LG 42LH3000 42in LCD TV

Budget box that punches above its weight

Review If you’re looking for a new telly, but are working to a tight budget, you’ve probably noticed that many of LG’s recent sets seem to offer impressive value for money.

LG's 42LH3000: surprisingly few compromises

Take this 42LH3000 as an example. It has a list price of around £550, but you can pick it up online for as little as £470. The question is, what sort of compromises has LG had to make to deliver this set at such a low price?

Although the 42LH3000 might have a rock-bottom asking price, this doesn’t show through on its design and styling. Finished in glossy piano black, LG has added some pleasing gentle curves to the front bezel and a slick chrome bar across the bottom of the TV to help it stand out from the crowd.

That said, at around 90mm deep, it’s far from the slimmest set around. While this isn’t really all that noticeable when it’s sitting on the supplied stand, the 42LH3000 may look a tad chunky if you choose to mount it on a wall.

Plenty of ports, despite the low price

Around the back, the cost cutting is evident. Most of today’s LCDs have at least four HDMI ports, but the 3000 makes do with three. You do get two RGB Scart sockets, component-video connectors, a VGA port and a composite-video socket.