Majority of members on this forum seem to be of the opinion that 32" is the minimum size that one should consider when going in for a widescreen TV. For example, a thread on 26" LCD TVs generally ended up being a discussion on 32" TVs. However we on this forum constitute a miniscule of India's consumer population. The vast majority of aam janta consumers are swayed by the salesmen who know next to nothing about the consumer electronics that they are selling. In this mass market the 26" LCD TV has carved a niche for itself. Though the falling costs of 32" TVs have considerably narrowed the price margin between 32 and 26 inchers yet there are people who still go in for 26" TVs.
I am not going to glorify the 26 incher and sing its praises but I would like to point out that in India (as is the case in the rest of the world {but especially in India}) we are preoccupied with size. Leaving aside the Freudian implications of the last remark, this obsession with size is everywhere apparent. In a hot city like Delhi, for example, people have got it into their heads that it is fashionable to breed Saint Bernard dogs... and thus end up spending a fortune on electricity bills (because these hairy behemoths need an AC environment during Delhi summers). In cars too, the general idea also seems to be that bigger is posh-er. So too in the case of Televisions, we have convinced ourselves that BIGGER IS BETTER. Which is not necessarily the case since room dimensions, viewing distance, personal preference, budget, etc have to be taken into consideration. Also there are people who want a secondary TV for the bedroom, kitchen or bathroom (if you happen to be in the Vijay Mallya league, in the case of the bathroom TV) and in such situations a bigger size TV is not really required. Enter the 26 inch TV. It is bigger than your average monitor to catch the eye, and yet is not so big that it takes up too much space.
Even die-hard critics of LG will never dispute the fact that LG products always pack in that extra oomph in styling. The LG 26LU10UR stands out from the rest of the herd (be they 26", 32" or even 42"). It has got a colour scheme that is a pleasant change from the standard black that all LCD TVs come in. The colour scheme, with its combination of orange and white is reminiscent of the first iBooks that came out sometime in 1999-2000.
Opening the box you will find the TV, stand separate which needs to be fixed. All in all the amount of time required to set it up is less than five minutes.
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See what I mean about the colour??
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connectors at the back
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USB port at the side
The USP of this TV is that it is capable of playing DivX movies via its USB port. I am not aware of any 26 inchers from the competition that boast of this feature. So of course I had to try this feature. And it works. I haven't really tweaked the picture settings but the movies looked pretty okay.
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User friendly interface for playing DivX via the TVs USB port
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The Bounty Hunter.avi
Next I hooked this TV up to my PC, via a DVI to HDMI cable. The native resolution is 720p, but it accepts 1080p output as this picture shows. Text was pretty readable.
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Before I go on to performance I would like to clarify that I am no great knowledgeable expert. I do not use Displaymate or any other software and so I am really depending on the evidence of my own two untrained eyes. Also I am not comparing it with any other TV from the competition. Having said that, I am pretty sure I know more than the average salesman. For example, I know that response time is NOT the time taken to change from one channel to another
.
LG advertising nowadays emphasizes that it uses IPS panels in its TVs. The supposed benefits of an IPS panel are that it greatly improves the viewing angle. So I had to test this out for myself. As these photos show the vertical viewing angles are good. The image does not get washed out when viewed from a height. Similarly the image does not get dark when viewed from below (this is important if the TV is going to be wall mounted). Horizontal viewing angles were also very good. Nothing to complain about.
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shot taken at an extreme upward angle
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taken at an extreme downward angle. (In real life you are never going to watch from such angles)
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viewed from dead centre
Next I played a few games.
Assassin's Creed 2 and PES 2010. Both the games were in 1920x1080 resolution. (Any blur in the photos is to be attributed to my unsteady hand and a measly 2 MP camera phone.)
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just my Juve dream team. Messi is still in Barca
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Assassin's Creed II
The remote was good and tactile (whatever 'tactile' means- I read this word on so many reviews that I just had to use it) There is also an ECO mode but I haven't got around to using it yet.
I also connected this TV to my Pioneer DV220 via HDMI. The results are there to see.
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Another notable feature of this TV is its sound. True to its JAZZ lineage, the speakers are pretty loud. The sound is rated at 300W PMPO which is roughly 30W RMS. It is quite unlikely that anyone will use a dedicated HT sound system with a 26" TV so the speakers do a pretty decent job.
This TV has got a lot going for it especially considering its movie-playing USB port, which would be handy for buyers on a budget. Picture quality ,from the point of view of a philistine, is good with nothing to really complain about. Of course, the expert who spends all his time watching HD videos on Pioneer/Panasonic Kuro will have a lot to disagree about, but for an average consumer the TV does not have any glaring defects.
Lastly, I am not endorsing LG products; just writing my impression of a particular LG product.
I am not going to glorify the 26 incher and sing its praises but I would like to point out that in India (as is the case in the rest of the world {but especially in India}) we are preoccupied with size. Leaving aside the Freudian implications of the last remark, this obsession with size is everywhere apparent. In a hot city like Delhi, for example, people have got it into their heads that it is fashionable to breed Saint Bernard dogs... and thus end up spending a fortune on electricity bills (because these hairy behemoths need an AC environment during Delhi summers). In cars too, the general idea also seems to be that bigger is posh-er. So too in the case of Televisions, we have convinced ourselves that BIGGER IS BETTER. Which is not necessarily the case since room dimensions, viewing distance, personal preference, budget, etc have to be taken into consideration. Also there are people who want a secondary TV for the bedroom, kitchen or bathroom (if you happen to be in the Vijay Mallya league, in the case of the bathroom TV) and in such situations a bigger size TV is not really required. Enter the 26 inch TV. It is bigger than your average monitor to catch the eye, and yet is not so big that it takes up too much space.
Even die-hard critics of LG will never dispute the fact that LG products always pack in that extra oomph in styling. The LG 26LU10UR stands out from the rest of the herd (be they 26", 32" or even 42"). It has got a colour scheme that is a pleasant change from the standard black that all LCD TVs come in. The colour scheme, with its combination of orange and white is reminiscent of the first iBooks that came out sometime in 1999-2000.
Opening the box you will find the TV, stand separate which needs to be fixed. All in all the amount of time required to set it up is less than five minutes.
See what I mean about the colour??
connectors at the back
USB port at the side
The USP of this TV is that it is capable of playing DivX movies via its USB port. I am not aware of any 26 inchers from the competition that boast of this feature. So of course I had to try this feature. And it works. I haven't really tweaked the picture settings but the movies looked pretty okay.
User friendly interface for playing DivX via the TVs USB port
The Bounty Hunter.avi
Next I hooked this TV up to my PC, via a DVI to HDMI cable. The native resolution is 720p, but it accepts 1080p output as this picture shows. Text was pretty readable.
Before I go on to performance I would like to clarify that I am no great knowledgeable expert. I do not use Displaymate or any other software and so I am really depending on the evidence of my own two untrained eyes. Also I am not comparing it with any other TV from the competition. Having said that, I am pretty sure I know more than the average salesman. For example, I know that response time is NOT the time taken to change from one channel to another
. LG advertising nowadays emphasizes that it uses IPS panels in its TVs. The supposed benefits of an IPS panel are that it greatly improves the viewing angle. So I had to test this out for myself. As these photos show the vertical viewing angles are good. The image does not get washed out when viewed from a height. Similarly the image does not get dark when viewed from below (this is important if the TV is going to be wall mounted). Horizontal viewing angles were also very good. Nothing to complain about.
shot taken at an extreme upward angle
taken at an extreme downward angle. (In real life you are never going to watch from such angles)
viewed from dead centre
Next I played a few games.
Assassin's Creed 2 and PES 2010. Both the games were in 1920x1080 resolution. (Any blur in the photos is to be attributed to my unsteady hand and a measly 2 MP camera phone.)
just my Juve dream team. Messi is still in Barca
Assassin's Creed II
The remote was good and tactile (whatever 'tactile' means- I read this word on so many reviews that I just had to use it
) There is also an ECO mode but I haven't got around to using it yet.I also connected this TV to my Pioneer DV220 via HDMI. The results are there to see.
Another notable feature of this TV is its sound. True to its JAZZ lineage, the speakers are pretty loud. The sound is rated at 300W PMPO which is roughly 30W RMS. It is quite unlikely that anyone will use a dedicated HT sound system with a 26" TV so the speakers do a pretty decent job.
This TV has got a lot going for it especially considering its movie-playing USB port, which would be handy for buyers on a budget. Picture quality ,from the point of view of a philistine, is good with nothing to really complain about. Of course, the expert who spends all his time watching HD videos on Pioneer/Panasonic Kuro will have a lot to disagree about, but for an average consumer the TV does not have any glaring defects.
Lastly, I am not endorsing LG products; just writing my impression of a particular LG product.
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