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LG's best LCD gets LED backlight

LG bows an LCD HDTV with an LED-powered backlight at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
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David Katzmaier
47LG75 LED-backlit LCD
LG75 LED-backlit LCD LG

Today LG announced a total of eight (!) series of LCD televisions for 2008, all of which include the letters "LG" in the model number. The flagship model, the 47-inch 47LG75, is the company's first to include an LED-powered backlight. Samsung was the first large-screen LCD maker to mass-produce LED backlights with its LN-T81F series, of which we reviewed the 46-inch LN-T4681F, and in that model we really liked the improved contrast ratio caused by the LEDs' ability to turn off, and so produce a darker shade of black. The LG75 promises similar technology, and a similar six-figure contrast ratio spec, offering 128 separate diodes that can be "locally dimmed" (dimmed independently from one another) -- for the record, Samsung did not disclose the number of LEDs in its 81F series models. The LG75 also sports 120Hz technology and a host of other improvements, including an ISF mode that has a user-accessible color temperature adjustment with 10 separate grayscale points, which should help calibrators improve color accuracy.

LG did not announce pricing or availability on the 47LG75.

47LG75 key features (unfiltered, direct from the press release)
  • 1,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
  • TruMotion 120Hz technology
  • Invisible Speaker System
  • Intelligent Sensor for automatic optimization of brightness and color
  • 24p TruCinema
  • ISFccc Calibration Ready
  • Four HDMI with 1.3 Deep Color