LG 55LE8500

Display Size & Technology

Most of the display technology LG 55LE8500 is carried over from last year. The new developments were all shoved into the top-of-the-line LE9500 series. The LE8500 TVs are not 3D and they don't have 480Hz refresh (not that we think it would make much difference).

The LG 55LE8500 does offer Full LED Slim, which is LG's branding term for back-lit LED. The alternate LED technology, edge-lit LED, is usually the found in super-thin TVs. But back-lit offers the distinct advantage of local dimming, meaning you can have deep blacks next to bright whites without losing quality in either. The 55LE8500's LED system is using a proprietary LG technology called Integrated Optical Plate (IOP), which arranges the LED packets in strips for 240 controllable zones. The previous generation of LG LED TVs had 96 zones.

The 55LE8500 is mostly carried-over technology

Formats & Resolution

The LG 55LE8500 is a native 1080p resolution TV.

Brightness, Blacks and Contrast Ratio

The black levels and contrast ratio on LG's 2009 LED TVs were not very impressive—at least not for the price—and we're hoping it improves. We expect the increase in controllable zones to result in better tunnel contrast, as well. Tunnel contrast measures how well a TV can maintain its black levels while that patch of black is surrounded by increasing amounts of bright white. This may also have a positive effect on the overall contrast ratio. However, we can't be sure of any of these things until we can get the TV into the lab.

Color

There was no mention made about the color performance on the LG 55LE8500, other than to say that the technologies will be carried over from the previous year. Our review of the 47LH90 showed a solid performance.

Motion & Refresh Rate

The LG 55LE8500 features TruMotion 240Hz, which is just LG's branded term for 240Hz refresh rate. The jury is still out on how much the human eye can distinguish a difference past 120Hz. We've heard arguments both ways from experts in the field, but our own testing shows very little difference.

The step-up model from the 55LE8500, the LE95000 series, features 480Hz refresh. 

Viewing Angle

The viewing angle of LCD televisions is never as good as plasma, but you definitely see a qualitative difference between cheap LCDs and top-tier LCDs. Expect the LG 55LE8500 to clock in somewhere around 25-30 degrees, if it's anything like last year's model.