This LG 47LM860V is from close to the top of LG’s 2012 model range, and consequently it’s got the spec (and the price-tag) to prove it. £1600 for a lavishly appointed LED-backlit LCD screen isn’t outlandish, but it’s bound to raise expectations.
There’s no arguing with the value on paper or in the showroom, mind you. The 47LM860V definitely has the looks to justify its price: it’s slim and light, with three-quarters of its bezel being very narrow indeed. The stand, too, is interesting as well as functional.
LG 47LM860V: Technical specs
And the specification is most properly described as ‘exhaustive’ – this is a 3D TV that arrives with five pairs of 3D glasses (plus two special pairs for gaming), features a host of smart functions, comes with a pair of remote controls (one of which is Nintendo Wii-style motion-tracker), has integrated wi-fi, and receives TV broadcasts via satellite and Freeview HD tuners.
And, it almost goes without saying, there are more inputs than any user could conceivably need.
In action, the LG makes good on pretty much all of its on-paper promise.
Standard-definition TV, for instance, is given every chance by the 47LM860V – that’s not to say that SD images aren’t coarse, soft and short on detail (they are), but the LG is more tolerant of motion, big areas of uniform colour or complex patterns than some rivals here.
LG 47LM860V: High-definition performance
Still, you can almost hear the TV sigh with relief when we switch to BBC HD and check out some horse-racing from Epsom. It’s a hard test, but the LG remains stable and composed – its colour palette is nicely balanced, it handles all but the harshest motion well and pulls detail from even the darkest scenes.
This, broadly speaking, is true of the pictures the LG upscales from DVD, too.
There’s some softness to the edges of our Miller’s Crossing disc, certainly, a corresponding drop-off in levels of fine detail, and suddenly the screen can be seen working hard to keep movement under control, but in general the 47LM860V does a creditable job.
With Blu-ray, though, the LG needs little justification. Pictures from The Woman In The Fifth are brilliantly natural – colours are beautifully judged, whites tones are bright and clean, and unless rapid motion is combined with complex patterns there’s nothing to criticise in the way the 47LM860V controls movement, either.
We’d like a little more fine detail where skin-tones are concerned, but that’s nitpicking. That’s even the case with streamed content. The best stuff (read: BBC iPlayer) bears comparison Freeview HD images.
LG 47LM860V: Passive 3D tech
LG has long been a champion of passive 3D technology, and there’s no doubt that the 47LM860V (along with its more expensive sibling to the right) is the easiest screen in this test to watch in 3D.
The glasses are light and comfy, and while 3D pictures from Avatar are a little short on detail next to those delivered by the active system favoured by Panasonic, Samsung and Sony, cross-talk or flicker is simply not an issue.
Sound, with crushing inevitability, is far, far less impressive than picture performance.
But even with that caveat, we think the LG 47LM860V is well worth a place on your shortlist.
