Until recently, willy waving competitions between the big brands used to centre around who had the biggest screen. But now the one-upmanship is turning to who has the slimmest screen.
At 44.7mm deep, LGs 42LG6100 fits firmly into this new battleground, and is easily LGs slimmest to date. Its not actually the thinnest set weve seen, but were not going to hold a few millimetres against it considering that at 740 its remarkably affordable for a super-slim 42in TV.
Scarlet starletWhats more, the 42LG6100s slimness is far from the sets only claim to design fame. For its fascia is resplendent in its sheer, glossy finish, and its rear end sports a dazzling bright red finish. Crikey. Shy and retiring this TV is definitely not.
The 42LG6100s showboating continues with its onscreen menus, which are some of the most graphics-heavy and well-presented affairs weve used. Whats more, they retain their simplicity despite containing a surprising number of features, including LGs TruMotion 100Hz and XD Engine video processing, and reams of colour management tools.
The sets connections are prodigious too, with highlights of four HDMIs, a dedicated PC port, and a USB 2.0 socket for direct JPEG/MP3 playback.
The 42LG6100s need to be loved is even manifest in its picture quality. For its extreme colour vibrancy and full-on brightness ensures that your eye remains rapt on the screen at all times.
Crucially, though, the colour vibrancy doesnt come at the expense of natural tones, while more good news finds standard definition looking clean and sharp, and motion suffering only marginally with LCDs blurring tendencies provided you activate the TruMotion system.
Not the sharpest tool in the boxThankfully for the 42LG6100s costlier super slim rivals, its not a perfect performer. Black levels are only good rather than great, for instance, and HD pictures dont look as pin-sharp as they ideally might.
You have to use the TruMotion processing with care, too. For while it generally works well, it can cause flickering glitches over really fast-moving footage.
Finally, the 42LG6100s slimness doesnt do its sound any favours. Theres not enough bass to make films sound convincing, and treble information can seem harsh.
While flawed, though, its the positives in the 42LG6100s performance that ultimately leave the strongest impression. And so with the sultry design and approachable price thrown into the equation, all in all it strikes us as a really attractive all-rounder.
Author:John Archer
Copyright 2009 Dennis Publishing All Rights Reserved.
LG 42LG6100