Tour & Design
There's a two-inch glossy black bezel surrounding the screen, with a glossy, burgundy strip at the bottom. The small upturned arc in the bottom left corner of the 32LG40 is the TV's power button. Just above the arc is an inlaid LED that glows blue when the TV is on and red when the TV is in sleep mode.
Back
The very center of the back is the AC-in port. To the right of this is a cavity with the majority of the TV's ports. At the very top is the analog antenna/cable input. Below this and on the left are two HDMI/DVI inputs. To the right of these is an RGB input along with a corresponding audio jack. The last item in this row is the Digital Audio Out Optical port. The middle row of controls includes the remote control in jack, the RS-232 IN (control & service) port, and a pair of analog audio outputs. The bottom row has component input jacks and set of analog audio inputs. The final box of features includes the S-Video port, a composite video input, and a second set of analog audio ports.
Sides
The left side of the TV has a small grouping of ports. The top one is a USB port for service use only, followed by HDMI input 3, and finally a second combination of composite video and analog audio inputs.
The right side has the DVD slot and a vertical row of basic on-set controls and DVD playback buttons.
Stand/Mount
The stand is a glossy black oval with an edge that actually bevels outward as it rises from the table. It uniformly curves up and into the bottom of the TV. You can rotate the TV on the stand, but don't expect anything more than 45º away from center.
Controls
As we expertly foreshadowed above, the left side of the TV has some controls. The first set of controls are standard buttons for the DVD player: eject, play/pause, stop, forward skip, and reverse skip. The next set are the basic on-set array, which consists of channel and volume changers, an enter button, a menu button, and an input button.
Remote Control
The remote control is narrow, long, and has its d-pad very close to the top of the device. Below the d-pad are the volume and channel controls, followed by the number pad and, lastly, the DVD controls.
In the Box
In the 32LG40's box you'll find the TV, remote & batteries, a cleaning cloth, and a manual. The manual comes in a regular paper version and on a DVD. Interestingly enough, you can't play the DVD on the TV: the only thing you can look at is the Adobe Reader logo. The TV doesn't come with any cables besides its power cord.
Setting the TV up was a bit harder than we would've guessed. Our helpful advice: use the black screws to secure the stand to its support panel. You can use the silver screws, although they'll be slightly hard to turn after a while – though not prohibitively so. If you do use the wrong screws to secure the panel, when the time comes to screw the panel into the TV, you'll find they don't go in the whole way and are slightly difficult to get out.
We obviously found this out the hard way. Trust us, it's worth verifying you're using the correct screws.
Aesthetics
The 32LG40 is a basic-looking TV with a few quirks we didn't necessarily like. First of all, it has a standard glossy-black bezel, which we are not fans of. We think glossy bezels look cheap. Not helping matters, there's also a glossy burgundy plastic bit along the bottom of the monitor's front. We're not sure why it's there, but it doesn't look good either. The stand is shaped like a 3D hyperbola, gently curving outward towards the bottom, with a slight, inward-facing beveled edge at its very bottom. It, too, is glossy.
This is the bottom right corner of the 32LG40. That LED is set inside the glossy black bezel.
It will blink as the TV warms up and eventually turn blue when the TV finishes powering up.
All in all, we didn't particularly care for the 32LG40's looks, but they're not over-the-top gaudy or atrocious. All in all it looks like a basic TV: no real design flourishes and glossy, glossy, glossy.
Calibration
Calibration
To ensure we're getting the most accurate results, we calibrate each TV we get in before running our tests. We do this using DisplayMate, which helps us fine brightness, contrast, sharpness, and other such settinsg. We have worked with the creator of DisplayMate, to ensure we're calibrating the TVs as accurately as possible.
The purpose of calibration is to get the most spot-on color representation and grayscale from the TV. If you've bought this TV and don't want to pay someone to calibrate it for you, by all means use our table below. We've only listed the settings we've changed; if it's not in the table, we didnt' fool around with it.
Video Modes
The 32LG40 has five preset video modes and two expert modes. The Expert modes let you tinker around with a few options that aren't available elsewhere. The preset modes are self-explanatory (or at least they have to be since LG doesn't include any descriptions of them in the manual, on the TV itself, or on their site) and include: vivid, standard, cinema, sport, game, and two of the aforementioned expert modes.
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Blacks & Whites
Black Level*(4.42)*
Low black levels are both important for picture quality and, for the majority of LCD TVs, hard to achieve. This is because LCDs use a series of backlights. It's hard to create a low black level when you start with a bunch of lights blazing. Without low black levels, that spooky cave scene in your movie will just look off, with bottomless pits looking like blotches of grey.
The 32LG40 had a very weak blackl level. The deepest black it was capable of 0.52 cd/m2, which is about twice as bright as our average. This is bad; the blacks all look unnaturally bright. Not only does this make dark scenes appear washed out, but it hurts the TV's contrast ratio. The JVC LT-32P679's lowest black was 0.12 cd/m2, which is significantly lower than the 32LG40's. For black levels, 0.1 cd/m2 is a significant difference, let alone 0.4 cd/m2. The Samsung LN32A450 was capable of 0.14 cd/m2, which is similarly gigantic leap forward. The Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ8OU blew the 32LG40 away, however, with its absurdly low black level: 0.06 cd/m2.
What does this mean for the home viewer? A loss of detail among dark colors. On a TV with a very low black level, you could look at a night scene and notice details in a dark area. On the 32LG40, that area might just blur into a swath of dark grey.
Peak Brightness*(7.12)*
An LCD's backlight is the reason it typically has low black levels, but it's also the reason why it excels at peak brightness levels. Brightness is important for combating external light, primarily. If your TV is near a window, or if it's around several light sources, a low peak brightness will mean all the surrounding light will wash out the picture. If you want your TV to be safe from these malifluous wash-out effects, you should look for a brightness of 250 cd/m2 or higher.
LCDs might have an advantage here, but the 32LG40 really didn't impress us with its peak brightness level. We were only able to get 212.61 cd/m2 out of it. Our average score so far is about 290. The Samsung LN32A450, another LCD, was able to output 308.94 cd/m2.
Plasma TVs typically output much less, however. The Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ8OU, for example, could only manage 61.45 cd/m2.
Contrast*(4.78)*
Contrast refers to the ratio of the white level to the black level. Higher contrasts mean there's more differentiation between light and dark. With a high contrast, dark areas in a bright room will pop as opposed to blending into each other blandly.
Unfortunately, the latter case is more true for the 32LG40 than the former. The TV had a contrast ratio of 408.87:1, which is significantly below our current average, which is 1680:1. This is one of the worst contrast ratios we've gotten to date. Other LCDs, like the Samsung LN32A450, are capable of over 2000:1 ratios. The Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ8OU, a plasma, also out-performed the 32LG40 with its contrast ratio of 1024:1.
A note on our contrast test: the reason the ratios above are very different than the manufacturer-stated ratios is because manufacturers tend to fib. Well, it might not be a fib, but a typical trick is to measure the ratio between the brightest possible output you can configure and the darkest possible screen you can configure (which typically involves turning the backlight off). Since these two extremes gererally require a bevvy of settings to be set in totally opposite ways, we disregard this number; it's not a contrast you'd be able to witness on the screen. Also, many of these settings would ruin the overall picture quality. Our figures, on the other hand, are much more representative of what you will actually experience through normal use.
Tunnel Contrast*(9.82)*
The TV's contrast involves measuring an all white screen and an all black screen separately. Since whites can wash out darks and darks can dampen whites when both are on screen at the same time, we also perform a tunnel contrast test. This test measures the luminance of a black rectangle that is surrounded by white. We start with the rectangle taking up 90% of the screen, then shrink it until it only takes up about 10%. Ideally, the size of the rectangle should not affect its luminance. Some TVs, however, won't be able to maintain the depth of the black rectangle as it surrounded by more and more white. The graph below describes the TV's tunnel contrast. The percentage of white filling up the screen is at the bottom and the luminance of the black rectangle is on the side.
LCDs do well on this test, and the 32LG40 is no exception. The luminance of the blacks don't increase even when surrounded by a lot of white. Even though the TV doesn't have a very high overall contrast, when the whitest whites and darkest darks appear next to each other, you won't lose much of either.
White Falloff*(9.99)*
White falloff is the same as tunnel contrast, only it uses a white rectangle surrounded by a black border. Again, we measure the luminance levels as the white box shrinks and the area of the surrounding black increases. We are again looking for changes in the rectangle's luminance levels; there shouldn't be any.
As alluded to by our introductory sentence, we didn't see any white falloff issues with the 32LG40. The luminance of each white remained unchanged, regardless of what percentage of the screen was white and what percentage is black.
Uniformity*(8.75)*
Uniformity is somewhat self-explanatory: it refers to the uniformity of white and black levels across the screen. If the center of the TV is the only place you get deep black levels, or if the whites have shadowy blotches in random areas, the TV has poor uniformity.
The 32LG40 had good uniformity overall. The white screen only showed slight darkness at its corners. Likewise, the black screen showed some white shadows towards its corners. While we definitely noticed them, they only extended out two inches or so; some TVs cast white shadows that extend six inches or more away from the corner.
Greyscale Gamma*(6.8)*
To understand Gamma, you must first understand a simple fact about the human perception: we tend to hear/see/sense things logarythmically. For example, if a TV had a white screen that displayed 100 cd/m2 was suddenly bumped up to 200 cd/m2, you would notice that the screen looked twice as bright. Once you were at the 200 cd/m2 luminescence, however, to notice the same difference you'd have to bump the TV up to 400 cd/m2. Likewise, you'd next need the screen to hit 800 cd/m2 in order to say it had doubled again. The difference between the 100 and 200 cd/m2 output is far more significant than the difference between a 400 and 500 cd/m2 output. For this reason, a TV with a good greyscale gamma, when graphed, will result in a curve rather than a straight line.
This lesson aside, the 32LG40 had a textbook average greyscale gamma. The curve below is slightly curved, to meet the demands of our human sensory inputs, but not quite curved enough.
The main issues with the graph above are that, when you get towards the intense ends, the graph doesn't progress in that 2:1 ratio we talked about. This means you won't see as much difference between two different grades of white or black.
If you prefer straight lines, the graph below is for you. The following is plotted on a logarythmic scale. This means that the increments on the graph itself increase logarythmically as opposed to the graph. The result: an apparently straight line, or at least it should be. The light blue line represents the ideal line the graph should be following. It stays somewhat close to this line, but manages to stray a bit at times.
Resolution Scaling*(6.43)*
The 32LG40 has a 720p display. This isn't the current highest definition, 1080p, but it's close. Sure, the TV does fine in its native resolution, but what if you want to play something that's a lower or (gasp) higher resolution? In this section we find out, by letting the 32LG40 upscale and downscale some images.
480p*(6.8)*
The resolution 480p is a step up from standard definition. You'll get this via a digital output, such as from a high-end DVD player, or some cable boxes. Since the 32LG40 is a 720p set, some would assume it would have no issues playing a 480p source. If you are one such person, prepare to be a bit disappointed, but not outright distraught: the 32LG40 is a little subpar when playing non-720p material. With 480p input, we had issues reading most small fonts because the letters would meld together like someone took a magnifying glass to them on a sunny day. Also, patters of alternating black and white lines often turned to a gradient, which is indicative of a processing issue. You'll also run into some minor overscanning; unless something particularly riveting is happinging on that outer 2% of the screen, it'll mainly serve as an annoyance.
1080i*(6.25)*
This resolution is like HD Lite. The 'i' stands for 'interlaced,' meaning the TV breaks the display into a series of lines, then alternates showing the evens and odds so the final product looks like a full picture to our slow human eyes. Again, a slightly subpar performance. We noticed the issues with the text smudging together again, only this time it was slightly worse. The issue of gradients forming where alternative black and white lines should have been also reared its head. Keeping in mind that the 32LG40 is performing above and beyond its native resolution, however, it wasn't particularly awful.
1080p*(6.25)*
A resolution of 1080p is full HD. You don't have to deal with interlacing as in the above: all 1080 lines of pixels will be visible at all times for your viewing pleasure. We ran into identical errors on 1080p as we did with 1080i, which is to say, it was slightly worse than the upscaled 480p, but not terribly so.
Color Accuracy
Color Temperature*(5.26)*
Just like starts that glow red when they're relatively cool and blue when they're relatively hot, so too do televisions have color temperature. For this test, we want to TV to have a color temperature that's close to 6500k, which should be an optimal white. We then reduce the intensity of the white to see if color temperature varies. Ideally, it should not, and the graph below should look quite boring, with just a gradient in the background and a thick horizontal black line that represents ideally consistent color temperature. Instead, however, we get some fringing on top of the black line, which means the color temperature gets a bit hotter than it should at some points.
As you can see the 32LG40 has some issues with blacks: namely, they are blue. You will find this verified by some of our other tests in this section. Before the low end, the little forays above the black line probably won't be noticeable, but that bit towards the end is atrocious.
In this next graph, the center represents the color of white at its maximum intensity. The red circle indicates the smalles color difference that our eyes can perceive. For absolute perfection, every measurement would be at the center. For awesome performance, all the little black dots should occur within the red circle. The dots outside of the circle represent an area where the whites get tinted towards some color or the other.
Again, the 32LG40 didn't impress us. There are a lot of dots running around outside the red line, some by significant margins. This means there are noticeable shifts in white, which users have a strong chance of noticing.
RGB Curves*(7.83)*
If you're anything like we were before we got into reviewing TVs, you probably thought the three primary colors were blue, red, and yellow. This is because that art teacher you had was teaching us about finger paints, which isn't quite analogous to how light interacts. On TVs, the three primary colors are red, green, and blue; mix them together and you get white.
Since the RGB of a TV dictates every other color its capable of, we run a few tests on our calibrated TV to see how each color is acting under realistically ideal conditions (this means not amping up the blue settings to measure blue, then swapping them to measure red).
The 32LG40 does well here. It doesn't have the best RGB responses we've ever seen, but they're on the better side of average. The main issues we ran into were towards the low end of both the reds and the blues. Ideally the curve should taper down until all you're left with is pure black. This isn't the case, however, and most blacks will contain some small part blue and an insignificant amount of red. This isn't great, but it isn't the worst trait to have.
If you'll notice, none of the colors peak at all. Peaking refers to the TV's inability to differentiate between different colors once they reach a certain intensity. For example, if the greens were peaking, a bright bunch of foliage might blur together into a big green blob with no differentiation. When you're looking at a color response curve, you can tell peaking is occurring when the intense end of the graph suddenly plateaus; even though the TV is supposed to be displaying even brighter shades of the color, it is unable to.
Color Gamut*(5.78)*
A TV's color gamut isn't some arbitrary spectrum the manufacturers create on a whim. There is actually an international standard called Rec.709. All TVs are supposed to adhere to this standard, even though some don't. This standard makes our job easy since it provides us with a very clear ideal to measure a TV's performance against. The graph below shows how closely the 32LG40 adheres to Rec.709. The solid lines represent what the 32LG40 is actually displaying, while the dotted lines represent what it should be displaying.
As you can see, the 32LG40 is a bit off here. Normally 'a bit off' isn't a bad thing, but all TVs are supposed to follow this guideline to the T, which means the 32LG40 has failed to live up to the standard. Overall, while it might lean a bit towards green and away from red, the difference still won't be something to totally annoy the average viewer.
Motion
Motion Smoothness*(5.0)*
The LG 32LG40 had some issues with blurring. For this test we look at a few different images as they move around the screen. A few are pictures, one is a grid of color swatches, and one is a block of different gradients. As all of them moved, outlines blurred significantly, resulting in a lot of lost details in the pictures, some shadowing on the color swatch pattern (as the swatches moved, the area behind them was noticeably darker than it should have been).
We also tried this test with a 1080i display. This showcased about the same level of blurring as 720p.
Motion Artifacting*(6.5)*
There wasn't much artifacting in 720p mode. We didn't see any on the pictures. On the color swatches, there were small blocks of increased contrast that appeared in front of each block in the grid. This is due to a processing error; the TV is trying to guess where the block is going to go and bumps up contrast as a means of heading off blurring. There was also a shuddering effect on the gradient pattern.
The artifacting was a bit worse on 1080i. The contrast issues on the color swatch were more noticeable. The shuddering effect was also much worse on the gradient pattern and even affected the photographs to a minor extent.
Overall, the 32LG40 didn't have the worst artifacting we've seen by any stretch, but it wasn't great.
3:2 Pulldown & 24fps*(9.0)*
We didn't see any issues with the 32LG40's 3:2 pulldown or 24fps modes. These modes try to emulate film quality by slowing down the framerate of the feed. In order to do this, however, a lot of information gets left out. Some TVs showcase some very obvious processing issues here, like gradients blurring together into flashing swaths of grey, or lava lamp-like motion appearing between alternating black and white stripes.
Some of our sections deal with relatively small differences. On our color gamut score, most people won't notice the difference between a TV that scores well and one that's average. On this score, however, the range of possibilities is far greater. TVs can showcase some annoyingly noticeable artifacting if their processing drops the ball on 3:2 or 24fps. The 32LG40, thankfully, showcases no such errors.
Viewing Effects
Viewing Angle*(7.33)*
This test measures a TV's contrast ratio from various different viewing angles. We first measure the ratio from a dead center view, then gradually move our instruments in an arc around the TV, taking measurements every 5º until we reach 85º. Along the way, we're looking for the point at which the TV's initial contrast ratio falls below 50%. Once the contrast ratio gets below 50%, the picture starts looking significantly worse.
Typically LCDs have a horrible time with this test, but the 32LG40 did well: its contrast ratio stayed about 50% until we got out to 55º from center, which means a total viewing angle of 110º. The 32LG40's performance is described in the graph below.
Again, this was a remarkable performance for an LCD TV overall. The most you can typically squeeze out of an LCD is a total viewing angle of 60º. A 110º viewing angle just about assures a decent view from just about anywhere in front of the TV. The next time you and a dozen of your friends want to get together and watch Airplane! or Rocky Horror, you can cram everyone around the TV without those sitting towards the edges getting horrible picture quality.
Reflectance*(6.75)*
To test reflectance, we shine an array of LEDs at the screen. If we can see the individual LEDs, the screen is very reflective; if we see a blurred blotch of light, the screen is good at diffusing. The 32LG40 is very good at diffusing light. Typically this is a great thing, but since teh 32LG40s screen is a moderate size, the giant blurry blotch of light takes up a giant portion of the screen. We highly recommend keeping the TV away from any window, because the resulting glare will make the screen almost unwatchable.
If the light is above the TV, the resulting glare won't be bad. It's definitely something you'd get used to and not notice over time.
Video Processing*(2.5)*
The 32LG40 does have a few video processing options. Unfortunately, there's nothing anywhere that describes what they are supposed to do. The TV itself has no descriptions and the manual and web site simply mentions they exist.
While it's hard to dislike extra options, the ones included either had no real effect or a negative effect.
Remote Control
Ergonomics & Durability*(5.00)*
The 32LG40's remote is a bit awkward to hold. The buttons are all a good size, but the size of the buttons coupled with the long, thin design means you'll have to shift your grip to access any given set of controls. The remote is also bottom heavy due to the batteries and no counter-balance. This makes shifting frow a low-set grip to a high-set grip easy, but going from, say, the d-pad will either require an awkward shimmy/choke-up gesture, or a tossing motion (please remember to catch the remote before it goes flying across teh room).
Other than some awkward placement of its buttons, the buttons have good tactile feedback and, as previously mentioned, are a good size. The buttons themselves don't really have any texture to aid in touch navigation, or a colored/highlighted background to help differentiate different groups of buttons at a glance. The buttons also don't glow in the dark or light up, making memorization a must.
In terms of durability, the remote seems about average. There's nothing particularly inspiring about its design, but it does have a leash attaching the cover to the remote body. This is useful, but this tether isn't particularly sturdy.
Button Layout & Use*(4.5)*
As mentioned above, the buttons are a good size, but their layout isn't ideal. You'll have to shift your grip frequently to access different controls. The buttons' labels are clear and easy to understand and switchign channels is easy enough. Also, the remote has a great range of control. You don't even have to be pointing the remote directly at the TV in order to control it.
Programming & Flexibility*(1.0)*
The 32LG40 remote can be used to control other LG A/V equipment via their proprietary SIMPLINK system.
Audio
Sound Quality*(3.0)*
The sound quality of the 32LG40 wasn't particularly good. The overall sound was very flat and somewhat muffled. Bassy explosions sounded weak. People's voices sounded slightly dampened and unclear. Bullet ricochets weren't crisp or clear. While the speakers aren't bad enough to make the average consumer go out and buy a set of auxiliary speakers, we would recommend factoring the purchase in to the 32LG40's price.
Surround Sound*(2.5)*
The surround sound only offers a marginal improvement over the 32LG40's normal playback. In our test scene that involved lots of action, we noticed that there was some weak right-to-left emphasis given to a screeching missile and a tank that rolled through the scene seemed to be a distinct entity. There was also a slightly improved depth of field. These improvements were all very, very minor, however, and in no way stack up to an actual surround sound system, even basic ones.
Maximum Volume*(7.75)*
The 32LG40 was capable of outputting 77.5dB. This is slightly below our current average of about 82dB. It should be loud enough for most consumers, but if you've ever found yourself maxing out the volume on your current set, the 32LG40 will likely leave you wanting.
Connectivity
Input Ports*(6.0)*
The input ports are found in two different locations. The left side has one HDMI input as well as a composite video port and a set of analog audio ports.
The back of the TV contains the most input ports. It has an antenna/cable input, two HDMI inputs, a component video input, two sets of analog audio inputs, a composite video input, an RGB(PC) input, a digital audio input, an S-VIDEO input, and an RS-232C input.
Output Ports*(2.0)*
All of the output ports are found on the back: there's a digital audio out optical port and a set of analog audio out ports. These are the standard output ports.
Other Connections*(0.0)*
The 32LG40 doesn't support any other connections, like wireless or Bluetooth.
Media*(0.0)*
The 32LG40 doesn't have any other media input outlets, such as an SD card slot. It should be noted that, while LG claims the TV has a USB port, it's for service only. Plugging in a memory stick or peripheral won't do anything.
Placement*(7.0)*
The 32LG40's port placement is pretty good. The ports on the left side are very accessible, and most of the ports on the back can be accessed with relative ease. The TV can swivel slightly as well, which aids in reaching the ports around back. The ports are pretty well labeled and organized.
Menus & Interface
Ease of Use*(6.5)*
The main problem we had with the menu structure is that none of its items are explained outside of the manual. Many TVs include onscreen descriptions of a highlighted item, but the 32LG40 throws you to the wolves (by 'wolves' we mean the TV's horrible manual, because, much like a wolf, it lacks an index section). is that its initial screen is totally superfluous. When you click the button, a 3x2 grid of icons pop up: Channel, picture, audio, time, option, and lock. Clicking on one replaces the 3x2 grid with a window. The main area on that window is a subsection of the chosen icon. The left side of the window holds the six icons for easy navigation. Our question: why bother with the initial screen if the submen provides, among other things, the same functionality?
The controls you'll need to navigate are exceedingly simple. You use the d-pad to move around, the select key to select things or back up a level (depending on context), and the menu key will exit. If you have used another TV's menu before, this one shouldn't give you much trouble.
The menu itself looks fine and the icons used therein look better than average.
Picture Controls*(7.0)*
The 32LG40 has a good array of picture controls. Just select the Expert picture mode and you'll gain access to brightness, contrast, color, and tint for blues, reds, greens, cyans, and magentas. Since these controls are slightly nebulous in terms of their actual effect, we would have expected them to come with some onscreen descriptor. Just like every other menu item, however, there was no information available.
Audio Controls*(4.0)*
There weren't much in the way of advanced audio controls. It has a 'Clear Voice' option that presumably boosts mid-range frequencies, but we didn't notice a significant difference when it was turned on. Also, like previously mentioned, there are no descriptions for any of the menu items.
Other Controls*(8.0)*
The 32LG40 doesn't have many other controls. The main menu has a 'Clock' subsection that will let you easily set up a sleep timer. In the options menu, you can set input labels, so if your PC is perpetually connected to HDMI3, you can rename HDMI3 to 'Computer.' You can also toggle the behavior of the screen's power LCD, by enabling the standby or power light.
Manual*(4.0)*
The TV's manual really isn't great. The table of contents is a bit vague, it doesn't have an index at all, it has some basic tabs on the pages, the font size and pictures are small, and the entire menu looks like it was printed on the same quality paper as a second-grade penmanship workbook. Further, the information contained therein isn't particularly elucidating. The back does have a small table of common errrors and their corrections, but only the overly basic, 'make sure product is turned on' solutions.
Formats & Media
Formats*(4.0)*
The 32LG40 is a 720p television, which is a notch below full HD, which is 1080p. It does support downscaling for 1080i and 1080p, but the feature is mediocre. It supports playing 480i and 480p as well, which are used for standard definition and DVD playback respectively. The 32LG40 supports both 24p and 3:2, both of which make playback look more like film. It does not support Xvycc color, which is an extended color gamut.
Photo Playback*(1.0)*
The 32LG40 can play back photos that are stored on a DVD. You view photos as a slide show of all the images in a folder. While you can't fool around with any slide show settings, you can use the DVD controls to pause the photo playback or skip between photos.
Music & Video Playback*(1.0)*
The 32LG40 supports music and video playback via its DVD player.
Streaming Playback*(0.0)*
You can't stream data through the 32LG40.
Additional Media*(3.5)*
The 32LG40 has a built-in DVD player. It's a side-loading 'vacuum' type, which means it's just a slot that pulls in your DVD as opposed to a tray. The player supports 720p natively and has the ability to upscale input.
The DVD player is intuitive enough to use; if you've used any DVD player before, you'll feel comfortable with this one. All the basic controls are available both on the remote and on the TV itself.
Power Consumption
Power Consumption*(8.92)*
The initial purchase price isn't the only cash you'll have to fork over for your TV. Televisions use a lot of power while they're in use, giving them a yearly cost. We measure power consumption at three levels of backlight intensity and, of course, with our calibrated settings. With different calibrations, your average wattage (and, as a result, cost per year) might vary.
If you're using the 32LG40 with a maximum backlight brightness and our calibration settings, it'll cost you about $22.90 per year. This is about half the average cost we've seen so far. If you turn down the backlight to 200 candelas per square meter (cd/m2), which is an ideal brightness in most cases, the 32LG40 will run you a slightly cheaper $21.53. If you turn off the backlight entirely, your cost will plummet down to $9.90/year. The downside, however, is that the TV costs money even while it's turned off. Fortunately, that cost is a meager $0.45/year.
Conclusion & Comparisons
Series Comparison
LG40 Series
The LG40 series is at the low end of LG's lineup. The televisions only show 720p resolution as opposed to the more common, full HD resolution, 1080p. The series includes a 32-inch and 26-inch series. The main feature of the series is its built-in DVD player.
Meet the tester
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
Checking our work.
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