LG 32LD490 review

LG's new 32-inch TV brings plenty of features without costing the earth

LG 32LD490
The online features of the LG 32LD490 are a bit lacking, but aggresive pricing makes it very tempting indeed

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Good feature count

  • +

    Decent value for the features on offer

  • +

    Bright and colourful pictures

Cons

  • -

    Motion blur

  • -

    Some black level issues

  • -

    Limited viewing angle

  • -

    Weak online service

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LG's winning combination of high feature counts, smart looks and bold pricing has seen it charge up the affordable TV sales charts. The 32LD490 is a perfect example of the South Korean firm's bang/buck philosophy, with a full HD resolution, Freeview HD tuner, USB input with surprisingly extensive multimedia playback support and even access to LG's online NetCast platform.

The sheer scale of LG's current lineup makes it difficult to place this CCFL-lit set in any kind of meaningful context, but if you're after something larger, but similarly value-oriented, there are 42in and 37in versions of this set available. The LD690 series adds 100Hz and more elegant styling to proceedings, while stepping up from there to the LD790 series brings 200Hz processing.

If you'd rather have an edge LED backlight, meanwhile, the equivalent models in LG's range are within the LE4900 series.

John Archer
AV Technology Contributor

John has been writing about home entertainment technology for more than two decades - an especially impressive feat considering he still claims to only be 35 years old (yeah, right). In that time he’s reviewed hundreds if not thousands of TVs, projectors and speakers, and spent frankly far too long sitting by himself in a dark room.