LG 47LV4400 LED TV Review

Introduction

For about $1000, you are getting a no-frills television with a fairly unimpressive appearance. The next logical step would be to assume that, considering all the things you aren’t getting from the 47LV4400, it must have good basic performance features, and that is where you’d be (unfortunately) wrong.

So you aren’t getting a flashy appearance, any fancy extras, a lot of connection options, or good color performance. And you know what you probably also won’t be getting? This TV.

Design

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This TV features a design that's either half full or completely boring.

The LG 47LV4400 features a lot of the smarter design ideas that HDTV manufacturers have developed over the years. We always hope to see at least a little bit of swivel allowed from a TV’s stand, especially with a panel as large as 47 inches, and in this arena the LG does not disappoint.

Another thing we tend to look for in overall design is aesthetic longevity. From a consumer standpoint, one of the most exciting things about purchasing a new (or gently loved) television is the finished, assembled product beaming out diode-rays across the recreational space of your choosing. While super-thin bezels can be appealing, they can also lead to constant unsightly smudges and fingerprints unless you're very careful.

You’ll be happy to know the 47LV4400 does not risk this problem with bezel or stand innovations, so where it may not be incredibly stylish or original, it’s still aesthetically pleasing while staying safely within the realm of the done-before (read: it’s pretty boring, really).

The side ports consist of two HDMI inputs (two of three total) and a USB 2.0 port for photos only. The back ports are settled in a recessed area on the back left-hand side of the TV, near the on-set controls. They consist of an RF in (Cable/Antenna), a third HDMI input, an AV/Component video input, optical audio out, analog audio out, and an RGB (VGA) PC input.

{{photo_gallery "Design Landing Page Photo", "Front Tour Image", "Back Tour Image", "Sides Tour Image", "Connectivity Tour Image 1", "Connectivity Tour Image 2", "Connectivity Extra Photo", "Stand Photo", "Controls Photo", "Remote Control Photo"}}

Smart TV Features

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This model doesn’t have a lot of internet features… and by that we mean it has no internet features.

Users won’t enjoy the extra options of app hubs or smart features, but on the other hand, they won’t go through the potential hassle of setting them up. With that said, the menus and options that the 47LV4400 does have are pretty good. The Home Menu (as LG calls their main menu) is easy to use and fairly intuitive, featuring a number of customization options.

Within the Home Menu, users will find tabs for Channel, Picture, Audio, Time, Option, Lock, Input, and My Media. Most of these are fairly self-explanatory. The best innovation we found within the realm of menu/interface systems was the 47LG4400’s Quick Menu, which is an amalgamation of the most common aspects of the Home Menu (Aspect Ratio, Backlight, Picture Mode, Sound Mode, etc.) that users can quickly alter and customize. The small size of the Quick Menu makes it very easy to see or hear what effects your setting changes are having on content in real time.

{{photo_gallery "Software and Internet Landing Page Photo", "Internet Features 1 Photo", "Internet Features 2 Photo", "Internet Features 3 Photo", "Browser 1 Photo", "Browser 2 Photo", "Browser 3 Photo", "Apps 1 Photo", "Apps 2 Photo", "Apps 3 Photo", "Local Media Playback 1 Photo", "Local Media Playback 2 Photo", "Menu Main Photo", "Menu 2 Photo"}}

Picture Quality

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The LG 47LV4400 is an entry-level HDTV to be sure, but you’re still paying a grand.

Even with its limited connectivity and lack of extra features like internet, music/video playback, etc., the one thing you would expect from the LV4400 is a no-frills TV with good performance. But the votes are in and unfortunately it appears that you're actually getting a no-frills TV with very serious color accuracy and color temperature issues.

Conclusion

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We went into testing of the LG 47LV4400 with high hopes.

LG has its ups and downs, but for the most part they are a reliable manufacturer that makes quality televisions. Where some users might find the limited connectivity and bare bones features of the LV4400 series to be a drawback, there is something appealing about a TV that does what it needs to in terms of simple set-up and maintenance, has easy to navigate menus, and—most importantly—delivers good picture performance.

The bottom line is, you can get a VIZIO of the same size for $350 less that gives you the same amount of options on top of good color accuracy, so why would any consumer pay $999 for the 47LV4400?

The answer, of course, should be superior color accuracy, but that was not the case. Unfortunately, the LG 47LV4400’s color accuracy is just too terrible to ignore and we can’t recommend that anyone invest in this TV, no matter your motivations.

Science Introduction

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The LG 47LV4400 tested with lackluster color detail and a contrast ratio that was only slightly above average. It suffered primarily from massive color temperature problems, but its curves were also choppy and uneven. Its color gamut, while not terrible, was certainly flawed. Combine these things and you end up with a TV that's definitely worse than the average mid-range LCD, even worse than a number of entry-level models.

Color Temperature

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The LV4400 tested with color temperature deviation that was—literally—off the charts.

Color temperature is very important to a TV's display prowess. It doesn't determine the colors at hand, but the light that those colors are imbued with. The light should be white and undetectable from a color perspective, only as a way to transmit colors to your eyes. When the light's temperature it off, it takes on either an orange- or blue-tinted quality that clashes with whatever the color is meant to be.

For that reason, the LV4400's color detail was skewered by its horrible color temperature results. Our tests revealed massive visible color temperature error skirting three- or four-thousand degrees off of what it should have been, ranging into hyper-cool territory like it was a member of the Night's Watch. More on how we test color performance.

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Color Curves

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The LV4400's curves ramped up much too quickly, losing massive detail from the middle to high-end.

Color and grey curves are a visual representation of how well a TV handles the spectrum of colors it can, or should be able, to produce. Ideally, we want to see the curves moving evenly (as in, not all inhabiting their own space) and describing an even circle. One might say that a circle is made up of a massive amount of tiny flat lines and each of those lines within the color and grey curves represents a single color, giving it the same credence and "length" of support as the color before and after it.

The problem with the LV4400's color curves is not that they are bumpy—though this isn't ideal—it's that they peak too quickly and ramp along through the brightest side of the input spectrum. Any part of any line that isn't moving somewhat diagonally means a lack of light differentiation between one hue or shade and the next. In short, the LV4400's top 20% of colors/greys are all going to be the same. More on how we test color performance.

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Other Tests

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