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The 42LE4900 is a great-looking TV set, boasting super-slim dimensions (thanks to its edge LED backlight) and a fetching gloss-black bezel. And at this price, the feature list is equally attractive, including modern-day frills like DLNA networking, NetCast and digital media playback from USB, not to mention the unusually detailed picture settings.
There's no motion processing or 3D support, but sacrifices were always inevitable at this price and what's left still makes it feel like good value.
It's a pity then that the LG's picture quality couldn't transcend its price tag – sure, you get bright, engaging picture quality with bright, engaging Blu-ray moments, but watch dark scenes and the poor black definition and backlight issues mean you're not seeing movies at their very best.
It's fine for everyday TV viewing but anyone with serious cinematic ambitions should save a little more moolah and check out one of LG's better specified sets.
We liked
The 42LE4900's hi-tech design looks great and its space saving 35mm profile is undoubtedly appealing. The inclusion of networking, flexible format support via USB and internet TV access (albeit limited) is also pleasing for the money.
There's a generous range of connections and the detailed ISF-approved picture settings help you (or an engineer) find a picture balance to suit. Also impressive is the slick, attractive operating system.
We disliked
The set struggles with black levels, making dark scenes look a little mushy, while backlight issues cause pooling in the corners and poor motion reproduction leaves objects looking blurry and juddery. NetCast offers limited content compared to rival sets from Sony and Samsung.
Verdict
If you've got around £600 to splash on a TV then you could do a lot worse than the 42LE4900. There's a tasty array of features on board, the likes of which you don't always find in this price bracket, and like many of the latest LED-equipped sets its slim, sexy looks will be a perfect fit for any living room.
Generous connectivity and extensive picture calibration settings are further high points.
That said, you will have to make some sacrifices in terms of picture quality and on-board processing. Problems with black levels, uneven backlight distribution and a lack of motion fluidity don't show movies to their full potential.
But if you're fine with that then you may find enough to like elsewhere to make the 42LE4900 a good purchase.
