LG 42LH5000 vs. Samsung LE40B651

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

I'm looking into buying my very first flatscreen tv for my new apartment - after reading the last issue of what hi-fi I had decided on the LH5000. I went into Currys to have a look at it in action - I was very impressed at how punchy the picture was but dissapointed that it was a bit juttery - for example on the harry potter order of the pheonix Blu Ray near the start there is a scene where a boy goes round on a round about and jumps off - on the LG the picture wasn't very smooth. The guy in the shop then directed me to the Samsung LE40B651 (same as the 650 model). The picture didn't seem as punchy but the movement was pretty flawless, and a lot better than the LG! I must say at this stage that the guy did use different blu ray players on each model - so I'm not sure whether the juttery movement on the LG could have been due to a really poor Blu ray player???

Anyway, now I am very confused and would like some advice! Any suggestions as to which model would be better to go for??

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Anonymous]

Samsung LE40B651

 

[Anonymous]

thanks maxflinn - any major reasons??

cheers,

C

 

[Anonymous]

theres no indication that lgs tvs are up there with the best yet , they are consistently beaten by samsungs sonys panasonics etc in tests and reviews , they are getteing better , but so are the rest , there are some great deals out there for tvs at the moment , panny 42g10 , sony 40w5500 , samsung 40b650 all for less than £800 , unless you can get the lg for a good bit less id stay with the well known tried and trusted brands for now , thats just my opinion , others may differ ..

 

[Oldboy]

Hi Chris,

I have been in your position for about 2-3months and i too was looking at the LG set but in the end i took delivery of the Samsung LE40B650 last week and i've got to say that i'm so happy i chose the Samsung over the LG. If it wasn't for the What Hi-Fi review i doubt i would even have considered a set from LG as i've not been too impressed with any set i've seen from them but the LH5000 is a good set and at the end of the day 2 inches bigger! I can confirm the Samsung is impressive with motion and black levels and the contrast is also brilliant....i have just 2 minor complaints about the TV, with standard def the picture is not the best but still engaging and always watchable and the screen itself is quite glossy (infact it looks like a plasma screen finish) making watching in daylight conditions tricky with some reflection on the screen.

These are really minor quibbles i must admit and the pay off is that throw high def at the Samsung at every opportunity and you see the rewards on screen with brilliant depth and detail creating an almost 3D look with bluray! Black levels are as inky as you can get on an LCD and of course it's full HD. I looked at EVERY TV at this price point when deciding on my set and auditioned the Sony sets in this price point too, i advise staying away unless you can get one that you can return if you are unhappy for ANY reason. The problem with the new Sony range having clouding/backlight issues is well documented not only in What Hi-Fi but on these very forums....shame as i would have bought a Sony as it wasn't for that issue.

Hope that helps!