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LG LF5500 TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
LG LF5500 Picture
5.9
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
5.2
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.5
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.5
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.4
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
4.5
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
3.2
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
5.7
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench

The LG LF5500 LED TV isn't a great budget TV. It has good color accuracy at an angle and low input lag, but its poor contrast ratio and screen uniformity are a deal breaker if you watch it in a dark room.

Our Verdict

5.9 Mixed Usage

While it has low input lag, the motion blur of the LG LF5500 is a bit too much to make it a good choice for gaming. Movies aren't great either, due to the low contrast ratio and poor screen uniformity. The main advantage of this LG TV is the good color accuracy at an angle.

Pros
  • Low input lag.
  • Good color accuracy at an angle.
Cons
  • Poor contrast ratio.
  • Significant motion blur.
  • Poor screen uniformity.
  • 5.9 Mixed Usage
  • 5.2 Movies
  • 6.5 TV Shows
  • 6.5 Sports
  • 6.4 Video Games
  • 4.5 HDR Movies
  • 3.2 HDR Gaming
  • 5.7 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated Jun 07, 2015: Our testers have started testing this product.
  3. Updated Apr 24, 2015: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Test Results

Design
8.0
Design
Style
Curved No
Design
Stand

Like most LG TVs, the stand is separated into two feet, which requires a very wide table. Our 49" (LG 49LF5500) has a footprint of 40.5" by 10".

Design
Back

The front of the bezel of the LG LF5500 is gray, which makes it stand out in a room. At least the bezel is quite thin.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.55" (1.4 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 2.09" (5.3 cm)
Picture Quality
5.9
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
936 : 1

This LG TV's contrast ratio is below average, because it has an IPS panel. In a dark room, the blacks are gray, which isn't ideal.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Direct
5.8
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Peak 2% Window
242 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
242 cd/m²
5.4
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
6.001%
50% DSE
0.259%

It has the worst gray screen uniformities that we have seen so far. It has a lot of brighter spots, which creates noticeable dirty screen effect.

6.4
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
IPS
Color Shift
23°
Brightness
34°
Black Level
75°

The LG LF5500 maintains good color accuracy even at an angle. The picture only gets darker when viewed from the side.

Update 01/06/2017: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results from 2016 TVs.

5.9
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
2.681%

The uniformity of the black color isn't great. The edges are darker, and our unit had a few clouding spots.

8.1
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
3.74
Color dE
3.2029
Gamma
2.14
9.7
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.2
Color dE
1.1674
Gamma
2.19
7.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

Upscaled 480p content looks slightly soft on this TV, although the difference with other TVs isn't very big.

7.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Upscaled 720p content also looks a bit soft, but once again the difference with other TVs isn't very big either.

10
Picture Quality
1080p Input

1080p content like Blu-rays looks good.

0
Picture Quality
4k Input
6.6
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
72.87%
DCI P3 uv
79.91%
Rec 2020 xy
52.31%
Rec 2020 uv
58.36%
8.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
1.8%
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss

The LG LF5500 only reflects an average amount of light. However, there is a rainbow around very bright objects (like light bulbs).
Its maximum brightness is sub-par. It should be okay for a room with a window or two, but not more than that.

0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
No
3D Type
No
Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Motion
5.8
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 60 Hz
Response Time
28.9 ms
Overshoot
0 ms

The LG LF5500 LED TV has a good deal of motion blur. It isn't a good choice for sports or video games, but it should do fine for TV shows or movies.

2.8
Motion
Image Flicker
PWM Dimming Frequency
120 Hz
BFI
No
BFI Frequency
120 Hz
BFI In Game Mode
No
7.1
Motion
24p Playback
Judder-free 24p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-free 24p via 60i
No

The TV has no judder in movies when watching them via a 24p source (like a Blu-ray player). It can't do the reverse 3:2 pulldown though.

0
Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
No
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
No
Inputs
8.6
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
28.4 ms
1080p With Interpolation
N/A
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
31 ms
4k @ 60Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
N/A
4k @ 60Hz + HDR
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
N/A

In game mode, the input lag is a low 28.4ms. The other modes aren't much higher (31ms), so feel free to use whichever you prefer.

2.0
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 1080p
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 60Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
No

To enable chroma 4:4:4, label the HDMI input as PC.

Inputs
Side Inputs
Inputs
Rear Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 2
USB 1
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 1 (shared)
Composite In 1 (shared)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 0
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
SD/SDHC 0
Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
No
Dolby Vision
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
No
5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
No
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth No
ARC No
USB 3 No
HDCP 2.2 No
CEC Yes
MHL No
Variable Analog Audio Out No
Sound Quality
5.3
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
6.6 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
8.63 dB SPL
Max
80.5 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
89 Hz

Very poor frequency response that only gets worse as the TV is pushed hard. This is the weakest TV we have tested in terms of loudness. However, the low-end cut off is decent.

7.2
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.017
Distortion @ Max
0.029

Minimal distortion levels throughout the range, but not a big feat when the TV doesn't get loud at all.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

The TV cannot play video files via USB - only pictures or music files.

4.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS No
0
Smart Features
Ads
Ad-free
No
Opt-out
No
Smart Features
Remote
Remote Basic

The remote included with the TV is basic, but does the job.

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 38 W
Power Consumption (Max) 77 W