Our Verdict
The LG LB5800 LED TV isn't a bad TV, but you will gain by spending a little bit more to get the Samsung H6350. When the lights are turned off, the LG has gray blacks and when the lights are turned on, it has reflection issues.
- Great viewing angle. The colors stay consistent when you view it from the side.
- Low input lag and a low amount of motion blur. This is a great gaming TV.
- You need a wide table to accommodate the stand.
- Poor contrast. The blacks are gray.
- Significant amount light reflected. The screen also gets a yellow tint when the room is bright.
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We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests are done with specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
The LG LB5800 LED TV has a matte gray frame. The TV is quite thick due to its direct lit LED backlight.
The stand is separated into two pieces, on both sides of the TV. Even with the 42", we had to use our extension to put it on our table.
The contrast ratio of the LG LB5800 is low. In a dark room, the blacks are gray and the shadow details aren't good.
The black uniformity is not perfect, but it isn't bad either. Small issues are more evident though, because of the poor black levels.
Our unit had gray uniformity issues. We couldn't see it in normal videos, but it was noticeable in panning shots.
The viewing angle has always been the strong suit of LG LED TVs. The LB5800 is not an exception. The colors stay saturated even when viewed from the side. This is great for large families.
The LG LB5800 has a rainbow effect around lights and it gives the screen a yellow tint. It also reflects more than the average LED.
The reflection issues are even more pronounced in a bright room. The screen is washed out by a yellow tint. At least the screen can get very bright.
The LB5800 has a higher response time than average (the red between the letters of our logo is pink), but it does have nice backlight strobing, so the picture is still defined.
In game mode, the input lag is average-good and you won't notice it in video games.
