Feature :
- INFINIA Series
- Full LED Slim w/ Local Dimming
- THX Certified Display
- NetCast Entertainment Access (Wi-Fi Ready)
- Wireless 1080p Ready
Overview :
There's television and then there's something better with LG's INFINIA LE8500. With one TV, you can experience a dazzling THX certified Full LED Slim picture on a beyond-beautiful display, the unlimited possibilities of broadband TV, the freedom of Wireless HD and a host of other groundbreaking innovations from LG.
Customer Review :
First, I just received my second set from Amazon today. The first set had an issue on the inside of the GLOSSY glass screen. I couldn't tell if it was a thread or a small crack in the screen. It obviously wasn't supposed to be there, and Amazon swapped it out for me. I'm on my first couple hours on the second set, but I haven't see the same issue with the second set yet. This does support a couple other reviewers suggesting quality control may be an issue with these sets. This contradicts the weight of the TV suggesting it should be very well built.
The TV is stunningly simple to look at. There isn't a lot of extra bezel or showy manufacturer's name plates. I love this, as I'm usually driven nuts at having to look at a constant advertisment of a product I've already purchased. The "LG" that lights up at the bottom when the TV is turned on, can be set to be off when the set is on. This effectively means in a dark room (as mine is), the ONLY thing you see on this TV is the picture...exactly as it should be. The only exception is a small set of lights along the bottom that are only powered during power on and off to inform the viewer of this.
My general impression on the picture quality is mostly very impressed. I'm not a display expert so I'll only state what I notice as a slightly more "techy" than average viewer. These sets do seem to have a screen uniformity issue. Large and bright, white or very light colored sections of the screen will show light horizontal bands. These bands are light, but can be distracting depending on the viewer. It seemed to get better with more hours on the first set, but it could have been the firmware issue. Either way, know that if you watch a lot of content containing mostly white screens, you may want to look at another TV. Some people claim to not be able to see this. Others state they see even more of it during panning scenes. Perhaps there is some difference from one panel to the next. Either way, I have seen it on two sets, so anyone looking at purchasing the set should expect it, unless there is an update (software or hardware) to the set at some time.
I looked at a backlit/local dimmed set like this for one big reason though...CONTRAST. Buying this set to watch solid bright screens would seem to be a waste. Where this particular set really shows it stuff is in the black level it can achieve. Movies are beautiful. I thought my old RPTV had a nice picture, but the sharpness and clarity of the 55LE8500 really put my old set to shame. As mentioned above, when you turn off the LG logo, all you see is the picture. Even if there is letterboxing, you will only see the picture. The rest of the screen will be as black as the bezel, and in a dark room, you won't notice it as letterboxing at all.
Colors are vivid and natural looking. The settings from the factory are pretty decent, but count on using the two extra ISF settings that can be customized to your liking. Having a knowledgable Tech to come over to properly set up the TV would be wise if you can afford it, but it's not neccesary to achieve a nice picture. There is even a built-in menu system to aid you in doing so.
Summing it up
Pros:
Awesome blacklevel
Sharp picture
Great colors
No flashy labels or lights to be bothersome
Automatic updates if you connect it to the internet
Tons of access to change viewing settings
discrete codes for most anything you might want for a customized remote.
Cons:
screen has uniformity issues
possible quality control issues
maybe a bit too heavy
screen is a bit too glossy
no 3D support
Overall, this is probably the best 2D TV released in 2010. If you can control the lighting in your room, and you don't watch lots of source material with large patches of very light scenes, this is the TV for you. Amazon is a great source for the set, but know the wireless media kit was offered free with the set last week, and the price has been changing dramatically (down and up and back down again). I gave it 4 stars because it could have been a bit better, and probably should have been.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 04, 2010 07:38:03
