LG Electronics 50LN5700 50-Inch 1080p 120Hz LED-LCD HDTV with Smart TV

Excellent Image, Sound, Features, and Value, April 7, 2013

By 

D.R.L. (Austin, TX) –

  

Amazon has provided an extensive “Product Description” (taken from LG promotional literature) that outlines the myriad of features available on the LN5700 series of Smart TV’s that became available in early 2013. There is no point in reiterating that list of features, so my review will focus on customer experience.
* SET UP: It took no time at all for a non-geek like me to set up the TV and the internet features. As they say: just follow the instructions on the screen.
* IMAGE QUALITY: I spent considerable time in a local electronics stores searching for the best buy in 42 inch smart TV’s (needed to fit into a cabinet, therefore the size restrictions). While there I surveyed other sizes of TV’s just to get an idea of quality of different brands. My overall impression: LG offers great quality for a reasonable price. Indeed, their new LN5700 series is a great value throughout the line of sizes available (32″, 39″ 42″ 47″, 50″, and 55″). Sizes 42″ through 55″ have TruMotion 120 Hz technology, which makes for great images during sports and action movies. The 32″ and 39″ do not have the TruMotion feature and operate at 60 Hz refresh rate. For those who prefer to turn off or adjust the impact of the TruMotion technology, that is easily done. The LED backlighting, the Picture Wizard II feature, and Full HD 1080p resolution provide an exceptional image (better than any of the other brands I compared to while in the store). Saturated (but not gaudy) colors, great contrast ratio, and sharp edge definition all contribute to a clear, crisp image. The LN5700 has good off angle viewing performance and still looks good at angles around 30 degrees off center, unlike so many TV’s that start to have the contrast degrade at 20 to 25 degrees. The screen is matte, rather than glossy to help reduce glare and reflections. There are a variety of pre-set color schemes you can chose from should you decide you like your images more vivid, etc.
* SOUND QUALITY: Many purchasers will run the sound through external speakers or sound bar, but even if you just want to use the build in speakers you will be pleased. The set of stereo speakers are ported to the back and to the bottom of the TV. This allows you to adjust the sound for wall-mounting or table-top standing. Add in the six available “sound mode” options and an equalizer, and the TV produces entirely acceptable sound even without add-on speakers.
* SMART TV: The CPU and GPU have been upgraded for 2013 in the LN5700 series making for rapid response in the multiple Smart TV / Internet features and for gamers. Reports are that the processor is 3 times faster than last years model, but I cannot make that direct comparison myself. The LN5700 has built-in WiFi, a built-in Web browser, and a wide range of Smart TV options including all the premium applications such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, You Tube, Amazon apps (as of mid-August 2013), etc. The Home Dashboard feature enables the TV to remember and list all the various applications you have downloaded and viewed on one convenient page. There is also a dedicated button on the remote to access it quickly. When you click on the Home option on the remote, displays a very thorough menu of options for Internet use, quick selections for some of the premium apps as well as a selection for just the Internet itself.
* INPUT/OUTPUT: At the side of the TV there are three HDMI connections (one labeled HDMI/ARC and one labeled HDMI/MHL) as well as three USB In ports. At the back of the TV there is an H/P Out port for headphones, an Optical Digital Audio Out port, ethernet / LAN port, and a set of Component cable / AV ports.
* REMOTE: The LN5700 is compatible with “The Magic Remote with Voice Command”, which is available as an option. The remote that comes with the TV is fully functional and will be sufficient for most users (although it is not back-lit).
* HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The LN5700 series from LG is a great bargain if you want a great TV with LED backlighting with a plethora of features and you are satisfied with a non-3D TV. If you are looking for a 3D TV, try the LA6200 series, which is the upscale version of the LN5700.

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Amazing T.V. Better than Panasonic Plasa, May 4, 2013

Ok so buying a T.V. can be maddening. There are a lot of choices out there. I have looked at massive reviews both professional and customer. I went into the store to buy the new Panasonic 55 St60. Cnet gave this Panasonic it’s highest recommend. So with me excited about purchasing this T.V., watching Blu-ray’s, playing video games (which is very important to me) and seeing some awesome technology my wife turned my day upside down. She started pointed to this television which was next to the Panny. Then I played with the remote and used the Picture Wizard II which is a self help calibration tool that should be the standard for all televisions. I kid you not I had this set looking better than any T.V. in the store. Other customers noticed and even the employees were a little taken aback. So we purchased it. After two weeks I was having remorse because every review is talking about the St60 Panasonic. So I was going to return it but my wife again stepped in lol. And people she has never really cared about what the picture looks like. Especially to those of us who do the research and want the Best. Period. Tonight I thanked her and told her she had an eye for a great picture. I talked my Dad into buying the Panasonic St50 last year and we were over today watching it. Great T.V. don’t get me wrong. But here is the deal..
The colors Pop on this LG. When you calibrate it and please play with the settings and use the PICTURE WIZARD the blacks are black, the white’s are white and the Contrast is near perfect. Video Games look amazing and no BLUR. Blu-ray’s are jaw dropping. And I had a 2008 Sony XBR LCD that looked good. This blows it away.
Smart T.V. is huge for us. We were using the PS3 for Vudu, Amazon, etc. Now we stream right from the television. And the LG’s smoke the competition when it comes to using this feature. We just finished Game of Thrones in HDX and amazing picture. Also the update feature is key. You can either manually do it or you have the option to do automatic updates. Sweet Feature for us. So if you want a smart T.V. go look at the reviews on the LG’s.
Sound: This television has the best sound on the market. Period. We have it on 6 or 8 for regular TV and 13 to 14 for movies. It goes much, much higher than that. No Sound Bar required unless that’s a must for you. Amazing sound.
4 HDMI Ports. This is VERY important for someone like myself. Cable box, Ps3, Xbox 360, and Wii-U. So many televisions even in 2013 only come with three ports. so the 4th port was huge.
So: I’m not trying to talk anyone out of buying a Panasonic Plasma. They are a sweet television in my opinion. Sweet. But I surprised myself and other people when they see this picture. My dad is bummed because he likes the Pop of Contrast colour’s this T.V. turns out. The plasma’s are amazing at getting that true black I love it. However when looking at these two Televisions side by side, the Plasma looked a little greyed out compared to this.
It really comes down of course to what do you like. What are your needs and what benefit does the T.V. your buying have to meet those. And of course does it look great watching it. This television is AMAZING and priced great. For those reviews of those who have had problems I’m sorry. As consumers we are all rolling the dice and it’s unfortunate to me. My opinion is every store should honor a two year or one year return policy no questions asked. The reason is technology is moving so fast that the life-span is not long and they are all tempermental. Burn in issues, power block problems, etc, etc. We should not have to suffer as consumers when we are all basically beta-testers while they make more advanced sets. AKA 4K which has arrived already. So when we spend our hard earned money on these fun Toy’s at least when they fail switch them out and take care of us as customers.
So Glad my Wife put her foot down on this television. Great buy you won’t be disappointed I hope. Good luck I hope this review helps.

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