LG 47LM8600 & 55LM8600 3D LED HDTV Review

29Jun/120

LG 47LM8600 & 55LM8600 3D LED HDTV Review

There are a lot of great things to be said about LG’s line-up for this year and if you’ve seen or read about the 55LM9600 model, you might already have an idea about the level of quality brought forward by the company.

Their LM8600 series is not that different, so if you’re looking for a gorgeous design and high-end features, LG is ready to deliver with their 47LM8600 and 55LM8600 displays. These two also pack the LG Cinema 3D passive technology found in the superior LM9600 model.

Design

In terms of looks, LG has done a great job with the LM8600 displays and one of the things that might attract your attention at first is a remarkably thin bezel, at just 1mm. The thin bezel makes the two LM8600 TVs look as if they don’t have edges and everything is just a big screen laying on a stand. A screen with such a thin bezel looks bigger to the naked eye and LG has also added a coated IPS Hard panel that will make this display withstand scratches and bumps. You shouldn’t try throwing a rock at it, but it’s a useful feature to own in case something unfortunate happens.

LG has opted for a Chrome finish for the LM8600 and the thing that attracts your attention when looking at this display is the chrome stand, which looks pretty interesting and comes in an aerodynamic design. The stand is pretty sturdy, although it might not look like it, it lends the LM8600 and elegant look.

LG has decided to place the physical buttons on the back of the display, most likely because they wanted to keep the elegant chromed look untouched. You’ll probably not use those buttons too much anyway, as the LM8600 comes with two kinds of remote controls – a regular one and Wii-like remote control featuring remote motion sensor. Both of them are great in their own way, but if you want something special you might want to choose the motion sensor-enabled remote control.

Connectivity options coming with the 47LM8600 and the 55LM8600 include 3 USB ports on the left side of the TV, hidden in the rear of the TV, as well as no more than 4 HDMI ports you can use for connecting gaming consoles or Blu-Ray players to your new HDTV. The component, antenna and LAN ports are carefully hidden in the back so the LM8600 models still keep some organization in the rear of the display.

3D

It’s almost impossible for a 2012 HDTV like this one not to come with 3D. A popular feature right now with all 3D-enabled displays is the 2D to 3D feature which will convert your older 2D content to three dimensional content. Of course, you shouldn’t expect the same quality as you would from a movie shot in 3D, but you’ll be able to convert your favorite action movies in 3D and enjoy them once again just as you did the first time you watched them.

The LM8600 is flicker-free due to a new technology from LG, called Film Patterned Retarder (FPR) – a special coating which reproduces the three-dimensional effect seamlessly. You will still need glasses in order to watch 3D content, however the technology used is a bit different this time. These 3D glasses with polarized lenses will still capture the signal from the 3D display in order to capture the two perspectives and render the three dimensional effect, in turn, there will some discomfort on the viewers eyes after a while.

The good news about the passive 3D technology used in the LM8600 is that the glasses do not require batteries are more lightweight, cheaper and easier to get. Another advantage of the 3D glasses is that they will minimize the impact of electromagnetic waves found in the shutter glasses which still use batteries.

Dual Play

3D looks great with the LM8600, but there are also a few other features that you might find useful. For gamers, LG has included a feature called Dual Play. After you’re hooked up your gaming console to your LM8600 model you can enjoy a dual perspective on the screen. You’ll just have to find the right angle in order to see two different pictures on the same screen.

This concept seems taken out of a SciFi movie and LG has turned it into a reality with their two LM8600 models. The Dual View feature will be most useful for gamers who are able to play multiplayer games full screen and not split it like they used to do on older screens.

Smart Features

A 2012 HDTV couldn’t lack Smart features and you can usually find these in almost all displays coming this year, except the entry-level series. It seems the Smart features complete any current HDTV on the market right now and that’s certainly the case for the LM8600 models. There’s a dual-core processor handling the load and doing a great job at it. You’ll be able to surf on your TV just as you do on your laptop and take advantage of LG’s apps market, over at lgappstv.com.

You’ll once again find the possibility of watching online content from popular Internet streaming services such as NetFlix, Pandora, YouTube or Amazon VOD.

A downside when it comes to the Internet navigation on the LM8600 models is trying to write web addresses or writing in general for that matter. You might find it pretty hard to do with only your remote control and if there’s anything wrong with this TV, this issue might be it. Another downside to the whole Internet browsing experience is that this TV needs a large bandwidth to download online content, but that applies to almost all Smart TVs these days.

All in all, the LM8600 from LG is a quality TV and if you want to own it you can take advantage of some amazing discounts right now. The LG 47LM8600 is now available for $1,224, while the LG 55LM8600 is available for $1,985.

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