LG INFINIA 55LE8500 Reviews

Great TV, Has minor issues
by Network10 , 2010-07-29

I've been using this TV for almost one month now. Overall, I'm very pleased with it. There are only three items that I'm less than satisfied with:
(1) Banding in the video. I notice, especially when there is a solid color on the screen, there are what appear to be "bands" of lighter and darker areas. I notice it often now because I look for it even though I try to stop noticing it. This effect is, apparently, due to the local dimming feature. LG didn't quite get this set perfect because of this issue.
(2) The "down" button on the remote control is too close to the "widgets" button. Often my finger slips off the down arrow and onto "widgets", and messes up what I was trying to do with the arrows.
(3) The "favorite channels" button only brings up a menu list of favorite channels, rather than flipping through them. I wish I could press the "favorite" button and have it select the next channel in my favorites lineup for easier surfing. I end up having to use the channel up/down button and surf through channels I don't want to waste time with.

In general, the video on this display is excellent. Great bright areas and dark areas. Great contrast. There are all kinds of video adjustments, which make it possible to change most aspects of the image quality (except the banding issue).

Awesome LED/LCD televsion
by Elizabeth Chase from Cantonment, FL, US, 2010-07-15

LG INFINIA 55LE8500 55-Inch 1080p 240 Hz Full LED Slim LCD HDTV

I took a long time in deciding which television to buy. I have a vizio in the bedroom 32" and it is also a an awesome tv. But for my living room I chose this LG Infinia and am very happy with everything it does. I have yet to find a flaw with it. It was easy to hang on the wall. Not much tweaking to do when it was turned on. Very satisfied....a complete 5 star tv.

Maybe best 2D choice of 2010, but could be better...
by Jamey , 2010-07-15

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.

Excellent TV
by silver lake from Santa Clara, CA, 2010-07-11

I purchased this TV few weeks ago. It is a great TV. Excellent picture quality. I would assume the local LED technology is making the difference. Also it looks great on a wall. You can't go wrong with this TV.

Amazing LCD
by Yarlen , 2010-07-06

I just purchased this set, upgrading from a Samsung DLP, and it is amazing. I did quite a lot of research on the 8500 before taking the plunge and wasn't totally confident of my choice, but now that I've spent several days watching it in action, I'm hooked. The picture quality is absolutely stunning with both HD and SD material, with black levels that are insane. Home Theater magazine wrote that the black levels were excellent but not the absolute best - I'm not sure how much better than could be short of a black hole. The reported blooming around stars in Star Trek was also not present - I was looking for it, but maybe they're just nitpicking like madmen over there.

If you're in the market for a new HDTV and can afford the price, this LG is definitely worth it (if not, just wait - the price seems to be dropping constantly). Looking at it in a Best Buy doesn't do it justice (I spent 30 minutes doing just that). Once you give it blu-ray or decent HD source material to display, it's a total champ.