TechRadar Verdict
Pros
- +
Slender and pretty
- +
Cheap for an edge LED model
- +
Lots of features and connections
- +
HD pictures can look decent
Cons
- -
An indifferent black level response
- -
Backlight inconsistency
- -
Poor online service
- -
Motion blur and colour issues with standard-def
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One day all LCD TVs will have LED backlights. LG's 37LE5900 is an edge-lit set that that costs just £700, proving that the technology is getting cheaper by the day and hastening the inevitable demise of creaky old CCFL.
That aggressive price isn't only attraction; there is an amazing set of features crammed somehow into that breathtakingly slinky chassis, including a Freeview HD tuner, 100Hz processing and, most startlingly, access to the Korean firm's NetCast web platform.
Despite its impressive feature list, the 37LE5900 sits in the middle of the current LG pecking order for LED sets. Right above it is the LE7900 series, which introduces controllable, locally dimmed backlights and single-layer chassis designs. Step up again and you get to the LX6900 series with its 200Hz processing and 3D playback.
Moving below the LE5900 series, your first stop is the LE5300s, which ditch the online capability. Down again and you get to 100Hz-free LE4900 series, while the LE3300 sets sit right at the bottom of the LED lineup with their smaller screen sizes, reduced features and more limited connectivity.
LG also does, of course, an extensive range of direct (full) LED TVs – most notably the LX9900 3D range and LE8900 non-3D range – and traditional CCFL screens, including the 3D 47LD950.
