Mission Impossible: A high quality 32" or 37" TV/Monitor?

32-37LK450 S-IPS(there's a *VA variant) would fit your requirements perfectly : 1080p, extensive calibration controls, 10-bit panel, gamma is almost spot on out-of-the-box, no ghosting whatsoever due to IPS technology, 60hz set(so no motion enchantments at all) But, unfortunately, black level isn't deep, as it's S-IPS(for me personally, black level is "O.K" with some ambient lighting).

So maybe Sony NX720 series, if black level is really an issue.

P.S You forgot about 4:4:4 chroma, that's why there are only 2 sets i can think about right now. 4:4:4 chroma is very important for your scenario.

Panasonic D30 or DT30.

It's too bad about the space requirements as your budget would get you up to a 46" tv.

I would recommend a samsung over an LG. Samsung's black levels are much, much better. I purchased both and the samsung's picture was clearly superior, across the board, regardless of source material.

It seems as if samsung and others are moving towards 720p for 32" tv's, and that 37" tv's are becoming phased out in favor of 40" tv's as lcd panel prices drop.

In particular, samsung ln32d550.

Samsung LN32D550: Low input lag, 4:4:4 capable, RGB pixel alignment, high contrast + deeper blacks, and this specific model is known to have low backlight bleed (CCFL backlight with full coverage, unlike Edge-lit LED). It also has networking and movie playback via USB. There's decent control over color via the TV menu as well. It does have a narrow viewing cone but as a PC monitor from 3-4ft away it won't be an issue and still better than any TN panel monitor. Here's the D550 owner's discussion thread for further research.

But otherwise one or two of the other recommendations posted here were good candidates as well imho. The LG LK450 with IPS would have slightly worse blacks, but great colors overall with good control over them via the TV menu, it will have wider viewing angles as well. The VA variant (panel lottery) will have different characteristics such as moderately better blacks and smaller viewing cone, and a few other minor differences. Here's the LG LK450 owner's discussion thread.

Also, here is a 4:4:4 TV discussion thread, it focuses primarily on using TV's as monitors and quality of text. And other random disussions on using TV's as monitors here and here.

Meant to also say that you'll probably want to figure out where you are willing to compromise, because every model will have something you'll wish to improve, so choose the poison that most suits your preferences. The three models we posted above should be placed high on anyone's TV monitor list, LK450 IPS + VA and LN32D550. These models all also have CCFL backlights which equals full backlight coverage and less likely to have backlight issues like clouding, flashlighting etc compared to cheaper Edge-lit LED varieties.

With the IPS LK450 you'll be sacrificing some blacks, but that's probably it.

With the VA LK450 you may not be sacrificing much at all, except minor minutia like slightly reduced viewing angles vs IPS etc, but it would have better contrast/blacks as a tradeoff.

With the Samsung, not sure how well it will handle gamma correction via it's own TV menu, and perhaps a little less control over color compared to the LK450 (i may be wrong here).

Then there are the high end, but less tested candidates, like the Sony EX720 for example. The best recommendation i can give is to purchase from a place with a lax return policy in case you run into problems, which excludes Sears and Newegg because of restocking fees + their overall return policies on TV's. Walmart, BestBuy, Costco and Amazon are better in this regard. Walmart offers 90 day returns and i think Costco either offers 1 year returns or adds another year on top of the warranty (?) i forget which.

Check out the samsung ln40d550.

+1 for the 32LK450 or 37LK450 with S-IPS panel. Aside from black levels, you can't get a TV that calibrates any better.

The 40" size is much more available from more manufacturers and gets on sale a lot more I've noticed. The 37" size is much more rare in contrast. Often due to the sale prices a 40" in the same series can be found cheaper than the 37" in the same model series.

Samsung's excellent LNxxD550 series for example, has 32" 37" 40" and 46" sizes:
LN32D550, LN37D550, LN40D550, and LN46D550
I have the 32" but could have gone larger, but its for a secondary TV in another room.
I've found it has excellent black levels and picture quality, rivaling my main TV, a 46" 3-year old Panasonic plasma. Though the newer 2011 Panasonic plasmas now have even lower black levels - they are recommended if you can go with a 42" (the smallest plasma size)

For the LG LK450 series you will find these numbers on the outside box barcode, and the back of the TV if i'm not mistaken.

"CUSY" would mean it has an S-IPS panel inside.

"CUSD" would mean it has a VA panel inside.

Each version will have it's own minor drawbacks as posted earlier. Not taking panel lotteries into account, different sizes amongst the same model series, 32" 37" 40", will have the same performance and calibration options, the only difference being pixel and panel size. Here are some reviews for the Samsung D550, Samsung D6000, and LG LK450 (IPS version tested), but as with all reviews be sure to take their opinions with a grain of salt .

FYI, the Samsung LNxxD550 models also have a blue only mode for easy calibration.

With the more expensive LED models like the UNxxD6000, unfortunately you risk getting flashlighting and clouding on dark/black areas of the image. I have none of that with the CCFL backlit LNxxD550 model for reference.
The more expensive models like the D6000 are good if you want the 120Hz+ refresh and interpolation features that can produce the soap-opera effect though.

I was a not so proud owner of the LG for a few days...

The brown trim is not a problem. The picture is. Just avoid.

Ok, i'll bite, thanks :

- LNXXD550 view angles are not that good. And closer you sit, worse they get. Considering PC use...

- LNXXD550 has some auto-dimming function, which can't be turned off and can lead to shadow detail lose.

- Due to to panels it uses, LNXXD550 has smearing/ghosting/trailing/whatever-it's-called issue, very noticeable in games, particularly. Something like this : http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1378195

- Panel lottery.

- It's a Samsung...

AVOID IT.


Or just avoid trolls and fanboys. Far more easier.

Seriously, both sets have pros and cons, but generally they are very good sets.

1. overall picture was too dark, even with contrast near max.

2. terrible pixelation/artifacting/noise with OTA signals.

3. terrible noise with a perfect satellite signal.

4. strange green/brown tint on OTA signals.

5. very good picture with blu ray, but did not match the samsung.

6. the tuner is not very strong.

The LG was a major disappointment for me; given it's price and features, I was banking on it to be a homerun.

As far as being a 'fanboy,' I'm only a 'fanboy' of a high quailty picture. The brand name is not a consideration.

It would be helpful if you specified which LG model you're referring to, as those symptoms are not universal across the entire LG LCD family. For instance, I have the LG LD450 (last year's version of the LK450) and I am not experiencing #1, #2, #3, or #4 at all. The picture quality with OTA, fios hdtv, and directv hdtv all look decent to me; as compared against my Panasonic ST30 plasma and my now-defunct Sony XBR960 CRT (RIP )

No comment on #5 or #6 since I don't have personal experience with the Samsung D550.

It was the lg 42lk450.

I had high hopes for it: I didn't need it to match the picture quality of samsung, but it had to be close. I just wanted more connection options. I was very disappointed with both satellite and OTA picture quality, however. The noise level was just unacceptable on the tv station with the strongest signal; and the artifacts on satellite tv was just very disappointing.

The video noise was a very minor issue on that one station on the samsung; the satellite picture quality is stunning on the samsung.

I think what upset me was that the reviews for this particular LG were so numerous and so positive, I was certain I'd have at least a good, if not excellent experience with it.

I haven't noticed any ghosting on my Samsung LNxxD550 model.
And you can disable dynamic contrast effects by setting it to "OFF" and also setting the shadow detail to +2

Check out the LNxxD550 thread for more info.

Yes, you are correct: the LG, when fed a perfect signal (blu ray), looked quite good. The main difference between it and the samsung is that the LG looked darker. This is with dynamic contrast on, the normal contrast setting near max, and the energy saving feature off. I was watching at night, too, with low artificial lighting. Basically, an ideal setting. The LG still could not match the contrast or brightness of the samsung.

By way of contrast, no pun intended, the samsung display looks bright and has excellent contrast even with settings dialed down to the medium range.

As far as the satellite source signal, it is basically a perfect signal -- it looks very, very, very good on the samsung. Not quite as good as the very best blu ray sources, but still, I'd say it's impressive.

On the LG, satellite tv is noisy and the picture ridden with artifacts.

I've said this before several times, but the ongoing popularity of the LG set just baffles me.

I suspect that some of the rosy opinions you were hearing in the past were from PC monitor users. Most opinions about the LK450 in this thread are coming in from this angle.

And for the OP's reference, did you have the VA or IPS version of the 42LK450? (didn't notice it mentioned)

I don't have these issues on my 42LK450 with the S-IPS panel. Also, if the image is dim you raise the backlight, not contrast.


+1, not all LK450's are the same, panel version and build date seem to make significant differences.


Doing that minimizes the dimming but it will still happen on blank screens and whenever the image fades to black.


I have the IPS version and use my TV for Blu-ray, HD gaming on consoles, and comcast cable hdtv programming.

You are likely using the wrong picture settings, which would exaggerate flaws in the picture due to excessive compression and lower than expected resolution from the satellite TV source. Try Expert mode with all advanced settings (picture enhancements) off.

The 37LV3500 is virtually untested, especially for PC monitor use. We have no idea if it is capable of 4:4:4 chroma (as most TV's aren't), nor do we know about it's input lag (most TV's have high input lag). We have no idea how even the backlighting is (most Edge-lit sets are uneven). We do not know how much the Edge-lit backlight will affect color accuracy (because LED can affect it negatively).

Playing the historical odds, the odds aren't exactly in it's favor for PC monitor use, though being a 60hz LG set improves those odds a bit imho due to LG's halfway decent track record in this regard.

I'm sure there are tasteful ways of covering up the faux wood trim if it bothers you that much .

And as mentioned prior, definitely purchase your TV from a place that offers easy returns and exchanges, because there's a decent chance you won't like your first choice for whatever reason(s). As someone who's been tracking TV-monitors for a few years now, i've seen it happen often.




Audio/videoman, was wondering what panel your LG LK450 had, IPS or VA?

Knowing which panel you had sort of matters, and would help put your previous observations in the proper context. Thank you in advance.