience". You have to go into this understanding that it's still newer technology and it is not going to be like at the IMAX Theater. At first it was not really straight forward to me how to get everything (TV, 3D glasses, and 3D content) activated to work together. This TV does give you the ability to watch 3D in the older 3D formats (polarized, etc.) or the newer "active shutter" 3D format. I did forget that to use 3D, you need HDMI v1.4 cables connected from the content player to TV. The TV and content player recognize when you don't have the right cables because it will give you messages that your TV or player/receiver are not 3D capable. I then realized my home theater receiver had HDMI v1.3 functionality, so I had to connect my HMDI v1.4 cables directly to the TV from my DirecTV HD receiver, 3D Blu-ray player and XBOX 360. I watched Winter X games on ESPN 3D from my DirecTV receiver and Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D from my Blu-ray player, and thought it was cool but not outstanding. I did see "ghosting" images and found that the distance you sit from the TV makes a difference. The 3D effect also was better when you are closer than further away; the TV message says to sit 2m (6.6ft) away. As I said it was pretty cool but not breathtaking, I did like the 3D effect overall. It's good that I did not buy the TV just because it had 3D capability, but hopefully it gets better over time.

Audio Experience
The sound from the TV was not impressive, it's typical for a TV but I am accustom to a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system. If you have or are getting a surround sound system then it shouldn't be a concern. That being said, the sound coming out from the TV was good and clear for what you can expect from TV stereo speakers.

Overall Experience
I am very happy and satisfied with my purchase. I am sure I will enjoy this TV for years to come... or until they have newer technology out like "TV wallpaper". I am always amazed how we as humans continue to make things (technology, medicine, etc.) better but sometimes we just stay the same. Hope this review helps someone make a good TV purchase decision!

Received the TV from the specialty delivery company, they set it up for us, we flipped through some channels and all seemed to be in working order. It was huge, thin, and the picture was great as expected. We upgraded from a 1080i 32" with 60Hz refresh, and you can immediately tell the difference. The higher refresh rate is strange at first but after a few days of watching it that goes away.

I've tested the 3D with CoD:Black Ops on xbox 360 and while there was some ghosting, it was only on features in the far distance. I don't know whether it's the media that was tested but after about an hour or two, the 3d really makes your eyes sore. Still on objects close to medium distance the 3d picture is quite impressive. Much more immersive than regular 1080p HD. Also the glasses seem to have a range on them or something, as they kept switching on and off at about 8-10 ft. Really I didn't expect the 3D to be perfect so soon, but its a nice feature to have and experiment with.

The only real problem was a few days into the warranty, the set would buzz and crackle on all channels, worsening when changing channels. Then mysteriously "fix" itself the next day and operate fine again. This has happened at least 4 different times and we are scheduling the set for a return after doing some research online and seeing similar problems with larger LCDs. Definitely give it a close eye during the first few days.

I have only had this TV 1 day, and am happy with what I have seen so far. What I was not happy with was the company I got it from - Paul's TV. At the time I ordered it, 12/6/10, Amazon did not have the free 3d glasses offer. Since it was offered from Paul's TV through Amazon, and they had the free glasses deal, I ordered direct from them. Huge mistake. Their customer service is awful. The first one they sent was damaged. Christmas on December 28th. Stick with Amazon and you will be safe.

Summary:
You will start noticing the little things in your favorite shows that you never knew existed! The first time I watched Everybody Loves Raymond (HD) on this TV, I was speechless! I noticed the vibrant colors of the dresses, I even noticed the pattern of wallpaper and tiles in Ray's house. You need big screen LED Tv to get this experience. I am glad I didn't wait any longer to upgrade. The display is very sharp as expected, and the features/functionalities have me floored. The 3D works great as well. I did make the right decision afterall!

Before deciding on LG 55LX6500, I compared it to atleast a dozen or so models from Samsung, Sharp, Sony and LG itself. I wanted a brand name, so didnt consider Vizio etc. 55LX6500 provided me with the best bang for the buck, and I was satisfied with the reviews here on Amazon and from CNET. So I decided to take the plunge. As there are only 6 reviews on this site I decided to post the review because I know how valuable they were for me atleast.

Details:
Hookup - The installation was pretty standard. I saw someone saying that they didn't get a manual book. I got both the book and the CD. Not that you will need them. I easily put the tv on a mount, and hooked it to my Comcast hi-def box and Sony HomeTheatre system using HDMI cables. The Comcast box cost me $8 extra per month, but gives me access to their HD channels, and HD/3D On Demand content. Amazing deal.

Standard VS HD Content - I have seen some reviews on how many people are trying to watch Standard def content and expecting extraordinary results. So let me contribute my 2 cents here. I used to have 27" CRT TV before this. The standard def looks good there. When viewing the same in 55lx6500, the picture seems little fuzzy. Don't get me wrong - I would anyday take this fuzzy picture over the 27" display. But the thing is we have to use words like fuzzy or blurred, but overall the picture still looks nice. But don't expect your TV to magically produce sharp display if it doesn't get the data to display it. You need hi-def content to see hi-def quality. IMHO the best test for a TV is to watch blu-ray movie on it. It cuts out the cable/dish issues and lets you see what the TV is capable of doing. For me personally, I have HD channels and I love them. The little blur/fuzz here and there is not TV's fault. I have watched a 2 hour blu-ray movie on my TV, and I had the best experience. (No need to mention that you need HDMI cables to carry the hi-def data)

USB Port - Very useful. It lets me play songs/movies/photos from my flash drive. It should pickup all portable flash drives (I used WD portable 160GB) - I haven't tried powered USB drives.

I like the 3D on this tv. I have comcast, and they have a small collection of 3d documentaries, music and games. I thoroughly enjoyed watching these programs. The experience is akin to the one I had in BestBuy stores. I have found that dimming the lights in my living room enhances the experience greatly - making it more engrossing as there are no distractions. I have a Sony bluray 3d home theatre system, but yet to play a bluray 3D movie. I am convinced that it will be a even better experience as some of the Comcast content was little fuzzy. That is to be expected as Comcast content delivered On Demand has a little lag sometimes. I will update this review after I try bluray 3D. I did play a bluray movie (Expendables) on my TV, and I loved the experience. The sound system of my home theatre and picture quality of my 55lx6500 was mind blowing!

Internet Connectivity - Even though my hometheatre system has internet connectivity and apps, I am using the LG TV apps more. I found them more useful. The apps are very limited for now, but the ones I use heavily are - Picassa Web albums, Netflix, and Yahoo Widgets. The Netflix streaming works perfectly and quality is great. Picassa web albums is just a great app and now we dont have to huddle around my laptop to see pics when friends/family come over. The only Yahoo Widget I use as of now is Weather. Every morning I can just see the weather condition from my TV, and it gets displayed on a sidebar without interrupting the normal show.

The remote up/down/left/right buttons are not soft touch, and are not easy to use. I will get used to them but they could have down a better job there. But otherwise, the remote is nice. It has nice standard shortcuts for navigation. The input button when used only hi-lites the tv ports that are receving a signal, making it easier to select the appropriate input.

Nero MediaHome 4 Essentials - Lets me share folders on my PC directly from TV. I just shared the folders, and they appear on TV's menu option (MediaList suboption). Convenient! Only gripe I had is that the Nero s/w itself is a little buggy. It keeps freezing sometimes when I try to add folder for share. Maybe it's the s/w or my computer. But when it works, TV picks up the shared folders smoothly.

I have Wii but I am not an avid gamer. So I haven't tested it out yet, and I am not sure if I will.

Before buying, I researched a lot and found that LED is a superior technology to LCD. Also that just LED is not enough. Having Direct LED, and local dimming is superior to back lit LED. This TV has both direct LED and local Dimming, and has 16 panels of LED for uniformity. I didn't notice a lot of difference by switching the Local Dimming on/off. Also Trumotion didn't seem to enhance my already great experience. So not sure how much of it is marketing, and how much makes a difference. But in a nutshell - I love this TV, and it exceeded my expectations.

Really a great Matte-type picture, absolutely beautiful TV in a bright or dark room.

Sound is about what I'd expect from a TV, picture is more than I could hope for.

3d is terrible. If you're looking for 3d, wait for it, the videos had noticeable crosstalk (many items looked blurry, and when pausing video, it became apparent why, lots of cross talk going on). Video Games on my PS3 are just painful, the cross talk becomes hugely apparent, in the MLB 3d game, the players had 4 legs and 4 arms, cross talk was so bad, may not as well wear glasses in the game :-(

Luckily I got a really good deal on this TV and wasn't looking for 3d as a good feature, but since I got glasses, I figured it'd be a shame not to give it a try. I probably would have been happier if I never knew this TV could do 3d.

We've got the 55lx6500 and we wonder what to do now because we can clearly see uneven back lighting at some areas of the screen during every black screen switch, and when watching not stretched image, the black frame portion of the screen has brighter stains/bleed of light.

Before buying or during delivery, check if yours is OK - just watch the black portions of the screen and look for permanent light bleed patterns. This can't be fixed by adjusting the back light level - light patterns are there and they just change intensity when we adjust settings. I guess there is no fix for misplaced led lights on the back side panel.

It's obvious there are issues with the alignment of the led panels on the back side and I find it very disturbing, considering how much money we pay for these panels(latest line LG LED panel technology, 3D, LED plus,etc...).

I wonder if that is known issue with this model and replacement makes more sense than choosing a different model/brand? Another review for this same model mentions that same problem.

Otherwise, picture quality is very good at full HD.


Review Update from Dec 9 2010

I feel responsible to update this review because technicians discovered there was a damage caused probably from improper handling of the unit during initial setup from the the delivery people.

ADVICE! Do not allow hands to press on the front side of the TV frame during unpack and assembly! As LG technicians confirmed, this is a very sensitive unit that shouldn't be treated as a piece of furniture. In my case, the clueless delivery men apparently pushed on the front of the frame in his attempt to hold the TV set firm and not drop it. The frame slightly warped sensitive screen layers underneath and caused permanent defect on the picture, visible on dark screens.
The vendor replaced the unit with another one, which works great.

Also I was assured by LG technicians and the vendor, that there are no issues with this line of TVs(unlike with Samsung TVs...as local vendor for big TV reseller Paul's TV claims), so I confidently ordered a replacement.

I updated this review and gave the product the 5 stars it deserves for value(unbeaten so far - Dec 2010)and high quality and performance as well.