LG brings Netflix, LEDs, and wireless connectivity to its 2009 TV lineup

[M_Smith]

LG brings Netflix, LEDs, and wireless connectivity to its 2009 TV lineup
[SIZE=-1]LG, a brand with a number of recommended models in our LCD and plasma TV Ratings, had one of the more interesting and technologically diverse CES exhibits. Its 2009 LCD and plasma TV lineup includes models with access to streaming Netflix content, the ability to beam HD content wirelessly from a separate media console to the TV, and LCD modes that use LED backlighting and ?TruMotion? 240Hz technology.In addition, it showed two new series of broadband-enabled ?NetCast? TVs using*Yahoo's Internet Widgets to provide access to Web-based news and entertainment content.
Joining the growing number of Internet-connected TVs are LH50-series LCDs and PS80-series plasmas, all 1080p sets. As part of what LG calls its NetCast service, models in both lines can directly access streaming Netflix movies and TV shows, YouTube videos, and information and entertainment content supplied via the Yahoo Internet Widget Engine. Netflix subscribers visit the Netflix website to add streaming movies or TV episodes to online queues, and they?re automatically displayed on the TV when the Netflix menu option is chosen. The quality of the video?mostly standard-def, but also some higher-def content?depends on the available bandwidth coming into the home.
LG?s flirtation with wireless escalated into a budding romance at CES, with two new 1080p LCD TV lines?an ultra-slim 55-inch LHX set with LED backlighting, and 47- and 55-inch LH85 series models?supporting wireless streaming of content, including HD video, from a separate media box to the TV, so the box can be hidden out of site. Unlike many other super-slim sets we saw at CES, the LHX models, just an inch thick, uses full-frame, rather than edge, LED backlighting, so they can be locally dimmed. The set also uses a scanning backlight technique to achieve a 240Hz effect (called TruMotion 240Hz) , helpful in reducing motion blur. Another model, the LH90,has all the same features except wireless, so no separate media console is used. TruMotion 240Hz also appears in LH55 models, which use more conventional fluorescent lamp backlighting.
For those on a budget, LG offers 42- and 50-inch 720p sets in the PQ30 plasma series and the LH20 line of 19- to 42-inch 720p LCDs. Fashion-minded TV buyers looking for smaller (19-, 22- and 26-inch) screens with a bit more flair should consider LG?s stylish new LU55 line of LCDs, which sport a modern, translucent design.
?James K. Willcox
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