LG 42LG6000 42" HDTV-Ready LCD TV

UPDATE:  This great TV is not sellilng $1090 on the floor at Best Buy and they will negotiate down to $999!

We have owned this HDTV since June 2008, shortly after it came out as LG’s top of the line model series.  It has been well worth the higher cost paid.  This 42-inch model was about the mid-size for the Scarlet line.

Thin Design Supports Close to Wall Mounting:  Early in 2008, the LG Scarlet line came out touted as one of the thinnest LCD HDTVs available with a thickness not exceeding 1.75 inches on average with the unit being thinner at the top and thickest at the bottom.

At first we primarily decided to buy it over others for this thin feature since we have been disappointed with how far out from the wall a wall mounting can be.  In our case, with a relatively smaller master bedroom, every inch closer to the wall was important to us, since we didn’t want a TV protruding into our living space.  The 42LG60 fully delivered helping us cut about 2-inches of total distance from the wall.  However, we since learned that in owning this TV you get far more than just a thinner construction.
If you choose to use the supplied stand, it is solid, sturdy, wide and large, and heavy; it appears to be ample to keep this large TV stable on a stand.

Unique Out-of-the-Box Sound Quality:  This HDTV has a unique sound delivery design where the sound exits along the outer side edges, rather than directly from the front with the speakers or the sound exit points invisible; there are no speaker grilles or holes on the front.  The peakers and the sound exit points are at the bottom edge which also is the thickest part of the unit. 

While I have read some reviews saying that the design does not live up to all of its claimed excellence, but for us, it simply is the best sound we’ve heard from a TV without going through all of the trouble to hook up an external speaker system.  We have been able to turn the volume to its maximum settings (way too much for a bedroom) with no distortion, no rattle, and no buzz; any other TV we’ve ever tried this with distorts way before reaching maximum volume.  This also is the first TV we’ve owned where the sound increases that typically come with commercials don’t happen; many other TVs claim to have special sound controls, but they’ve never worked as claimed.  This TV’s sound design works, we’ve never had to lower it when commercials come on.

Picture Quality that Makes You Feel Like You are Right in the Room:  We currently own two other HDTVs, one a 32-inch LCD and a 56-inch rear projection HDTV.  The 32 inch is a lower cost model that offers a good picture and the 56 inch, a top of the line.  I can’t recite or explain all of the technical reasons why it is so, but the bottom line is that this 42 inch LG Scarlet HDTV delivers the best picture quality we have seen anywhere, period.  To the best of my understanding, it has one of the fastest refresh rates available for an LCD HDTV.  When changing between scenes, the images go to full black; you see real deep black, not the fuzzy, greenish-grey “black” that comes up on lesser quality designs.  Fast action scenes shows no blur, and whether it’s an outdoor or indoor action scene, the clarity is like being there.

Other Design Considerations:  LG designed this TV with the rear half being scarlet red, and with a large circular on-off indicator (about 3-inch diameter) at the lower center of the unit running clear through from front to back; when the TV is off, the circle glows red, projecting a faint red color to the rear wall.  When the TV is on the circle goes to a faint transparent white.  Reviews have criticized this design, but we like it.

Set Up:  This model has out-of-the box easy set up.  I did nothing but plug in the power and one HDMI cable from our FiOs cable TV box to the TV.  That was it.  No tuning, no color adjustment, nothing.  Upon first start up the TV walks you through some clearly explained on-screen choices, but that was it.  Since then, problem free use.

The design also has a narrow benzel around the picture top and sides but a very wide benzel across the lower portion of the unit.  This is a unique difference that we like, but you should make sure you like it since it makes the TV much taller than a 42-inch unit might otherwise be.  The salesperson explained that the bottom mounted speakers use this wider benzel at the bottom to enhance sound quality and projection.  

Since buying our model, LG appears to have revised the design to eliminate this circular on-off indicator, and also has changed from the entire rear of the TV being scarlet, to only a strip around the outer perimeter.  Assuming that you can find on of these original models for sale, and the prices have come down significantly, you won’t be disappointed.