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LG LH5000  TV Review

Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
LG LH5000
5.8
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

4.7
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

6.6
Sports 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

6.1
Video Games 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

4.6
HDR Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

3.5
HDR Gaming 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

4.6
PC Monitor 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

Tested using methodology v1.0 
 1
 TV Settings
The LG LH5000 is a low-end 1080p LED TV. It is priced below most other competing TVs, but offers disappointing picture quality. It has bad motion handling, and lacks a smart interface. It also lacks features found in more expensive TVs to improve the picture quality, such as local dimming.

Our Verdict

5.8
Mixed Usage 

Below average for mixed usage. Low contrast ratio results in poor dark scene performance. Motion handling is below average. Can't get very bright, and poor uniformity. Colors remain accurate at an angle.

Pros
  • Good color accuracy at an angle
Cons
  • No smart platform
  • Poor dark scene performance
  • Can't get very bright
4.7
Movies 

Poor for movies in a dark room. Native contrast is below average, and black uniformity is poor. Doesn't have features such as local dimming to improve performance.

Pros
None
Cons
None
6.5
TV Shows 

Below average for watching TV is a bright living room. Picture quality is below average. Colors remain accurate when viewed at an angle, but TV doesn't get bright enough to counter glare. Reflections are difficult to see through. No smart interface for casual watching.

Pros
None
Cons
None
6.6
Sports 

Slightly below average for watching sports. Motion performance is below average, with blur following fast moving objects. Dirty screen effect is quite visible. When viewed at an angle, colors remain accurate.

Pros
None
Cons
None
6.1
Video Games 

Below average for gamers. Input lag is quite low which is good. Motion performance is below average. Picture quality is below average.

Pros
None
Cons
None
4.6
HDR Movies 

Doesn't support HDR. Picture quality is below average, and dark room performance is especially poor.

Pros
None
Cons
None
3.5
HDR Gaming 

Doesn't support HDR gaming. Below average motion performance, and picture quality.

Pros
None
Cons
None
4.6
PC Monitor 

Poor PC monitor. Picture quality is below average. Doesn't support chroma subsampling or 1:1 pixel mapping and so text appears blurry.

Pros
None
Cons
None
  • 5.8
    Mixed Usage
  • 4.7
    Movies
  • 6.5
    TV Shows
  • 6.6
    Sports
  • 6.1
    Video Games
  • 4.6
    HDR Movies
  • 3.5
    HDR Gaming
  • 4.6
    PC Monitor
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
    2.  Updated Sep 28, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
    3.  Updated Jul 12, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

    Check Price

    43"43LH5000
    B&H
    43"43LH5000
    LG.com
    43"43LH5000
    Target.com

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We tested the 43" (43LH5000). This is the only size available at the moment.

    If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG LH5000 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.

    Size Model
    43" 43LH5000

    Compared To Other TVs

    Comparison picture

    Top left: Vizio D Series 1080p 2016 (D50-D1). Bottom left: TCL UP130 (55UP130). Middle: LG LH5000 (43LH5000). Top right: LG LH5700 (43LH5700). Bottom right: Samsung KU6300 (UN55KU6300).  Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

    The LG LH5000 is a budget TV, but unfortunately it offers worse than average picture quality and disappointing performance for almost any use. For the same price, there are better options out there and so it's hard to recommend this TV. Keep this in mind when viewing our recommendations below.

    Test Results

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    Design
    6.5
    Style
    CurvedNo

    The LG LH5000 has a basic design, with all plastic borders and stand. It looks very similar to other basic TVs, so although it doesn't look good it definitely won't stand out in any room. It is more blocky than most of the other budget LG TVs this year, such as the LH5700.

    Stand

    The stand is quite wide, but due to its square shape has a smaller footprint than most other stands which are angled outwards.

    Footprint of the 43" TV stand: 9.2" x 35.2"

    Back
    Wall MountVESA 200x200

    The back is all plastic and more blocky than other LG TVs. If wall mounted all of the inputs are still accessible which is good.

    Borders
    Borders0.67" (1.7 cm)

    The borders are of an average thickness. They don't look as good as higher end TVs, but are simple and all-plastic.

    Thickness
    Max Thickness3.35" (8.5 cm)

    When viewed from the side the TV appears quite bulky. The lowest part of the TV is the thickest, but it also protrudes where the inputs are. If wall mounted, it will stick out a bit.

    Picture Quality
    6.0
    Contrast
    Native Contrast
    1,015 : 1

    The native contrast ratio is below average for the LH5000 TV. IPS TVs always have lower contrast ratio compared to VA panel TVs and this one is on the lower end of the IPS range. Blacks are not very deep and look grayish when viewed in a dark room.

    0.0
    Local Dimming
    Local Dimming
    No
    Backlight
    Direct

    There is no local dimming feature on this TV, the video is only for reference.

    6.6
    SDR Peak Brightness
    SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    180 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 2% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 10% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 25% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 50% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 100% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 2% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 10% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 25% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 50% Window
    185 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 100% Window
    185 cd/m²

    The peak brightness performance is bad. This TV can't get very bright and at only 185 cd/m², it won't be enough to fight bright glare from a sunny window of even from a bright light. Since there is no local dimming, the brightness remains the same independently of what is shown on the screen.

    0.0
    HDR Peak Brightness
    HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    N/A
    HDR Peak 2% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 10% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 25% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 50% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 100% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 2% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 10% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 25% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 50% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 100% Window
    N/A
    6.2
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    5.394%
    50% DSE
    0.218%

    Gray uniformity is below average. Both sides of the screen are really dark when compared to the center. A big patch in the center is also a lot warmer than the rest of the screen. Some vertical bands are also visible. Dirty screen effect is noticeable, but luckily is not that bad.

    6.2
    Viewing Angle
    LCD Type
    IPS
    Color Shift
    23°
    Brightness
    29°
    Black Level
    75°

    The viewing angle is good and should provide good viewing even if you are not seated right in front of the TV. Color remains the same and contrast ratio start to drop only after about 29 degrees. This is a good result and beats most of the VA TVs out there, even the top of the line, like the Samsung KS9500.

    Update: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results.

    5.5
    Black Uniformity
    Native Std. Dev.
    2.937%

    Black uniformity is pretty bad on this LG TV. Here again IPS TVs tend to have less than stellar results in this test compared to VA panel TVs, but this one is very bad. There is a lot of backlight bleeding overall and also the upper left corner does suffer from flashlighting.

    8.0
    Gradient
    Color Depth
    8 Bit

    The 8 bit gradations can be seen when displaying out test picture. Some banding problems are visible in the darker color and in the grayscale. Some color shade problems can also be seen in the blue and the red, which could result in some banding on screen, when watching normal content.

    7.4
    Pre Calibration
    White Balance dE
    4.91
    Color dE
    4.53
    Gamma
    2.16

    The pre-calibration white balance and color space are a bit off with a dE over 4.5. For most people this probably isn't an issue, but it can be noticeable especially when compared to other more accurate TVs.

    7.4
    Post Calibration
    White Balance dE
    4.91
    Color dE
    4.53
    Gamma
    2.16

    Unfortunately, there is no calibration option on the LH5000, so there is no way to fix those little imperfections. You can see our recommended settings here.

    7.5
    480p Input

    480p content such as DVDs look quite good, but is a little too soft. Some finer details are lost, especially around sharp edges.

    7.5
    720p Input

    720p content is a bit too soft. Details and sharpness are lost, at the edges of objects.

    10
    1080p Input

    At the native resolution of 1080p, the content appears sharp as expected. There are no issues to be seen for high quality content.

    0.0
    4k Input

    The LH5000 is a 1080p TV and doesn't support any higher resolution.

    6.7
    Color Gamut
    Wide Color Gamut
    No
    DCI P3 xy
    71.12%
    DCI P3 uv
    80.8%
    Rec 2020 xy
    53.95%
    Rec 2020 uv
    60.23%

    The range of color that can reproduced by this TV is average. There is no wide color gamut option and the coverage is just enough for rec. 709 or SDR TV.

    4.7
    Color Volume
    Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
    50.426%
    10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
    26.877%
    Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
    36.748%
    10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
    19.661%

    The color volume of the LH5000 is poor. The TV can't produce dark saturated colors, and doesn't have a wide color gamut.

    2.5
    Image Retention
    IR after 0 min recovery
    2.926%
    IR after 2 min recovery
    0.866%
    IR after 4 min recovery
    0.354%
    IR after 6 min recovery
    0.037%
    IR after 8 min recovery
    0%
    IR after 10 min recovery
    0%

    The LH5000 budget IPS TV does have some image retention and it worse than average. The retention lasted pass the 6 minutes of recovery and was not noticeable after the 8 minutes mark. This is no so good and should be noticeable to people playing video games or using their TV as a PC monitor.

    6.5
    Reflections
    Reflection
    2.6%
    Screen Finish
    Semi-gloss

    Rainbow fringes can be seen around direct reflections. The percentage of light reflected is higher than average, and results in a washed out picture in a bright room. This TV is not recommended for a bright room or one with a few direct reflections.

    0.0
    3D
    3D
    No
    3D Type
    No
    2D to 3D
    No

    3D is not available on this TV.

    Pixels
    TypeLED
    Motion
    6.0
    Motion Blur
    Refresh Rate60 Hz
    Response Time
    28 ms
    Overshoot
    0 ms

    Motion blur is slightly below average. The response time is a bit longer than usual, resulting in a trail following moving objects. The backlight uses PWM flicker to dim, at a frequency of 120Hz.

    2.8
    Image Flicker
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    120 Hz
    BFI
    No
    BFI Frequency
    120 Hz
    BFI In Game Mode
    No
    0.0
    24p Playback
    Judder-free 24p
    No
    Judder-free 24p via 60p
    No
    Judder-free 24p via 60i
    No

    The LG LH5000 can't play movie without judder on any of the content format available. Meaning that movie will have judder from any sources, that be from DVDs, Blu-rays, streaming apps or any cable/satellite or set-up boxes. Unfortunately, no setting on the TV itself can help to eliminate judder.

    0.0
    Motion Interpolation
    Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
    No
    Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
    No

    The LH5000 doesn't support any motion interpolation features.

    Inputs
    8.0
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    35.7 ms
    1080p With Interpolation
    N/A
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    39.4 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    N/A
    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

    Input lag is good for the LH5000 but is not stable. The test result is an average of many tests we did, since each test gave a different result from the test before. Also, it tends to cycle over time.

    0.0
    Supported Resolutions
    Resolution1080p
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    No
    1080p @ 120Hz
    No
    4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
    No
    4k @ 60Hz
    No
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    No

    This TV has a 1080p panel, which supports up to a 60Hz signal. Although it supports a 1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 signal, it cannot display the chroma subsampling. This can be seen in our images below.

    LG LH5000

    LG LH5700

    Side Inputs
    Rear Inputs
    Total Inputs
    HDMI2
    USB1
    Digital Optical Audio Out0
    Analog Audio Out 3.5mm0
    Analog Audio Out RCA0
    Component In1 (incl. adapter, shared)
    Composite In1 (shared)
    Tuner (Cable/Ant)1
    Ethernet0
    DisplayPort0
    IR In0
    SD/SDHC0
    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
    No
    5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
    No
    HDMI 2.0 Full BandwidthNo
    ARCNo
    USB 3No
    HDCP 2.2No
    CECNo
    MHLNo
    Variable Analog Audio OutNo
    Sound Quality
    5.4
    Frequency Response
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    4.57 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    4.78 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    6.83 dB SPL
    Max
    87.1 dB SPL
    Low-end Cutoff
    179.59 Hz

    Poor overall performance. Frequency response is average at 75dB and 85dB, but poor under heavier loads due to the presence of compression and pumping. Maximum volume and low-end cut off are also poor, even for a TV.

    5.9
    Total Harmonic Distortion
    Distortion @ 70
    0.034
    Distortion @ 80
    0.057
    Distortion @ Max
    0.107

    Poor harmonic distortion performance. At lower volumes, the produced harmonic distortion is within decent limits. However, under heavier loads, there is a significant rise in the harmonic distortion with some amount of aliasing.

    Smart Features
    Apps

    The LH5000 is not a smart TV, and so there are no options to download apps. It doesn't even have a WiFi or ethernet connection.

    4.0
    Interface
    Smart OSNo

    Unlike most new TVs, the LH5000 doesn't have a smart platform. It only features a basic interface which allows changing settings or playing files off a USB. Those who want to watch from streaming services will require an external box. There is a tuner in the TV, so it is still possible to watch free to air channels. Due to the slimmed down nature of the OS, it is quick and easy to navigate settings.

    TV Controls

    A power switch is located close to the stand, on the left hand side of the TV. It is easy to access, but does not allow any settings or inputs to be changed.

    Remote
    RemoteBasic

    The basic remote is very similar to the one found in other basic LG TVs such as last year's LF5600. It has the same model number, but a slightly different LG logo.

    In The Box

    • Component adapter
    • Batteries
    • Remote
    • Manuals

    Misc
    Power Consumption27 W
    Power Consumption (Max)42 W
    FirmwareN/A

    Comments

    1. Product

    LG LH5000: Main Discussion

    Let us know why you want us to review the product here, or encourage others to vote for this product.

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      Hi! I still have the LG 37 Lh5000, which is very good, image-wise. I bought it back in 2011 and it’s design is different as compared to the one in your review - maybe that’s why I perceive a much better image quality, it’s another tv altogether. Of course, by now I should get a 4K tv…