Event Coverage

CES 2010: New LG HDTVs - Full of Features and Razor Thin (Updated!)

By Vijay Anand - 7 Jan 2010

New Features and Functions

New Features and Functions

With the new series of TVs, LG is introducing two new LED-backlit technologies. As coined by them, they are the Full LED Slim and LED Plus. The Full LED Slim is based on white LEDs and are is a design whereby the light source is maintained behind the LCD with a slim LED structure that supports local dimming up to 240 segments - all this while retaining the slimness conventionally seen on edge-LED lit designs. What's in it for you? Deeper black levels, and more uniform picture quality as typically expected of rear-LED lit designs with local dimming, but with a very slim chassis design. Both LE9500 and LE8500 models support the Full LED Slim technology. What's more, these two series are THX certified for their display. They include a THX Bright Room setting that optimizes contrast, gamma and other settings for watching movies under bright ambient lighting. This is in addition to the THX Cinema mode for dark room viewing of movies.

The LG LE9500 HDTV sporting the new Full LED Slim technology.

As mentioned, the Full LED Slim technology supports local dimming up to 240 segments for a 55-inch TV size.

The LED Plus technology used on the new LE7500 and LE5500 models are edge-LED lit designs but with basic local dimming of up to 16 segments, thereby improving picture quality and energy efficiency. Here's how the various new LED-backlit LCD HDTVs from LG matches up with one another:-

LG LED-Backlit LCD HDTV Lineup for 2010
Features / Series LE9500 LE8500 LE7500 LE5500 LE5400
Infinia design Yes Yes Yes - -
LED-backlit technology Full LED Slim Full LED Slim LED Plus LED Plus LED
TruMotion 480Hz 240Hz 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz
Intelligent Sensor Yes Yes - - -
Picture Wizard II Yes Yes Yes Yes -
THX Certification Yes Yes - - -
NetCast  Entertainment Access - WiFi Ready Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Wireless HD Ready Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
3D Ready TV Yes - - - -
Magic Wand remote Yes - - - -

Further focusing on the LED-backlit LED TVs, it's obvious that eventually when costs come down, CCFL based displays would slowly be discontinued in favor of the LED variants. One feature that was actually demoed in last year's CES is TruMotion 480Hz for ultra smooth video quality and eliminating any judders if at all they should occur. It's based on a combination of motion compensation as well as motion estimation and analysis. This will now be featured on the LE9500 series when it debuts soon.

If you thought TruMotion 240Hz refresh was more than plenty, get ready for 480Hz!

Yet two more important features that are also the domain of the top-end LE9500 model is an immersive remote control called Magic Wand (somewhat reminiscent of the Lenovo A600 AIO PC's accelerometer equipped remote control) and the fact that this model will be the company's first 3D enabled TV outside of home base. The 3D-ready LE9500 series is expected to be available sometime mid of this year.

But fret not, the entire new refreshed range of LED-backlit LCD HDTVs would still have other new features such as being wireless ready (through an optional USB wireless broadband adaptor). And besides the entry-level LE5300 series, all other models will support LG's NetCast for extended entertainment and informational content. NetCast enabled TVs support streaming content from Netflix, YouTube and Napster. You can also buy or rent movie and TV content from VUDU and get informational updates via Yahoo Widgets. New to this list in 2010 is Skype functionality for video and voice calls via the internet. This function is enabled with a new optional camera add-on. As you can see, LG is making the TV as the central entertainment gateway to your home.

Dr.Paik having a video call with his colleague through the latest LG HDTV via the integrated Skype functionality. Looks like the number of couch potatoes is set to increase with the TV handling quite a fair bit of content and functions outsides of what's normally expected of a TV.

This is the optional Skype attachment that enabled the above scenario.

Here's how the wireless readiness and broadband functionality (through LG NetCast) is supported across the new range of TVs.

Furthering the TV's connectivity options, the full range of LED-backlit LCD HDTVs are DLNA compliant, promoting easy sharing of content from various PCs and other devices at home.

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