LG 42LS3400 LED HDTV Review

Introduction

If you want a great picture, though, you might want to check out the LG 42LS3400. This simple LED delivers a picture quality that puts more expensive TVs to shame.

Design

The LS3400 series is LG's entry-level LED TV and looks the part. In terms of aesthetics, there is a vast difference between this TV and LG's top-of-the-line LM9600. The LS3400 is just plain and boring (not to mention thick), although that's alright for some consumers.

Front

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Back

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Sides

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Stand/Mount

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On-set Controls

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The LS3400 uses touch sensitive controls, located on the bottom-right of the front bezel. All of your favorite controls are here, including options to change the channel, volume, and input, as well as accessing the settings and powering the TV on/off.

Remote Control

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LG's basic remote is a far cry from their motion-controlled Magic Remote, but this little rectangle gets the job done. All of the basic buttons you would expect are here, with the addition of an energy saving button, which simply reduces the backlight level.

In the Box

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The LG 42LS3400 comes with a remote, batteries, a user manual, and a CD that contains a digital user manual.

Connectivity

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There aren't too many ports on this LG, but it has all of the essentials. Two HDMI ports are included, as well as a component input that can be used as a composite input if needed. An antenna input, a USB input, and a service port round out the full list of connections on this TV.

All of the ports were easy to access and the TV swivels, which can help you find these pesky little inputs when your TV is in a tight area.

Performance

For an entry-level LED TV, the 42LS3400 impressed us quite a bit. LG is known for making LCD televisions with very good color performance and this one stays true to that tradition, even at a lower price. The colors looked great, motion performance was decent, and the viewing angle was wide. Our biggest gripe with this LG was that it didn't get very dark, although its peak brightness was delightfully brilliant.

Contrast

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The LG 42LS3400 is one bright TV. Its deepest black level was well above the levels produced by similar TVs, but it was able to get extremely bright and produce great white levels. More on how we test contrast.

Color & Greyscale Curves

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These curves are pretty good. There is a smooth transition from the lowest input signal to the highest input signal, although all of the colors peak slightly early. More on how we test color performance.

Color Temperature

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There is almost no error with this color temperature. Most of the temperature fluctuations are not visible, which means that hardly anything on the 42LS3400 will look off-colored. More on how we test color temperature.

Color Gamut

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This gamut looks very good. The range of colors that this LG can produce is inline with the industry standard, although the white point is off on this. More on how we test color temperature.

Picture Dynamics

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The picture dynamics were excellent on the LG 42LS3400. This TV kept a consistent black level with an increasingly white screen and a consistent white level with an increasingly black screen. More on how we test picture dynamics.

Resolution & Formats

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The LG 42LS3400 has a native resolution of 1080p and displays all standard NTSC formats. We should point out that the other size option for this series, the 32-inch version, is 720p.

Viewing Angle

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This was a pleasant surprise. The viewing angle on the 42LS3400 was great for an LCD television. We measured a total viewing angle of over 80°, which left the competition in the dust.

Motion Performance

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This LG exhibited good motion performance. Fast moving images were slightly blurry, but it wasn't anything too distracting. One thing we want to point out is how well this budget-friendly TV handled edges and lines that were moving on the screen—there was little jaggedness to be found.

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Screen Uniformity

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We were impressed by this TV's above-average uniformity. An all-white image on the screen looked flawless: it was bright and smooth, with no shadowing in the corners. An all-black image on the screen wasn't quite as good, partially because this TV does not get very dark.

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Audio Quality

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The audio quality on the LG 42LS3400 was average. The best part about the two 10-watt built-in speakers on this TV is the clear mid-range frequencies it produces. What this means is that voices sound clear and loud, which is great for any movie that has humans talking. We can't say the same for the high-end and low-end frequencies, which sound slightly tinny and muddled.

There are five audio modes: standard, music, cinema, sport, and game. These modes slightly adjust the bass and treble and also determine if surround mode is toggled on or off. Yes, there is a surround mode, but it is only toggled on when the audio mode is on cinema, sport, or game. We didn't notice that it made too much of a difference, though.

Power Consumption

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The 42LS3400 goes easy on the power consumption. Our minimum recommended backlight setting yields an estimated annual cost of only $12.63, which means that the 42LS3400 costs a little more than a buck per month to run. Even with the backlight cranked up, this TV will cost you under $19 per year.

There is an energy saving option in the menu, but turning it on simply decreases the backlight.

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Calibration

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During calibration, we noticed that the 42LS3400 had an awful color temperature; an all-white screen had an orange hue to it. Luckily, LG gives you the option to adjust the color temperature and we changed it from W50 (the warmest) to W20. It made a huge difference.

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All of our calibration is done in conjunction with the DisplayMate software.

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Video Modes

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There are plenty of different picture settings on the LG 42LS3400.

Software & Internet

Menu Interface

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LG doesn't include the same menu interface that is on their higher-end TVs. The interface included may look retro, but it gets the job done and is pretty easy to navigate.

There are eight different categories for menu options: channel, picture, audio, time, option, lock, input, and USB. The 42LS3400 offers basic options to tweak most things, although we were impressed that the picture category had options to change advanced settings like color temperature, as well as horizontal and vertical sharpness.

Other Interface Features

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This LG gives you the ability to play back your music and picture files via a USB drive. Like the menu interface, the USB interface looks retro, but accessing files is a breeze.

Conclusion

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There's not much to dislike about the LG 42LS3400 (MSRP $719). It doesn't have many ports and the audio is average, but it makes up for these shortcomings with its great color accuracy, wide viewing angle, and bright white levels. This TV even did well with motion performance and it doesn't have any fancy enhancement features like "TruMotion" or "CineMotion."

The MSRP may say $719, but you can easily find this LED for under $500 online. If you are looking for a great 42-inch television and don't care about the third dimension or internet connectivity, check out the LG 42LS3400.

Model Series Comparison

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The LS3400 series are LG's entry-level LED TVs. The 42-inch model has a 1080p resolution while the 32-inch model has a 720p resolution.

Photo Gallery

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Ratings & Specs

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