Tour & Design

The 55LH85 has a similar look to LG's 55LH90—it has a glossy, black frame that thins out to provide a clear frame around the edge of the panel. A rounded bubble is located on the lower right of the TV and a small column of on-TV control labels rest on the right side of the TV frame.

The front of the 55LH85

**Back**

Since the 55LH85 was mounted to a wall when we got the chance to photograph it, we were unable to get a useful shot of its back side. Incidentaly, the TV really doesn't have much going on back there—the only port is a lonely HDMI input along with the TV's power connector.

**Sides**

The right side of the 55LH85 houses the on-TV controls. Channel up, channel down, volume up, volume down, enter, menu, input, and power all live in a row. The buttons are slightly different than some of LG's other models, but they function the same.

The right side of the television hosts the on-TV controls.

 

**Stand/Mount**

The 55LH85 we took a look at was mounted on a wall, so we didn't get to check out what the stand looks like. The wireless capability of the television does make it an appealing product to mount, as all those annoying cables don't have to run up the sides of the wall.

**Aesthetics**

Let's be clear—the 55LH85 looks splendid when mounted on a wall. The lack of unsightly cables creates an impressive aesthetic and truly enhances the look of the product. Other than this, however, the 55LH85 didn't show us anything that sets it apart from the rest of LG's HDTV crowd.

Performance Features

Display Size & Technology

The 55LH85 has a 55-inch LCD screen, but the LH85 series also comes in a 47-inch model. It also uses the same wireless media box as the LG 55LHX.

The LH85 series comes in 55-inch and 47-inch LCD screen sizes.

Format & Resolution

The 55LH85 supports 1080p format and the wireless media box is capapble of transmitting full HD 1080p in uncompressed format. The maximum resolution of the TV is likely 1920 x 1080 (as it supports the 1080p format). The television has a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Brightness, Blacks & Contrast Ratio

The 55LH85 doesn't have LED backlighting, which is featured on the 55LHX and 55LH90 as well as some of LG's plasma HDTV models. Unfortunately, it was difficult to get a good idea of how much the absence of LED backlighting affected the overall image. The TV we looked at on the floor at CES was attached to a stationary HD camcorder, thus there wasn't much footage to watch and analyze. Also, LG has not released any specs about the contrast ratio on the 55LH85.

Refresh Rate & Motion

The 55LH85 has a refresh rate of 120Hz. This is something of a standard for HDTVs this year, although it was the big thing last year. Higher end models unveiled at CES this year from LG have refresh rates of 240Hz (LG's 55LHX and 55LH90). Again, it was difficult to get a good reading of how well the 55LH85 handled motion, as the footage displayed on the TV was all coming from a stationary HD camcorder that was filming people that passed by the booth.

The 55LH85 offers a 24p Real Cinema mode, which is found on most LG models released this year. The mode attempts to create a cinematic look by simulating a 24 frames per second mode (the speed film is shot at).

Viewing Angle

Colors on the 55LH85 looked a bit washed at 45-degree angles and the image definitely didn't hold up as well as the LG 55LHX or 55LH90. This could have been due to the fact that the display footage was coming from an HD camcorder  rather than a Blu-ray DVD. The color problem increased significantly when viewed at even smaller angles.

Color

We weren't able to ascertain how well the 55LH85 handled color, we'll have to get it into our lab to figure that out.

Connectivity & Media

Audio & Video Ports

The LG 55LH85 features the same port setup as the 55LHX, which is to say the bulk of the ports are found on the provided wireless media box. The television itself has one HDMI input as well as a power input on its back side. The media box, however, houses all the standard inputs and outputs, including an easy-to-access HDMI and USB port on its front. On the back of the box are two Component Video inputs (each with audio), two Composite Video inputs (also both accompanied by audio), three HDMI inputs, one HDMI output, a PCI input for connecting a computer, a 3.5mm audio input, a Digital audio output, and an Antenna input that can receive both Analog and Digital signal. The LG 55LHX uses the same media box as the 55LH85.

Most of the ports are on the back side of the wireless media box.

A USB port and an HDMI input are conveneiently located on the front of the media box.

**Media & Other Connectivity
Since the 55LH85 doesn't have too many spec improvements over last year's models, its wireless transmission media box is its main draw. The media box utilizes a 60 GH frequency to transmit uncompressed HD 1080p signal to the television and can function at a range of up to 30 feet. According to LG the system results in no loss of quality and no interference. This means the 55LH85 can be mounted on a wall without ugly cables running back down to peripheral media devices (like DVD players and gaming systems).  The television isn't completely wireless, of course, as its power cable must still be plugged into an outlet.
**

**The media box for the 55LH85 also has a USB port. The television has built in software that enables digital music or images to be played or viewed from a device connected via the USB port. The media box will ship with the 55LH85 at no extra cost (as the TV would be rather port-less without it). It is uncertain, as of now, whether or not the media box will ever be available for purchase on its own. The 55LH85 does not offer NetCast or any internet video streaming—a feature found on some of LG's other new HDTV models.
**

**Placement
Since the wireless media box is designed to make connecting devices to the television easier, it should come as no surprise that the 55LH85 does quite well with port placement. The box is small and easily mobile—something that cannot be said about a 55-inch television. Connecting a DVD player, camcorder, or gaming system to the box is a cinch. Unfortunately, we couldn't test the system ourselves, so we don't know how quickly the television wirelessly recognizes a new device (or if the entire system works without flaws).
**

Audio

No specific audio specs were provided by LG for the 55LH85. All new LG models do come with Invisible Speakers and Clear Voice II, both of which aren't revolutionary features. Invisible Speakers is simply LG hiding the speakers inside the TV frame as to not disturb the finished look of the product's surface. Clear Voice II is an automatic dialogue enhancer that can be customized by the user.

Controls, Menu & Remote

Remote

We didn't get to take a look at the remote control for the 55LH85, but we'll have an entire section on the remote once we get the television into our testing labs.

Controls

The television's controls are located on the right side of the set, in a column. The controls also have white labels around the corner on the front side of the TV. This dual labeling may confuse people at first (the white labels on the front look like they are buttons themselves), but too much labeling usually isn't a bad thing—especially since it doesn't really hurt the TV's aesthetic. The buttons on the right side are round and small and have a good feel to them.

The on-TV controls are located on the right side of the television.

Menu

LG didn't show us the menu on the 55LH85 so we can't report anything on that front. We did get a good look at the menu setup on the 42LH50, however, so check out that review to get an idea of what LG is going for this year as far as menus are concerned.

Conclusion

For people who are intrigued by the wireless media box technology and aren't very interested in increased refresh rates or LED backlighting (or paying the premium these features will likely cost), the LG 55LH85 is a strong television. It is very similar to the 55LHX, although it is a far more bare-bones model (both utilize the wireless media box). The TV isn't the thinnest or sleekest set in LG's lineup this year, but it has a unique wireless technology that may be an industry-changer. We're getting a bit ahead of ourselves, however, as we haven't even gotten a chance to test out the wireless media box system for ourselves. We won't be able to for a while, either, as LG is still working out the kinks with the technology. There is no set release date or price range for the LH85 series, although LG says the product should be out later this year.