List Price: $999.99
Sale Price: $699.99
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I was a little skeptical, when I made this purchase, that I would be disappointed with the picture quality and functionality of this TV. I was pleasantly surprised when I got it hooked up and began watching broadcast TV in 3D!
I will attempt to address the concerns I had when buying a 3DTV for the first time, and how this TV met all of those requirements. This is a legit review. I'm not one of those guys who cuts and pastes the specs from the LG website. These are my opinions/ observations based on my experience. I've done my homework. Price matched; visited big box stores (Sam's, BJ's, Costco); shopped BestBuy, Sears, HHGreg; checked out web deals; AND read reviews on 3D (active vs. passive)Finally, realizing that this was the best TV for the money out there today.
1.) My requirements when buying a new TVMy wife and I had an older model 42" LCD that was on its last leg. Our budget was $800 (not a lot compared, considering what I wanted vs. what she said we needed). I also needed a TV that would fit in an alcove above our fireplace. I measured the space and reailzed that bigger wasn't going to work or us. This 47" (measured diagonally) fits perfectly (wall mounted) in the cutout. It's just at 46" wide from side to side. Our room can get quite bright during the day, so I needed a TV that could handle the "light pollution." I wanted a 3DTV becausewellit's just a cool feature. I was concerned that it would be disappointing or that it wouldn't be compilable with my two year old receivers, BluRay, or my Xbox 360.
2.) Picture quality The LG 47CM565 delivers. It displays (like any TV, including the most expensive) whatever resolution it is being fed. Display rates can get a little confusing sometimes. So, basically, if all you have is a DVD or a non-HD digital cable box, you're not going to be able to take full advantage of 1080p. I hooked this LG up to my bluray via HDMI and we were able to watch in 1080palso we stream Netflix through the BluRay playeralso in 1080p. Regarding my bright living room, the LG 47CM565 has a feature that adjusts its brightness levels to accommodate for the lighting in the room. Fast motion images on the screen are displayed perfectlyno issues with a blurry image (it's silly that manufacturers (and sales people) even tell you that you should worry about a blurry image. Did your old tube tv have a blurry image when you were watching the game back in 1998? Nope, because it's not an issue and never has been. Back when I bought my first LCD, they didn't publish refresh rates because it wasn't necessary to know. Now, refresh rates (60Hz, 120Hz, etc.) are used purely a marketing thing. You'll see a TV with a higher refresh, "240Hz," and think that it's going to be a better experience. You're eyes can't tell the difference. Picture quality for me means watching my shows in HD and having it look like HD (having it look better than my buddies' TVs).
I rate the LG47CM565 5 out of 5 in picture quality.
3.) 3D performance: Active vs. Passive and the LG 47CM565Like I said before, i wanted 3D because it's cool. I hadn't had a 3DTV before, but I was in Vegas when Sony unveiled their new active shutter technology. It was really neatI played PS3 in 3D, I watched a minute clip of a concert in 3D... all kinds of "neat," right? Yep. Until I got a headache. The way active 3D works (and why everyone on the internet says it's rubbish) is it has battery powered glasses that darken the lenses of one eye at a time, in sync with the image on the screen, resulting in a 3D image. This happens 30 times a second so you don't see the darkeningexcept when you do. What I mean by this is that some times the glasses get out of sync with the TVwhen they do you have to charge them or replace them if they're broken. Replace them at around $130 a pop. The sick feeling I got was from the shuttering of the glasses. Now I'm not one of those people who whines and moans about being sick all the timebut it was really disconcerting wearing those heavy glasses and feeling dizzy. Finally (an I won't go on about the drawbacks on active 3D anymore), I don't have children, but I do walk around in the darkand I would be POed if I stepped on my $130 3D glasses (btwpassive are only about $5 a pop).
Passive glasses and the performance of the LG 47CM565: Passive technology uses the same type of glasses as movie theaters. If you have a passive TV and disagree let me qualify my statement: the LG 47CM565 uses the same technology as the cinema. In fact, my wife and I are teachers and get movie tickets from our students as gifts. So, we've gone to the theater and seen six or seven movies in 3D over the past year or two. Well, being the cheap guy I am, I keep my glasses because I had to pay $2 for them. The main selling point for the LG 47CM565 is that those cinema glasses actually work with the TVso, we have about 10 pairs of working 3D glasses for our new LG 47CM565.
So what can the LG47CM565 do with 3D? Well, after I scanned through all the HD channels I figured I'd give 3D a whirl. The TV can upconvert 2D into 3D. What this means is it can take regular 2D broadcast and make look 3D. And it really does a great job. One note though. The higher the resolution (1080i, 720p, 1080p) the better it will be. Regular analog TV is kind of 3Dbut honestlyno TV on the market can make analog TV look 3D. There's not enough information in the broadcast. I watched about 30 minutes of the news in 3D (HD channel) and it was impressive. Netflix on our bluray was perfect also. You'd think that you were watching native 3D. The real test was on the Xbox 360. I have Call of Duty: Black Ops and it has a setting to display the game in 3D. I read a lot online that suggested it would only work on an active TVwell I guess they didn't try the LG47CM565. The LG47CM565 has 3 settings for 3D (apart from up converting 2d to 3D), and guess what? There are three ways for devices to display 3D. The LG47CM565 WILL be able to play all of your 3D content in native 3D. As a side note, I also played a non 3d game in 2D to 3D upconversion (Fallout: New Vegas) and it was really awesome. It didn't have the "pop out" like COD, because it wasn't made in 3D, but it still made the front images come forward and away from the horizon. I am really impressed by what this TV can do.
My rating for the 3D on this TV is 5 out of 5.
4.) Plasma, LDC, LED?I'll begin with the biggest question. Is LED better than LCD? My opinionNot when I have to pay $300 to $500 more for it. The LG47CM565 has an LCD screenall LED TVs have an LCD screen. The LED label comes from how it's lit. LED uses hundreds of little LED bulbs in the edge of the screen to light it. The LG47CM565 uses long bulbs. What does that meanLED is brighter, but not necessarily better. If one of those little bulbs go out, you will have a dark spot in the display and (according to the salesman at HHGreg) the company won't repair it unless 20% of the screen is affected...ugh. If a bulb goes in an LCD and you have basic repair skills, you can change it yourselfnot with LED though.
Plasmacosts less, but doesn't always have the ability to display 1080pmost under 55" are 720p only. You might not notice a difference, but that's not a train I was willing to get on. I had $800i didn't need to settle for plasma. If you only have $600, you'll get what you pay for (sure you might be a rich guy and say the same thing about the LG47CM565, but I got a TV that's comparable to the $1100 LG LCD's at the big box stores).
My rating for the LCD on this TV is 5 out of 5.
5.) SoundI usually use my receiver for my sound, but was anxious to try 3D so I didn't hook it up right away. The speakers are what you would expect from any flat screen. They are at the bottom and angled downward so if you plan to hang the TV on the wall or use the stand, you won't have any issues. They are nice and full of base, but not muffled. My situation is a little different because there isn;t any clearance between the bottom of the tv and my mantle. I use my receiver anyway, so I don't have a problem. This isn't an issue with the TVjust a unique setup for me.
My audio rating for the LG47CM565 is 5 out of 5.
6.) Summary I can find anything wrong with this set. Make sure you used HDMI cables to achieve 1080p (this is true with any tv). Read the manual to understand how to set up your devices for 3D (and yes, you do have to buy a 3D BluRay player to play 3D BluRay in 3D). Buy this TV and use the glasses you get from the theater. Hook up your PS3 and Xbox and play (via HDMI) in 3D. Watch broadcast TV in 3D with the upconversion feature.
I hope that this is helpful. I am incredibly satisfied with my LG47CM565. If you're looking for a 3D set that is not to pricy and will display the latest and greatest in full HD 3D and won't break the bankBUY THE LG47CM565!!!
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