Features

We expect TVs like the LG 42 LH 7000 to justify their price with varied connectivity and multimedia extras, as well as by doubling up as a PC monitor. In this section of our test report on the LG 42 LH 7000, you'll discover what this TV does well and where its shortcomings lie.

Connections:

Among the LG's extensive list of connections, the four HDMI sockets earn special mention. The TV renders its best picture over this fully digital video and audio interface. You'll find this connection on all modern DVD players/DVD recorders, and now also on many satellite-TV receivers (set-top boxes) and PCs. The LG misses out on true perfection, however, since it lacks a cinch connection (line out) for easily outputting audio to a stereo or home-theater system.

There's no side-mounted connections panel in the proper sense of the term, but all of the connections except HDMI are close to the edge of the TV, making them more easily accessible. You can find a complete list of the LG 42 LH 7000's connections in the full specifications.

Reception:
The LG's built-in tuner receives cable and terrestrial analog TV as well as digital terrestrial TV (DVB-T).

Teletext:
In the few places that use the system, the TV can display modern Level 2.5 Teletext (HiText). With a larger color palette (16 instead of eight) and finer pixel sizes for graphics, the new Level 2.5 pages look clearer and more modern than the traditional standard.

What you can't tell from this screenshot is that the backlight is always at full brightness during Teletext display - this is blinding in the evenings. 

Photo, Video, and MP3 Playback:

The LG allows playback of multimedia files via its USB socket. The integrated media player accepts videos (DivX), photos (JPEG), and music files (MP3). Once you've had a little practice, the media player is easy to operate, but the large number of options spread across the whole screen can be confusing.

We pay special attention to photo playback, since the age of the digital camera means TVs are replacing slide projectors for post-holiday slideshows. Unfortunately the LG's picture quality falls short of top notch. On first glance, the photos look bright, vivid, and crisp. But if you look closer, it's clear that fine detail doesn't display optimally. You can't improve the picture quality, since the LG's numerous picture settings do not relate to photos. Many modern TVs display photos better - recent Sony models, such as the KDL-52 V 5500, have shown some particularly impressive results.

MP3 playback isn't up to much, thanks to the poor loudspeaker quality (see Sound Quality section). DivX playback works as the manufacturer describes, but we didn't examine this feature in depth.

PC Monitor Usage:

The LG is essentially a decent PC monitor. Web-pages are clearly visible, even in bright daylight, the picture is flicker-free, and because the TV uses LCD technology, the screen proves to be immune to burn-in effects.

If you input a picture in the TV's native resolution (1,920 x 1,080 pixels / 60p) via HDMI, the LG displays an accurate PC picture with precise pixel-for-pixel reproduction; other resolutions give less-accurate results. With our graphics card, the picture distorted via the VGA input - the manual insists, however, that full HD will also work here.

Bluetooth:

LG is taking a leading role in integrating Bluetooth into the TV world. Bluetooth is a transmission format effective for exchanging data over distances of a few meters - for example, between PCs and mobile phones - via a direct radio connection.

It's fair to ask, then, what this can offer in TVs. Well, two things: Firstly, you can use your mobile phone's Bluetooth headset as a wireless TV headphone, giving you more freedom to move around. Secondly, you can transmit videos and photos stored on you mobile phone to the LG via Bluetooth. This type of connection is, you'll be pleased to hear, free from operator charges.