Official LG XXLE8500 Thread - Page 2

From my understanding with the LG sales rep at BB the
60 & 72" will have a matte screen
Nice views you folks have

My god that reflective screen is horrible!

My LH90 was purchased in October and the PQ is so accurate and pleasing it will serve me until the next cycle. It replaced a 52 inch Vizio (GLF52) which also has a wide bezel although not as wide as the LH90, but I have come to ignore it.

As far as firmware upgrades from LG via internet, don't hold your breath. IMO that will never happen.

And while internet services such as Netflix or Youtube these are available from my LG BD390 BR player and even so are of little interest to me.

You will like ChromaPure and with the next version due soon:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...&postcount=339

it will be even better.

Saw your post on banding (absence thereof) and feel you have made an excellent choice.
Too many bash LG and Vizio for that matter but their current products are 'state of the art' and are reliable and excellent value for the money compared to 'over priced' models from Samsung, Sony and the like.

My set arrived this morning and everything went fairly well and quick with the installation. The guys were definitely in a hurry because they left some plastic wrap around the stand and underneath, guess they had to get back to Miami pretty fast. The strange thing was, when they turned it on, it didn't seem to "wow" me like I was expecting, like it was darker than I expected. But then it seemed to get brighter the more I watched it, maybe the LEDs had to "warm up"? Who knows. Also I changed the picture mode to "Vivid" and now it looks amazing. Extremely bright picture, sharp, great blacks. Currently watching "The Kingdom" on TNT

My main concern with this set was the glare, and I can honestly say it's not that bad in my opinion. Of course it does vary where you sit, time of day, etc. For example I'm sitting in the "sweet spot" right in front of the tv, but if I move to an armchair we have on the right side the glare is pretty bad actually But we do have blinds we can close, so that helps too! Also considering I will be doing the majority of my viewing during the evening/nighttime, I don't think it will be much of an issue for me.

When I first started TV researching, I was settled on a Panasonic plasma, but then just as I was about to purchase it the rising black levels story came out, so I went back to my starting point. I eventually settled on the Samsung B8500, but then that was discontinued and I couldn't find it anywhere close by! So then after some more back and forth between several different models, I finally narrowed it down to the Samsung C6500 and the LG LE8500 (I am waiting until 3D technology is more established). I picked this set because CNET's review stated it was closest to the Samsung B8500's picture, the one I was wanting to purchase before. Can't remember if CNET mentioned the glare in their review or not, but right now that is the ONE thing I see that can maybe be an issue with the set. I have not noticed any zone banding, but we will see once I watch the set at night.

One minor thing, I was playing the PS3 and the video signal will cut out for maybe half a second. It's too fast for me to realize if the audio goes out as well. Is it possible the HDMI cables I got are too cheap? Or is it maybe another issue? Any help is appreciated, thanks! I will try to post pics later tonight.

I was burned by the panny rising black issue, and I am considering the LE8500. What TV did you have previously? I've always been a plasma guy myself, so this could very well be my first LCD. Also, could you let me know if there is any "input lag" playing your PS3? I've heard that some LCD displays do not perform well with game consoles, and you basically have to turn off some of the video processing of the TV to reduce the lag. As for the screen blanking out, does it happen while you are playing?

Lowjack,
This is my first HDTV ever, so any choice I made would be an upgrade, I finally made the switch from a 25' RCA CRT, haha. I honestly can't notice any input lag after playing Modern Warfare 2 and God of War 3, but I don't know if it's any more noticeable on rhythm games like guitar hero. For the screen blacking out, it happens only with the PS3; I was looking through photos and it happened a few times, and it also happens playing games, so I assume it would also happen while watching blu-rays Hopefully it's as simple as switching HDMI inputs?

Hey guys.

I'm returning the LE8500 because of the led zone-banding / light uniformity issues. Were it not for that problem, I would be keeping it with a big smile on my face, because the image quality is excellent (equal to the Samsung B8500) and the LG has some other great features I like.

Overall I'm very impressed with the LG LE8500, but the zone-banding is not something I can personally live with. And I don't think it's likely to be fixed, because since I noticed it on the new 2010 model, it was brought to my attention their 2009 models also suffered from this issue to a lesser extent. So the problem has apparently been around for a while, and gotten worse with the new model. For that reason, I do not have much confidence it can be 'fixed' at all, much less by a firmware update.

The issue is not rare. At least not on my set. It happens all the time. Not only bright scenes. Not only in camera pans. Those are just the most noticeable and obvious examples. The issue actually occurs in every type of source material, and every type of scene, from light to dark, from fast-moving to slow-moving, from faces to objects, in just about every situation you can think of. And.. it's not only horizontal, but also vertical in some instances. The vertical issues do not happen often.

Now, whether you will personally notice the issues as much as I do... is another story.

I'm sitting at 7-8 feet on the 55-inch model. I see the issue all the time. Honestly, I can say that hardly 10-15 minutes goes by, regardless of what I'm watching. Of course I'm looking for it. I cannot help it. It bothers me. I wish I could ignore it.

I will say this... at 10 feet the issue was MUCH less noticeable. In fact, had I not been 'looking' for it, I don't think I would have ever been bothered by it sitting at that distance. However, 10 feet is not an option for me in this room.

Also, it's important this issue not get blown out of proportion. This is not something that will ever jump-out at you. It's not something that makes you say "Yikes". It's a subtle issue. But a consistent one. If I had to compare this to something else in the TV world, in terms of how noticeable it is to me, I would compare it to the Horizontal Line Bleed of some plasma TVs. (You will have to research that if you don't know what it is) Some people are extremely bothered by that, but it seems most plasma owners don't notice or don't care. So please keep this all in perspective.

It's frustrating for me personally, as a multi generation local-dimming owner and fan. Sets from other manufacturers have not been reported to have this problem, and I can say from first-hand experience I never saw it on the Samsung B8500, Samsung A950 (2008 model), or Sony XBR8. So the issue seems to be exclusive to LG.

Anyway... LG did not make a new customer this time around, but their excellent picture quality and elegant menu system earns them a spot on my future shopping list. They are for real. And from now on, I will be considering LG products alongside Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, etc.

Sorry for the long post, but I know some of you were asking about the situation, and I felt obliged to answer. Good luck to all the new owners. Hopefully your experience will have a better ending than mine. There is always the chance my set is worse than average

Thanks. I still feel it's a great TV, and this was a positive learning experience for me. LG has earned my respect.


I'm done. It seems 2010 is not my year for upgrading.

I'm just going to enjoy the various TVs already in my house. The truth is, I did not 'need' a new TV right now. I was just intoxicated by all the new models and technology. But the more I see the new stuff, the more I appreciate the old stuff. And the old stuff is already paid for.

happy appreciate hearing your experience with the 8500. Unlike you, I am in need of a new TV (by June) and I have (had?) been considering the 9500. I am becoming concerned by the continued reports of banding though, being that the 8500 and the 9500 have essentially the same guts. My sitting distance will be approx 9-10 ft. so perhaps I might not notice the banding. *shrugs*

The Panasonic VT25 plasma is also on my shortlist but apparently that set is not without its issues as well.

What's a girl to do?

I cant agree more. It just seems as if none of the major tv brands even upgraded their sets from last year or even worked out any of the bugs for that matter. I also got burned by Panasonic in 09 so they are out of the question. Samsung's plasmas still buzz and are reported to have the same mediocre contrast they had last year or worse. Samsung's lcd's all seem to have terrible screen uniformity, viewing angles, input lag, and getting a good set is like playing the lottery and the same can be said about Sony for the most part. It seems like all the concentration from these manufacturers was geared towards 3D and thats it. I think I might just go without a TV for a year and see whats up then.

Holy Crapola, that thing is a mirror. I have the Sammy 8500 which is glossy, but the reflections are muted black due to a coating I suppose. I saw a small Vizio say 22" and it was glossy but no coating, so it is a real mirror like the pictures you show. I'll have to see it in person, but it looks like LG needs to work on muting the reflections, like Samsung has been doing ever since it introduced the glossy screen.

I'm abolutely with you. Was looking for a replacement for my 55A959 - with 60+". But first feedback gives me an only small last hope for the 9500 series of LG - probably they have some enhancements there.

just wanted to come by and say I'm still loving my 55le8500 ( i posted all my pics in the other thread) also wanted to say i have no such banding issue on my set i don't see banding from any angle ( not even if I'm 2 feet from it) here some pics like happy nightmares took, as you can see no banding, i took pics with led dimming on and then in game mode
Game mode


thx bright room


hey nightmare what setting were you using when you took those pics? ill try and retake these pics with a better camera, but i haven't seen any banding issues at all

I have the same problem with my current setup. Cable will blank out for a second here and there, watching blu-rays will do the same thing--but I never had it happen with my 360. In my case I believe I have a touchy HDMI cable/port, but never bought another cable to try. I would try another cable first if you have one.

The folks on this forum hold performance to a higher standard than most people, but that being said, I'm with you fellas...so far 2010 has been very disappointing across the board with clouding, flashlighting, or uniformity issues showing up more than ever. It seems the combination of thin and a focus on 3D has caused a step backwards in dealing with those issues.
I'm about ready to grab last year's 60" E77U save a bundle and call it good for a while.

My Tivo HD is set to record the 3rd round of the Masters. Those recordings are excellent for judging PQ since these are HD filmed in natural daylight outdoors with well calibrated HD camaras. Moreover, we are most familiar with how outdoor scenery should look as opposed to studio lighting used in many shows.
Outoor sports events are valuable for judging TV performance. Record a Nascar event and experiment with True Motion settings to see how these affect the foreground versus the stationary background. This is a revealing test of motion compensation.

Finally, the Spears&Munsil HD benchmark is the best I have found for revealing Video processor deficiencies. For $25 it is a bargain. But then again do you really want to know ?

It will be... but it's a choice I will have to make... all too soon.


Believe me, I will stay glued to this forum until time to make my decision. This place was invaluable to me when I bought my first plasma 6 years ago. As for how well any of the 2010 sets render 3D, I could not care less. I will not be using that feature.

It should be exciting having carte blanche to buy any new TV I want. But with all I am reading and the disappointment being expressed across the board, I am feeling quite discouraged.

Thats exactly what I was saying and I'm right there with you on that decision. Seems like the major manufacturers made absolutely no effort to correct the very critical flaws that plagued last years models. Samsung is the worst. I really think they just took the B models from last year and added C badging and minor aesthetic differences so they could continue to sell at high MSRP.

Here are some pics:

Before (25"RCA)


After:






Some pics of the reflectivity of the set, taken during the brightest part of the day in my apartment:




Watched Planet Earth last night on Blu-ray with all the lights off and it looked incredible. Unfortunately I did notice some zone-banding, especially when the screen was mostly or all one color, for example shots of the blue sky or when the screen turns all white, in "vivid" picture mode. I will try to watch it in "game" mode and see what happens. I plan on ordering different HDMI cables to try to fix this ps3 HDMI issue with the picture and audio cutting out for half a second.

My interest in the 9500 is because it is supposed to be one of if not the best of the 2010 LCD/LED models, in terms of PQ and features set. Also I cannot deny the unobtrusiveness of the bezel has a lot to do with my interest in this model.