“While you might argue that the LN5300’s 42-inch screen is a little too big for its 60Hz razors, we still think it offers serious value for money.”
Avg
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Beautiful color
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Sharp, clear picture
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Good black levels
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Attractive, minimalist design
Against
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Motion blur
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Poor sound quality
Information about the LG LN5300 series: This review is based on our hands-on experience with the 42-inch LG 42LN5300 TV. However, our observations apply to both the 32-inch 32LN5300 and the 39-inch 39LN5300. According to LG, the three sets differ only in dimensions and weight and offer identical features and performance.
You may have noticed that there is a huge range of LCD TVs available these days. Many models are similarly priced, and all hide a number of confusing (and sometimes misleading) features behind each model number. In an effort to help you sift through the menagerie of choices, we’ve selected top-brand picks in the $500 or so range, with recent looks at the Samsung UN32EH4003F, Vizio E420i-A0, and Sony Bravia KDL-40R450A.
The next stop in our investigation of the best basement is the LG 42LN5300 (LN5300). A sort of bread-and-butter TV, the 60Hz, 1080p LN5300 doesn’t include extras like a Smart TV interface or 3D, but it does offer a slim design, a 42-inch screen and the familiar LG name for roughly $600. Even in this oversaturated market, that’s a tempting proposition. The question is, how does LG deal with its competition? After a solid week of testing the LN5300 from all angles, here’s what we found.
Out of the box
In this age of lightweight TVs, the LN5300 is a bit heavy for its size. At just over 20 lbs., it feels a lot more substantial than the featherweight Sony 40R450A. Pulling the TV out of the box revealed a relatively thin bezel, outlining a minimalist design. The front is marred only by a small LG logo above a Knight Rider-esque light bar. Like most LED-backlit designs, the LN5300 isn’t ultra-slim, measuring just over 3 inches deep.
Features and design
Many of the TVs we’ve seen at this price point seem to blend together, sporting moderately slim dimensions and the obligatory gloss-black exterior. Still, the LN5300’s compact design has a nice aesthetic and looks good on a stand or wall-mounted.
It doesn’t take long to get around the entry section of the LN5300. On the back panel of the TV we found an HDMI input, a hybrid component/composite connection, a coaxial cable input and a digital optical output (no analog audio outputs, unfortunately). To the left of the screen is a side compartment that houses one USB media input and another HDMI input that also doubles as an MHL input for connecting your smartphone (if you’re into that sort of thing). On the opposite side are the basic TV controls.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
The LN5300 remote offers a few surprises; it’s the same mass of buttons crammed onto a small stick that we’re all used to. However, LG tries to incorporate some thoughtful features. For example, selecting any number key pulls up all channels that have corresponding numbers, and the ‘list’ button displays all available channels on a small menu screen. To access the menu, LG offers a settings button as well as three separate buttons (sound, picture and menu) that all open the same quick menu, almost as if LG is trying to fill the space for symmetry. Still, the buttons are handy for quick adjustments, as each one highlights its specific setting.
To control separate components, the remote has a button called Simplink which is designed to “simply” “link” HDMI connected devices. Unfortunately, Simplink only works with select devices that contain its proprietary technology, making it useless unless you own the appropriate hardware.
After some modest adjustments to backlighting, color, hue, and tint, the image was consistent across all inputs.
Like many of its competitors, LG has also started to stuff some of its more advanced options into lower-end models like the LN5300. One such option is LG’s Real Cinema, a frame replication technique that LG uses in an attempt to eliminate the judder that can occur when using the good old 3:2 dropdown to transfer movie content for television playback. However, we noticed that frame replication smoothed the motion a little too artificially for our liking. So, like most of the LN5300’s digital enhancements, we’ve turned that feature off.
Perhaps one of the LN5300’s more useful features is LG’s Picture Wizard, which helps guide users through basic picture adjustments. We tried the feature and found it to be a decent tool for the uninitiated. However, since the LN5300’s setup options are relatively complicated, we wish Picture Wizard had a little more magic up its sleeve – more on that in a moment.
Set
The LN5300’s picture looked decent right out of the box, but it took a lot of work before things looked consistent across all inputs. As mentioned above, the initial task was to explore and then disable most of the digital tricks that LG adds to its menu of advanced customizations.
First, however, we had to choose a starting point. There are several picture modes available (7 in total), including options such as Standard, Vivid and several “Expert” modes. Ironically, we found the standard mode to be slightly more complicated than the expert modes, containing some real danger zones in the advanced options. Settings like skin tone, grass color, and dynamic contrast can quickly get novice users into trouble. Standard mode also has no preset temperature colors, opting instead for a more complex 100-point warm-cold slider.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
Although Expert Mode has its own Pandora’s Box of advanced options that can be bypassed, it was still much easier to navigate and by default closer to our ideal image setup than the other modes. We also appreciated the ability to apply settings to all inputs. After some modest adjustments to backlighting, color, hue, and tint, the image was consistent across all inputs.
Performance
The LN5300 has one of the more brilliant color gamuts we’ve seen in this price range. Once selected correctly, the TV displayed fantastic color contrast across all media, with vivid outlines, rich greens and reds and accurate skin tones. The picture was sharp, showing fantastic detail, although we noticed some slightly dirty spots when looking at the brightest whites. Additionally, we thoroughly enjoyed the LN5300’s clarity and deep color gamut.
The sharp picture and vivid colors on the TV provide a pleasant viewing experience at a seriously low price.
Unlike some of the other LG TVs we’ve reviewed, we were impressed with the LN5300’s contrast performance, especially considering its price. Viewing our darkest test subjects such as Aliens with the Black Level set to Low, we enjoyed a uniform background with no visible highlights. There was a bit of a blue tint in the deepest black areas, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for an LCD screen and rarely distracted us. We also noticed a slight lack of shadow detail when things got absolutely darkest, but it wasn’t anything that took us away from the set.
Our main concern with the LN5300 came when we ran some of our fastest test scenes. It was immediately clear that the large screen had trouble moving quickly, quickly blurring under the strain of fast camera movement. This shortcoming was especially well highlighted when watching the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. Movement was choppy as we tried to follow the dash camera around the arena, our eyes tired in no time. While motion issues are common to most budget LCDs (especially those with a 60Hz refresh rate), the LN5300 seems to perform worse than many of its peers.
We’ve also developed a love/hate relationship with the TV’s audio performance. Although there are several presets available (Music, Cinema, Standard, etc.), they all exhibited thin, harsh treble and an anemic lower register. We’ve heard worse performers, such as the Samsung 4003, but suffice it to say we weren’t impressed with the output, and were also underwhelmed by the abysmal two-fader EQ. Fortunately, the kit’s digital optical output makes adding even a cheap soundbar easy enough.
Image used with permission of the copyright holder
On the other hand, the device’s virtual surround sound wasn’t too bad. We even experienced a few moments where the sound seemed to come from several meters off-screen. That may seem like a pedestrian feat, but for an entry-level flat board, it’s undeniable. Still, our thesis on audio performance is this: If you value sound highly, you’ll want to buy a soundbar or some other alternative audio solution.
Conclusion
While you might argue that the LN5300’s 42-inch screen is a little too big for its 60Hz razors, we still think it offers serious value for money. The sharp picture and vivid colors on the TV provide a pleasant viewing experience at a seriously low price. Poor audio performance and a tendency to judder gave us pause, and those looking for a broader feature set would do well to consider the aforementioned Vizio E420i Smart TV. That said, we still think LG has struck a good balance between quality and affordability with the LN5300. It is certainly worth considering.
Tall
- Beautiful color
- Sharp, clear picture
- Good black levels
- Attractive, minimalist design
Falls
- Motion blur
- Poor sound quality
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Digital Trends Image Settings |
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The following settings are achieved through a manual tuning process and further adjusted to preferences. As noted in our How We Test TVs article, processing such as noise reduction and dynamic contrast is disabled for picture and testing purposes. They may or may not be re-engaged based on subjective preferences gained from observation during real-world performance scenarios. Although we came up with these settings with a specific size of TV, these settings can be used for any size in this TV series with consistent results. |
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Preferred settings Image mode – Expert 1 Backlight – 65, 60 for complete darkness Contrast – 80 Brightness – 50 H sharpness – 10 V sharpness – 10 Color – 58 Shade – G2 Expert control Dynamic Contrast – Off Color range – standard Edge Enhancer – Off, Gaming – On Color filter – Off Gamma – 2.2 Color temperature – warm 2 Method – 2 points Sample – external Points – high Red – 0 Green – 0 Blue – 0 Color – red Saturation – 0 Shade – 0 Brightness – 0 Image options Noise reduction – low MPEG Noise Reduction – Low Black level – low, component connected Xbox 360 – high Real cinema – off Motion Eye Care – gray |
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn