Want a big screen on a budget? This LG TV delivers
Buying a TV can be tricky. Sometimes you want the latest and greatest, with a gorgeous design and a boatload of smart features. Other times? You just want a nice, big screen.
The LG 55LB5900 (MSRP $799.99, online for $599.99) isn't a 4K TV, doesn't connect to the internet, and doesn't have a web browser you'll never use. If you long for the good old days where nobody worried about their TV's IQ, this might be the set for you.
The one thing that the 55LB5900 does have going for it? Its massive, 55-inch panel. It's a trait common to the LB5900 series, which features sets ranging from 47 up to 60 inches, including the 50-inch version we've seen already.
While plenty of TVs offer a large screen, the 55LB5900 does so for far less than we're used to seeing. This is a big-screened behemoth that won't send you to the poor house.
Unlike other inexpensive televisions, the 55LB5900 is actually not half bad to look at either. The screen is framed by a thin, gunmetal gray bezel that puts the TV's picture center stage, and the minimal, two-footed stand design doesn't detract from the mammoth screen.
The only issue to be aware of is that the two feet are spaced quite far apart, requiring a long flat surface; you won't be perching this thing on your cable box anytime soon.
On the back of the LB5900's 55-inch panel is a relatively small cutout that houses the TV's connectivity options: two HDMI ports, shared component/composite video inputs, RS-232C, a USB port, a digital audio output, and a coaxial jack.
Most of these are standard fare, though having just two HDMI inputs on a TV this large is a bit stingy, to say the least. This will get even more cramped if you want to add something like a Chromecast or Roku, leaving you with just a single free HDMI port.
From a performance standpoint, the 55LB5900 is peculiar. In our testing we found that the TV tends to under-saturate red while over-saturating its blues, creating a picture that just doesn't feel right; it's not immediately apparent, but you can certainly tell that things are off.
And although the 55LB5900 gets pretty darn bright, the TV doesn't get very dark. A mediocre black level means a less-detailed picture, and a worse experience when you want to turn the lights off on movie night.
For you sports fans, the 55LB5900's motion performance is passable, if nothing to write home about. Given the TV's size, minor hiccups in motion might be significantly more noticeable, though.
In general, the 55-inch LB5900 is best suited to cable TV, video games, and streaming movies. Cinephiles with carefully tended Blu-ray collections won't be pleased, but you get what you pay for.
As far as alternatives go, the Vizio E550i-B2—the 55-inch version of Vizio's 2014 E Series—can be purchased for around $720. It has a smart platform, but you can add similar functionality for well under $100 with any number of streaming solutions.
Despite some shortcomings, the fact that LG is offering a 55-inch TV that you can find online for a hair under $600 is a victory by itself. If you couple that with the fact that the LB5900's performance isn't a complete disaster, you've got a winning recipe for value. How much value that recipe yields, however, is entirely up to you.
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