LG 47LD950 review

LG takes an old-fashioned approach to 3D - with some surprising results

LG 47LD950
The 47LD950 is designed for those wanting to get a taste of 3D without the limitations on glasses

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LG 47ld950

With one or two notable exceptions, manufacturers have really struggled to deliver truly convincing audio from flat TVs.

And the 47LD950 falls into the usual traps for the most part, failing to underpin proceedings with satisfying amounts of bass, so that the mid-range feels a bit overloaded and the treble end feels exposed. That said, it's no worse than many of its rivals.

When we first heard about the 47LD950 we had visions of it being a great budget way into 3D. And it is, of course, true that it saves you a potential fortune on extra pairs of 3D glasses compared with active TVs.

But we can't help but find the £2,500 asking price rather steep - indeed, you can get LG's equivalent active 3D model, the 47LX9900, for pretty much the same price, complete with Freeview HD, online services, a much slicker designer, and very effective direct LED backlighting.

Ease of use

It would be very easy for a TV as feature-heavy and flexible as the 47LD950 to be a pig to use. But LG is to be congratulated on delivering arguably the best operating system of any TV manufacturer right now.

This starts with the set's excellent onscreen menus, which are easy on the eye, sensibly structured and well laid out, doing a good job of letting people with different levels of technical know-how delve to whatever depth they're comfortable with.

The remote control doesn't look quite as glamorous as the TV, but is comfortable to hold and the precisely responsive buttons are sensibly laid out.

Even the 3D menus, which have proven a headache with some TV brands, are about as foolproof as they could be.

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.