LG 37LY95 review

Not many TVs are deserving of the words ‘iconic’ or ‘handsome’ but LG’s 37LY95 is certainly worthy of such praise. It’s discreet and glossily finished, and even manages to get the attention of spec addicts with the promise of Full HD resolution, twin HDMI ports and a built-in digital tuner.

A solid CV and an attractive face are a good start for any gadget but this LG needs to perform to earn our stamp of approval. Unfortunately, this is where the 37LY95 begins to falter.

Motion sickness

There’s no doubt that when fed 1080p images from an HD-DVD or Blu-ray player, the 37LY95 delivers sumptuous pictures. Colours are beautifully natural with great contrast, impressive dark-scene definition and whites so bright even Daz would be proud. Edges are always composed, too.

Where the LG trips up, though, is tracking motion – its inability to cope with the HD source’s 24 frames-per-second rate is manifested in jerky movement that just can’t be ignored.

Caught by the fuzz

Broadcast TV is a mixed bag as well. Motion is tracked with much more conviction than through the digital tuner, but other areas of performance fall away quite badly.

There’s still plenty of detail in black shades, and the colour palette stays neutral and believable, but most images play host to picture noise of varying severity and edges are fuzzy.

We don’t expect too much from flatscreens when it comes to sound, and this LG set is just as underwhelming as expected. Despite its gamut of audio technology, it’s sibilant, thin and harsh.

It just goes to prove that an up-to-the-minute specification is no guarantee of up-to-the-minute performance. The LG might have the on-paper specs, but it’s a let-down in action.