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LG LCDs offer Netflix streaming and other broadband goodies

The LH50 series of LCD TVs from LG include an array of broadband content options, including Netflix streaming, Yahoo widgets and YouTube.

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
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The LH50 series of LG LCDs brings beefy broadband. LG

LG and Netflix have already announced that select TVs produced by the Korean electronics company will be the first to stream Netflix's Watch Now video service without the need for an additional set-top box. Today LG fleshed out details on specific models.

The company will put Netflix and a host of other broadband content options into one series of LCD TVs, the LH50 models detailed here, as well as the PS80 series of plasmas. The LH50 series will come in two sizes: the 47-inch 47LH50 and the 42-inch 42LH50. Pricing was not announced at the show, but the LCDs will ship in late spring.

In addition to Netflix streaming, the sets will be able to access YouTube videos, utilize Yahoo widgets--on-screen applications with real-time info like weather, stock tickers, financial news, Yahoo! Video, Flickr images, etc--and connect to a networked PC or USB device via a port on the TV to access photos and music (but not video). They utilize an Ethernet connection for all this broadband content; the company does not offer a specific wireless option, although third-party wireless bridges should work.

Additional features include a 120Hz refresh rate with dejudder processing, four HDMI inputs, and a room lighting sensor to help cut down on power consumption.

Like most LG HDTVs, the LH50 models also boast 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 on-screen test patterns to ease user calibration.

LG LH50 models

  • LG 47LH50 ($TBD)
  • LG 42LH50 ($TBD)

LG LCD and plasma TV photos

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