LG 42LH30 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Gloss Black

I've been researching 40-42" HD TVs for months, looking for the ideal match for my needs that fit my budget of under $1,000. I looked at plasmas, 120Hz LCDs, 40", 42", Sharp, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Vizio, Westinghouse, and LG.

I finally found it - on sale for almost two-hundred off (exactly eight-hundred-and-nine dollars). Would still be a great value at a thousand dollars.

I'd rather have too much control than too little with my electronics. The 42LH30 delivers all the control I want and more, but it also provides several nice presets for the type of content I'm watching (movies, sports, games, standard). It also lets me build 2 presets myself for exactly what I want. I can be picky or I can be lazy and still get a great picture for any situation.

The 50,000 dynamic contract ratio and 5ms refresh speed make for a superb picture/performance combo.

I was very close to going with a 120Hz 42" Vizio. They have been getting decent...Read more

The TV is good at the price point I paid - $629+tax (Sears). LG is a respected brand in Asia and a 42" LCD 1080p at that price is a good deal. The picture when viewing true HD signals, just comes to life and is breath-taking. Fairly basic connectivity with 1 composite, 2 AV, 1PC and 3 HDMI ports. Would have been nice to have one more composite and HDMI ports and looks like the newer models have them. The speakers are well hidden and makes for a smooth clean finish on the outside. There are also numerous (more than you ever want) amount of controls to fine-tune the picture. Fairly easy hack available to turn on USB port to view pictures or play movies - great bonus.

That said, the sound quality seems a bit sub-par compared to other TVs in the market. I also noticed some light leakage on the far corners of the TV - other than for Sony or Samsung this seems a problem for all other big TVs. Also, for those of you watching TV with over the air signals, please note that this...Read more

Overall a great TV. I had bought a samsung, but it was too thick for my taste. I did notice the "lip sync" problem when using the TV's speakers to watch TV. This is a problem with how the TV gets the digital input from the Dish DVR that I am using. The fix is to hold the MENU button on TV (on Left side of TV) at the same pushing the MENU button on the the remote control. Then enter "0000" for the code. This will access the system menu. Go down to "Lip Sync" and adjust the number up or down till the lip movements matches the sound coming out of the speakers.