Official LG xxLK520 xxLK450 - Page 31

I would just use the component cables for your XBox. See how the picture quality is. Interestingly, you may avoid some video issues by using the RGB component input with the Xbox. For some reason, there sometimes are compatibility issues when game systems are used with HDMI in some LG models. There are sometimes eliminated by setting the game system to 720p, but then . . . what's the point if 1080 works through the component cables just fine?

HDMI seems to have a better image than analog on just about anything..
I have had good luck with www.eforcity INSTEN premium High Speed cables
Monoprice flat HDMI cables (thick rubber rather than metal mesh)
Monoprice mesh cables are to stiff and put strain on connectors, I have 2 6' that I am replacing with INSTEN standard HDMI to eliminate the strain
Also HDMI carries sound and image unlike component
There is a forum near the end of the main AVS forum page that is all things HDMI if you have more questions.
NOTE: A 6' HDMI cable should cost no more that $10 max.. don't get sucked into cable ripoff at your local retailer

Rather than buy an HDMI cable if he doesn't have one, I would not advise it until he see's if component gives an acceptable picture. As mentioned in my previous post above, with some of these LG models, HDMI does NOT provide the best problem free video in game systems. You are correct in that HDMI usually does give better video. But not always the case with the 2011 LK models. Owners have experienced a "stuttering" frame drop issue, or video that appears to "slow down" and then catch up. This is mentioned earlier in this thread and and also in the 2010 xxLD550, xxLD520 thread.

I have searched this thread by hand, maybe I missed it but can anyone say for sure WHAT exactly resides in my new TV?
42LK450-UH.CUSDLH is what is on the box.

First time poster, long time lurker here.

I've played the panel lottery and bought a LG 37LK430 from Netonnet here in Sweden. A guy I found on a price comparing site had bought one from the same place and gotten a VA-panel so I didn't have my hopes up much.

My TV:
Model No.: 37LK430-ZA
Serial No.: W in forth position
Loupe test confirms I got the IPS panel!
No dead/locked pixels.

So far so good, right? Well, not entirely... :/

I bought this TV for the sole use as a monitor for my HTPC, to surf, play movies (720p and 1080p) and to play games. First I used my old VGA cable and I found the colors somewhat lacking, though I got flawless pixel mapping with a picture that covers the entire panel.

Now I got a Supra DVI-HDMI cable and I just can't seem to get a pixel mapped picture that extends fully! If I want good text and a picture that looks pixel mapped, then I seem to lose 2 inches of screen real estate. Here's what I've tried and the respective results:

HDMI configured as "PC", PC output 1920x1080@60Hz: Lot of advanced settings on TV are blocked. Can only choose from 16:9 and 4:3 ratio, both get black borders around picture. Text is great on 16:9 and it looks pixel mapped.

HDMI configured as "Game", PC output 1920x1080@60Hz: All advanced settings and ratios seem available on TV. Can only get picture to extend fully by using Cinema Zoom 1 ratio, but this makes text fuzzy and does not look pixel mapped, also movies look somewhat smudged. Text look fine on "Just Scan" ratio, but as on "PC"-mode, this makes the picture not extend fully.

HDMI configured as "PC", PC output 1920x1080@50Hz: Same as if I run @60Hz but configure HDMI as "Game".

Changing between HDMI ports 1-3 seem to make no difference.
Upgraded TV to latest firmware made no difference.
Since I use a DVI-HDMI cable I can't seem to make a choice between the 4:4:4 varieties, but from what I've understood my Radeon 4870 automatically outputs full 4:4:4 0-255 color when using this cable.

Now, this makes absolutely no sense to me. The TV's native resolution is 1920x1080, right? That should mean that by feeding it 1920x1080 should more or less automatically result in a pixel mapped picture that covers the entire display!

So, my question is:
How can i get a pixel mapped picture that extends to the full display and leaves no black borders when using the TV as monitor to my HTPC through a DVI-HDMI cable?

I'm not sure what the problem is but I just bought a 32LK450 and I just had it set to PC and did the calibration as best I could using the AVSHD709 calibration on my PC. I made sure in the settings that the black level was at "low" as it was at "high" which caused the screen to be washed out. After that little tweaking, I made sure my pc recognized my TV as a LG TV and then set the resolution properly and set the tv with "just fit". I am using a Nvidia card but I know there should be a setting in your catalyst control center to adjust overscan. Just make sure the tv is at "just fit" first and 1920x1080, then mess with any overscan adjustments in CCC.

The D represents a VA panel.

Just as Zhunterz indicated. Make sure your TV is set to "Just Scan" for aspect ratio, and set your HTPC for the proper resolution in catalyst control center. I had to use the "30 HZ" setting in my control center for some reason to get the best picture, even though, the TV reports it is getting a 60HZ frame rate. [? ?] You should also do a "Monitor Detect" in your HTPC display controls and make sure it identified your TV as its model number and not "generic". If it comes up generic or some other brand/model monitor, you may have to do an EDID hack to get the control center to properly ID your TV.

We do not have your specific model here in the U.S. , so there may be some other issues at work here. You may want try this site for Euro model information:

http://www.avforums.com/

42 = screen size in inches
L = LCD
K = year and model
4 = budgetary series
50 = stand design

U - regional destination, Asia
H- design of the hull and stand?
C = LGElectronics Russia
US = intended for the US market
D = AU Optrionics, TN
LH = parts assembly, Korea

At least that's what it was for last year. Some of the designations may have changed with this year's models.

The serial number breaks down like this: the first digit is the year of mfg, the second and third the month of production, and the first letter is the place of production. So, for example, 005Rxxxxxxxx would be May, 2010, in Russia. Again, the place of production codes may have changed for the 2011 series.

With black level at "high" you'll have crushed details.

Try these settings :

Input labeled as "PC"

Backlight - whatever you like
Contrast - 90
Brightness - 40
H Sharpness - 32
V Sharpness - 37
Color - 49(at 50 i'm getting little over-saturation)
Tint - 0
Black Level - High
Color Temperature - Medium
Gamma - 2.2

Can anyone tell me how the lk450 compares to the lk520 in picture quality?

Indeed there was. Thank you very much!!!

It was just a very long bumpy road to get there. The reason I had overlooked this was that Catalyst Control Center was not working on my HTPC and it was a royal PITA to get it to work again. Turned out CCC was dependent on full .NET framework functionality and this was a bit crippled on my slipstreamed Windows 7. In short I just needed to create the string [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\.NETFramework] "OnlyUseLatestCLR"="1" in RegEdit.

The hard work was finding the info. CCC seems to have a lot of different problems and this was not even a common one...

Still, it baffles me that I need to set 15% "overscan" in CCC to get a full pixel mapped image with a digital signal.

I've been looking at TVs in the 600-$800 to replace my Olevia 237T and I'm not having any luck. I've tried a few TVs side by side w/ my current one and they don't even come close to justify the money. I thought going w/ a 120Hz TV would get rid of the blur I see when watching TV/DVDs.

So far the sets I've tried are listed below. I used the settings people have posted on these forums hoping to get a better picture than the out of the box picture. I know every panel is different so one persons setting will not work on my set.

-LG 42LK520: IPS panel verified using a pair of binoculars. I liked the colors of the screen and they really popped. But when watching TV/DVD everything looked choppy when the camera was moving around.

-Sony KDL-40EX500: I took this one back cause the colors on my Olevia looked 10 folds better.

-Samsung UN40C5000: I didn't care for this TV either. On my Olevia I can see peoples pores on there skin when watching TV and this one blurred the colors together so the skin was dull.

I'm at a lose and not sure what to do from here on out. I don't use my TV for console or PC gaming just watching mostly Netflix and SD TV. I'll probably just end up picking up the LK520 again cause the colors really did stand out and learn to get use to the shuttering when stuff is moving.

Ty for every ones feed back and time spent here I did learn a lot reading the vast amount of information posted.

Moses

Using binoculars for the loupe test is great I never thought about that but whatever works. I can just see you in BB staring at a tv with binocs! Depending on what you use for a source and how you tweak your set you may be able to get rid of a lot of the juddering you see. Just remember that previewing tvs in stores is not always the ideal situation.

I had all these TVs at my house for testing. I had the Sony KDL-40EX500 and LG 42LK520 all set up side by w/ my Olevia 237T in the middle. These were the TVs I was trying out cause Consumer Reports gave these the best ratings in there December 2011 issue.

Did you at least turn off All Image enhancement and run the AVS 709 BR Calibration disk to set all the basic user settings correctly on all TVs before comparing? If not, your comparison is not really all that valid..
All it compares is each manufacturer's out of box setting which is not going to get you the best image the TV is capable of producing..

need one more post before I can use the links I post in my reply

Hello Airscapes,

I didn't use the AVS 709 BR Calibration disk because every time I tried to burn it to a DVD I got a error. I did how ever use the setting posted by Phase700B in this thread. His settings in post #754 vs #755 looked better to me and were the ones I used in the comparison. For the Sony KDL-40EX500 I used the setting posted by Cburbs http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...postcount=4869. I thought the settings he used on 5/16/11 looked better then his revised ones on 9/28/11. For the Samsung UN40C5000 I used the settings posted by Nutdotnet http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...4#post21247594 in post #1510.

I know that no two panels are the same, so one mans settings are not going to work on any other TV. But I figured it would be a good starting point to tweak any settings that I deemed fit. So none of the TVs were using out of the box settings in my comparison. Like I said I will probably grab a LK520 again once my local Wal-Mart has them back in stock.

Ty for the feed back Otto Pylot and Aircapes. I'm by no means a monitor savvy and just going off other peoples feed back, settings and what looks best to me.


Moses

I just did it again the other day.. did you use the imgburn software and a DVD-R disk?

Hey all, recently purchased the 42lk520 last Friday and loving it over the weekend. Coming from a 5yr old olevia 232v. Since the weekend has passed, would it be ok to start calibrating it or wait a few more days for complete "break-in"? I'd say it was on most of the weekend since I didn't go out much.

Also, I as most know that the 60hz model is better for gaming but would this work? I know I could ask there but since it's primarily used for the 47w5300 I think here would be better.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...7#post21295177

Hello. I am dismayed that the 42LK520 [of the 40EX500] isn't giving you the picture quality you expected. I must admit I am somewhat perplexed as to why that may be. For instance, my daughter and her husband have an Olivia 237T and while it is/was a very good TV several years ago, the LCD panel response is 8ms while the 42LK520 is about 4ms. Both are decent figures, but the LG is half of the Olivia and should produce no visible "blur". Also, the Olivia is a 720p TV and while the LG is 5" larger diagonal, it still should be sharper since it is 1080p, plus have much better brightness and contrast ratio. Very puzzling as I am sure it must be for you. I would think that at least the basic "Cinema" adjusts in Post #755 would look pretty good since no advanced settings are fiddled with. I am familiar with the Olivia 237T since I purchased and set it up for my daughter. They still have it as their daily TV. Did you make sure you had "Energy Saving" set to "OFF" on the LG?

I'm wondering about the "blur" or "stutter" that you mention. What is your signal source and is it apparent for DVD/Blu-ray sources? Both Otto Pylot and myself have the 2010 "LD" series and have no stutter or objectionable "blur". Well, we hope a new one when available, performs well!

I burned another also with a fresh download and worked with IMGBurn too. However, with the LG "blur" or "stutter" he mentions, I doubt that gray scale or color settings are causing his issue. What puzzles me is the Olivia 237T is only 720p, 60HZ, not particularly the best in brightness and contrast ratio. It's about a 5 year old TV. Nice TV for it's time. Just plain puzzling to me.

I have noticed some stutter as well.. no blur.. just stutter. Can't duplicate it or predict it - it just happens randomly. Debating on if I want to keep the TV because it. Anyone else notice it?

Consumer Reports is an ok place to start but I'd never purchase a tv based on their recommendations alone. This is the place to go because users are just that, users, not paid reviewers. The fact that you have to return perfectly good tv's is a little discouraging.

Update... watching castle tonight produced a lot of the studdering.. almost like the motion processing was trying to do its thing even though its turned off. Funny thing is Monday night football is fine.

^^^ source. Even with TruMotion turned off, there's still some processing going on (60Hz x 2 = 120Hz) regardless.

Directv

Earlier in this thread "Videojanitor" purchased an LK 120HZ model and had the stuttering or "slow motion-catch up" issue. You can do a search for the posts he made. He is a video engineer and did a painstaking analysis of what may cause it. From what he found, it seems to happen if the video signal source has poor editing or drops frames at the source of 60HZ material, and usually at 1080 60HZ (but not necessarily always). The 3:2 cadence required in 24fps to 60fps conversion must be maintained. With some TVs, a break in the 3:2 cadence (which requires the TV to do 2:3 pulldown) causes the TV to lose "sync" in the cadence. So it has to hunt and then catch up. Only some LK and 2010 LD models seem to do it. . . .and, it is highly dependent on the video signal source as you have found. Live, non film material, usually does not have the problem. But any signal from cable boxes, game systems, satellite boxes, etc, that has momentary breaks in the video signal due to compression or processing from the source may cause the stutter.

Interestingly, changing the source resolution to 720p many times corrects the tendency to stutter. [As in Xbox or PS3, or cable boxes] Those of us who use an OTA antenna and only DVD or Blu-ray for signal sources usually don't see it at all. The only issue I've had is if my HTPC isn't set up correctly in catalyst control. This whole thing is just part of digital TV and it's very nature. Too many variables in signal source parameters. A TV makers has to design in ANY possible scenario of signal quality failure to maintain the video standards and how the TV should handle things like dropped frames or out of sequence cadence. Look up "video cadence" and you will see it is a gnarly mess of possible combinations. Now, not all of them are normally used , but some of them, such as in CGI generated images or digital editing, could be used at various times in production. And when conversion from one cadence or source to another takes place. . .. well, who knows the outcome.

LG apparently is aware of this, I think, but considers it as just what it is. A failure to adhere to proper editing and signal source standards. And since it happens only on some models from certain video sources, LG apparently considers it not a product problem. I recommend any of you who have the issue, call LG and have a tech look at it. Only when LG will have to PAY techs to come into homes will it there be a possibility of a firmware fix. I know it may be a hassle, but otherwise these TVs have the best features in picture quality, ISF calibration, and more in the low and mid priced range. Other TVs have other and even worse issues.

This is very similar to owners who like to play media files from USB devices or stream video from a PC or other device. And I don't mean NetFlix or HuLu type services. Do some reading about that! That seems to be a whole 'nother can of worms. Why folks would want to spend so much time downloading, converting, massaging, changing codecs, format , etc, just to watch some "free" video from some dubious and possibly illegal source is beyond me.

Great advice.. dont know how I missed it when reading this thread.. but after 20 some odd pages, it all blurs together. Like you said - if its not one thing its another with the new sets and there is no perfect set. Interestingly enough - the only show I have found with the issue where its noticeable more than one time is castle on abc. Now I have to look at the price paid and other options out there - when you look at the samsung 630 series, it has issues - sure the sonys may work better, but they are a few hundred more.. then I started to look the panny ips 3 lcd series, it only has 300 lines of motion resolution.. it goes on and on...

Out of curiosity, what is your signal source (cable, OTA,??) and if OTA, what TV market are in in the country? Some local stations have multiple sub channels and this results in bandwidth limitations. So they use various compression or even time/slice methods to fit shows in the bandwidth they have.

On the other note, yes, I've heard the Pansonics are pretty good this year depending on other variables. I didn't care for them last year and wanted an LCD with CCFL back lighting. I haven't seen a reasonably priced TV with good and even full array LED back lighting. (ie. A TV in the 42" to 47" range under $800).

My sister has the Sony EX700 and it is really pretty nice, but was over $1500. Plus, the menu doesn't seem as navigable as the LGs. Also, their room is so bright with lights on even at night I couldn't see how black level was or if it had any bloom. Part of this whole thing is that TV has gotten so good even small issues may bother us. I could never go back to a bulbous glaring CRT. I love the "black out" screen of my LG and almost 5 year old Mitsubishi LT-46231 LCD. They even look great when they are turned off.