Flagship LG sails with LED, 240Hz and wireless
The top-of-the-line LG 55LHX includes LED backlighting, a 240Hz refresh rate, and wireless reception of video signals.
In the features arms race among HDTVs introduced at CES this year, the military-industrial complex at LG seems poised for victory with the 55LHX.
The company's flagship HDTV, a 55-inch flat-panel LCD, delivers more bullet-point features than you'd care to remember. The parade begins with an LED backlight with local dimming for improved black level performance. If previous models from other makers, like the
Next up is a 240Hz refresh rate, a feature that sounds twice as impressive as 120Hz but won't provide anywhere near the same level of picture improvement as LED--if our review of the 240Hz Sony
That's all well and good, but the kicker is wireless capability. The 55LHX ships with a base station, into which you plug your gear. The station in turn transmits those video signals to the panel itself, so all you need to plug into the TV is the power cord. The transmission method utilizes a proprietary 60Ghz radio and multielement antenna array, and the company says it's capable of uncompressed delivery of full 1080p video.
Want more? The 55LHX joins the ranks of slim TVs making the CES rounds this year, offering a cabinet depth of 0.9 inches thick. Like most LG HDTVs, it also includes extensive picture controls, including the same 10-point IRE system and full color management controls we liked on the company's 2008 models. A new "picture wizard" is available as well, which employs a series of onscreen test patterns to ease user calibration. LG points out the power saving capabilities of LED technology, and the 55LHX also offers a "smart" room lighting sensor that also helps improve efficiency and automatically adjust the picture.
Pricing, as usual, was not disclosed, but we feel safe speculating that it won't be cheap. The 55LHX will be available in March.