LG 55LM9600 3D LED LCD HDTV Review

3D

During our first experience with LG's new 3D implementation while reviewing the 47LM6700, we walked away feeling very impressed. We've spent a good amount of energy and eyesight meticulously testing each company's 3D as it's been refined and refurbished, and so far LG has proven to be one of the best, if not the best, innovators in 3D televisions. That quality is held over in the LM9600. LG's passive 3D glasses are minimalist in their set-up, which we prefer over an active set that needs to be charged. Active glasses also tend to feel heavy when worn over long periods of time, and often needs to be bought separately from their TVs. Furthermore, the headache effect is entirely absent while viewing 3D content on the LM9600--though we could definitely feel the effects of the differentiated technology (discussed in more detail here) being sorted out by our fully competent brains.

The best thing about the 3D, we feel, is that it's easy to forget you're watching it. LG's glasses are lightweight and comfortable, and don't dim colors as much as some of those we've tried in the past. Further, and more importantly, the crosstalk is very minimal if it's present at all, leaving the brain and eyes to comfortably settle on a tastefully rendered series of 3D images. Grays and blacks sprinkled with debris and starlight within a space scene maintained their color integrity while still appearing to stretch into the background and foreground of the screen's 2D plane--the real goal of all 3D content.

To top all this off, LG has provided serious support to their 3D televisions by making use of a wide array of apps, and their signature 3D World, to make sure users actually have 3D content to view. These small efforts combine into a rather appealing final product, and for the first time since the LV6700, we felt eager to pop on the 3D shades and reflect on what it means to bridge the third dimension.

If you want quality 3D that's as effective as it is subtle, you may have to wait a few more years. But in the meantime, LG has come as close as any manufacturer yet, and the LM9600 won't disappoint.