This article is more than 1 year old
LG 42LH3000 42in LCD TV
Budget box that punches above its weight
However, like many budget modes, the 3000’s biggest weaknesses can be seen when it’s dealing with less pristine signals. For example, although the set’s XD picture engine tries its best when working on standard-definition content, it doesn’t sharpen and smooth out pictures in as slick a fashion as even mid-range models from the likes of Panasonic and Sony. As a result, Freeview channels can sometimes look a little bit soft and smeary.

Why are the most useful keys plonked at the bottom, LG?
On the plus side, the 3000’s speakers are surprisingly punchy. They’re capable of kicking out a loud racket and the bass response is deeper than that of most flat-panel sets I’ve heard recently. The Clear Voice II feature, which boosts vocal frequencies to make dialogue sound a bit louder, also worked extremely well and is handy when you’re watching TV at night with the sound turned down low because others in the house are asleep.
Thankfully, when it comes to power the 3000 avoids being the Hummer of the TV world. In standby mode the set draws just 0.8W and when running it sucked about 124W with the standard picture preset selected. This dropped to around 43W when running the Eco mode at its highest setting, although this does dim the picture considerably.
Verdict
The 42LH3000 is far from perfect. It takes a bit of tweaking to get the best pictures, it could do with an additional HDMI port, and its performance with standard definition signals is merely average. However, for the money, it punches above its weight, especially as HD content looks so good, the design is so attractive and the sound quality so beefy. ®
More HD TV Reviews |
|||
![]() Viera TX-P46G20 |
![]() Regza 55SV685D page |
![]() 40PFL9704 |
![]() UE40B7000 |
