Tour & Design
The front of the LG 42SL90 contains an attractively thin bezel, which doesn't add a lot of needless girth to your TV.
Back
The back of the 42SL90 is largely unpopulated, except for the cluster of ports in the bottom right corner.
Sides
The 42SL90 is 1.15 inches deep, meaning there's not a lot of room for features. The right side has some on-set controls and the left side has some indented ports.
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Stand/Mount**
The stand looks solid, albeit thin. The TVs didn't wobble around much, however, so we doubt it's a safety issue. Also, the stand swivels, providing easy access to the TV's ports.
Aesthetics
The TV looks nice. It has the same aesthetic as the LHX series, with its thin screen and minimalist approach. At the press conference, TLC's Doug Wilson said the SL90 series' would be great for 'techorating' your house, a term that's equal parts technology, decorating, and silly. We're inclined to agree. Since the SL90s are tiny and probably won't clash with your room's color palette, it'll make a fine techoration.
Performance Features
Display Size & Technology
The LG 42SL90 has a 42-inch LCD screen. It's edge-lit, using LEDs. Most LCDs are backlit, which tends to make them thick. Edge-lit sets allow for thinner displays, but we've noticed they tend to have issues with screen uniformity. This particular model also boasts a 'single-layer design,' as an alternative to the thick plastic frames that still plague TVs with their awkward-looking bulkiness.
Formats & Resolution
The 42SL90 supports 1080p, meaning it will provide you with the highest HD resolution currently available. This means you can watch Blu-ray discs in their full 1920x1080 resolution.
Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio
The SL90 series is edge-lit with LEDs. This means the lights are around the sides of the TV rather than in back, allowing the TV to be thinner. LG lists the TV's dynamic contrast ratio as 3,000,000:1. This number is about as optimistic as they come, and probably flat-out unobtainable during normal viewing. We're sure our lab testing will get to the bottom of this mystery.
There's also another feature we'll be looking forward to testing in the lab: LG's Picture Wizard feature. This feature basically provides a simple, at-home calibration test to help users get optimal picture quality without paying for a professional. We're quite curious how accurate these tests are themselves.
Color
We didn't see any specific mention of any color-specific features. There was some PR speak that said certain characteristics of the screen will elucidate every iota of the visible spectrum and beam it directly into your face. No specific color modes were mentioned.
Motion & Refresh Rate
The 42SL90 wasn't even on, so technically it had an absolutely abysmal refresh rate. If it were on, however, it would probably be showing off its 120Hz Motionflow feature. As we've mentioned before, not all high refresh rates are created equal. A TV can have a 240Hz display and actually look blurrier than a 60 fps TV displaying the same image. As with any other aspect of performance, we'll run extensive tests once we get the TV into our labs.
Viewing Angle
Again, the TV wasn't on, so we weren't able to get a feel for its viewing angle. If we had to take a stab at guessing the viewing angle of an edge-lit LCD, we'd probably put it somewhere between a good LCD and a plasma.
Connectivity & Media
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Audio & Video Ports**
The back of the 42SL90 had a standard array of ports. There are three HDMI ports on the left, a VGA input with corresponding 3.5mm audio input, a digital audio out, a composite video in, two component ins, and three analog audio inputs. Off to the right is the RF input.
Media & Other Connectivity
The TV has no other capabilities.
Placement
The ports have good placement overall. The ports on the back are laid out well and are located in the bottom right corner. The handful of side-facing ports are a bit less optimal; they look a bit hard to use without bumping your knuckles.
Audio
LG didn't release any specs about the TV's audio and the set wasn't turned on for us lowly press people anyway. We will therefore leave you with the following prediction: TVs this thin don't have a lot of room for quality speakers.
Controls, Menu & Remote
Remote
There weren't any remotes in the entire room, other than really old, low-end models. We'll just have to wait to figure out what controls the 42SL90.
Controls
The on-set controls for the 42SL90 are located along the bottom of the right side. They are, in descending order: channel up/down, volume toggle, enter, menu, input, and power. This is the standard offering and location of on-set controls.
Menu
We didn't get a chance to check out the menu on the LG 42SL90, so we can't offer any insightful information about its layout or design. If the LG SL80 series was a clue, though, it's the same old LG menu system.
Conclusion
Series Comparison
SL90 Series
The SL90 series is ridiculously thin: just a mere 1.15 inches. It has a 120Hz Motionflow feature that should help eliminate blurring. For the do-it-yourselfers out there, there's also a few calibration tests included on the TV.
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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