LG 47LD950 3D LCD TV
Many people just don’t want to wear 3D glasses at all, and even those who don’t mind them object to paying £100, or more, for active 3D glasses.
But LG’s 47LD950 proposes a clever solution: you do still have to wear glasses to watch 3D, but these can be the ultra cheap ones given away at the cinema, there by making group viewing sessions affordable. LG even gives you four plastic-rimmed 3D glasses for free with the TV.
The screen can do this because unlike LG’s flagship 55LX990 0 we tested recently, it uses passive(offset) 3D technology rather than the active shutter/alternate frame 3D technology that’s currently flavour of the month, inevitably, there’s a trade-off to the convenience and cost-saving aspect of passive 3D technology. For, when you’ve got two images appearing simultaneously side-by-side, as happens with passive 3D technology, you lose Image resolution compared with TVs that show Full HD left eye/right
eye frames sequentially.
The 47LD950 is a standard CCFL LCD TV, and it’s a sizeable beast that has a considerable chunk of glossy bezel extending out beyond its edges. But it’s not unattractive, its connections initially look spot on. However, closer examination reveals no Ethernet port, which means no online functions and no DLNA PC support. Amazingly, there’s no Freeview HD tuner, either.
The 47LD950′s passive 3D approach is best summed up as ‘interesting’. With Sky’s 3D channel, which itself uses a side-by-side system, it’s startlingly good. Pictures don’t look any less detailed than on active 30 sets, and they feel more natural and less tiring, thanks to the absence of alternate frame’s inherent ‘flicker’ and crosstalk ghosting noise.
In fact, since the 47LD950 also doesn’t reduce the brightness and colour dynamism as much as active 3D technology. I’d say it’s my favourite LCD/LED-based Sky 3D performer yet. Shame,then, that it all goes pear-shaped with Blu-ray 3D. The set struggles to resolve both depth and motion convincingly with Full HD Active 3D sources. The effect is of an image divided in two, with either the foreground clearly in focus while the back focal plane looks unclear and disconnected, or vice versa.
You can choose whether to have foreground or background clarity by opting for the set’s left/right or right/left 3D option. But, unfortunately, neither consistently satisfies, meaning 3D Blu-ray images are almost unwatchable and leave you feeling fatigued within minutes.
This is a real shame, as the set’s rich colours, bright output and lack of flickering and cross talk otherwise make for a reasonably compelling 3D Blu-ray proposition, despite a lack of resolution versus active 3D sets.
Consumer bypass
As a standard 2D set, the 47LD950 is good, with superior HD detailing, bold colours and pleasing motion handling. However. it’s also a rather uninspiring standard-def upscaler, with average black levels and flat audio. More important, though, is the absence of an HD tuner or net TV functionality. These have quickly become staples of the flat-screen market, and it’s almost impossible to recommend any TV that eschews them. In fact, the LD950 very much feels like a TV built for pubs, rather than peoples’ homes. Which, of course, it originally was…
Specification Details
- Full HD YES, 1080p/24
- Tuners YES Freeview and analogue
- Component video YES 1 input (rear)
- HDMI/DVI YES 4 v1.4 HDMI Inputs (one side)
- PC input YES 1D-Sub
- Resolution 1,920 x 1,080
- Sound 2 x 10W
- Brightness: 500cd/m²
- Contrast ratio 150,000:1
- Dimensions (off stand) 1173(w) x 723(h) x 101(d)mm
- Weight: 20.8kg
Features: 200Hz; DIvX HD video playback; JPEG photo Playback; MP3 playback; gamma adjustment; passive 3Doutput; degree of colour management; various 3D Platforms supported; Picture Wizard; Energy Saving mode; multiple AV presets; noise/digital noise reduction; black level adjustment; left/tight field switching for 3D
(+) Minimal crosstalk, natural Sky3D Image, good HD performer
(-) Depth and motion blur issues with Blu-ray 3D, a bit expensive, average audio
Price £2,500
Many people just don’t want to wear 3D glasses at all, and even those who don’t mind them object to paying £100, or more, for active 3D glasses.
But LG’s 47LD950 proposes a clever solution: you do still have to wear glasses to watch 3D, but these can be the ultra cheap ones given away at the cinema, there by making group viewing sessions affordable. LG even gives you four plastic-rimmed 3D glasses for free with the TV.
The screen can do this because unlike LG’s flagship 55LX990 0 we tested recently, it uses passive(offset) 3D technology rather than the active shutter/alternate frame 3D technology that’s currently flavour of the month, inevitably, there’s a trade-off to the convenience and cost-saving aspect of passive 3D technology. For, when you’ve got two images appearing simultaneously side-by-side, as happens with passive 3D technology, you lose Image resolution compared with TVs that show Full HD left eye/right
eye frames sequentially.
The 47LD950 is a standard CCFL LCD TV, and it’s a sizeable beast that has a considerable chunk of glossy bezel extending out beyond its edges. But it’s not unattractive, its connections initially look spot on. However, closer examination reveals no Ethernet port, which means no online functions and no DLNA PC support. Amazingly, there’s no Freeview HD tuner, either.
The 47LD950′s passive 3D approach is best summed up as ‘interesting’. With Sky’s 3D channel, which itself uses a side-by-side system, it’s startlingly good. Pictures don’t look any less detailed than on active 30 sets, and they feel more natural and less tiring, thanks to the absence of alternate frame’s inherent ‘flicker’ and crosstalk ghosting noise.
In fact, since the 47LD950 also doesn’t reduce the brightness and colour dynamism as much as active 3D technology. I’d say it’s my favourite LCD/LED-based Sky 3D performer yet. Shame,then, that it all goes pear-shaped with Blu-ray 3D. The set struggles to resolve both depth and motion convincingly with Full HD Active 3D sources. The effect is of an image divided in two, with either the foreground clearly in focus while the back focal plane looks unclear and disconnected, or vice versa.
You can choose whether to have foreground or background clarity by opting for the set’s left/right or right/left 3D option. But, unfortunately, neither consistently satisfies, meaning 3D Blu-ray images are almost unwatchable and leave you feeling fatigued within minutes.
This is a real shame, as the set’s rich colours, bright output and lack of flickering and cross talk otherwise make for a reasonably compelling 3D Blu-ray proposition, despite a lack of resolution versus active 3D sets.
Consumer bypass
As a standard 2D set, the 47LD950 is good, with superior HD detailing, bold colours and pleasing motion handling. However. it’s also a rather uninspiring standard-def upscaler, with average black levels and flat audio. More important, though, is the absence of an HD tuner or net TV functionality. These have quickly become staples of the flat-screen market, and it’s almost impossible to recommend any TV that eschews them. In fact, the LD950 very much feels like a TV built for pubs, rather than peoples’ homes. Which, of course, it originally was…
Specification Details
- Full HD YES, 1080p/24
- Tuners YES Freeview and analogue
- Component video YES 1 input (rear)
- HDMI/DVI YES 4 v1.4 HDMI Inputs (one side)
- PC input YES 1D-Sub
- Resolution 1,920 x 1,080
- Sound 2 x 10W
- Brightness: 500cd/m²
- Contrast ratio 150,000:1
- Dimensions (off stand) 1173(w) x 723(h) x 101(d)mm
- Weight: 20.8kg
Features: 200Hz; DIvX HD video playback; JPEG photo Playback; MP3 playback; gamma adjustment; passive 3Doutput; degree of colour management; various 3D Platforms supported; Picture Wizard; Energy Saving mode; multiple AV presets; noise/digital noise reduction; black level adjustment; left/tight field switching for 3D
(+) Minimal crosstalk, natural Sky3D Image, good HD performer
(-) Depth and motion blur issues with Blu-ray 3D, a bit expensive, average audio
Price £2,500
