LG 32LD490

LG 32LD490 review

LG's winning combination of high feature counts, smart looks and bold pricing has seen it charge up the affordable TV sales charts. The 32LD490 is a perfect example of the South Korean firm's bang/buck philosophy, with a full HD resolution, Freeview HD tuner, USB input with surprisingly extensive multimedia playback support and even access to LG's online NetCast platform.The sheer scale of LG's current lineup makes it difficult to place this CCFL-lit set in any kind of meaningful context, but if you're after something larger, but similarly value-oriented, there are 42in and 37in versions of this set available. The LD690 series adds 100Hz and more elegant styling to proceedings, while stepping up from there to the LD790 series brings 200Hz processing.If you'd rather have an edge LED backlight, meanwhile, the equivalent models in LG's range are within the LE4900 series. The 32LD490 is nowhere near as pretty as the majority of LG sets. Its bezel is both unusually chunky and rather plasticky and there are precious few curves or flourishes to help it stand out from the crowd. Things quickly pick up with the connections; while the three-strong HDMI count is merely good, rather than great, there's impressive multimedia support in the shape of a D-Sub PC input, a USB 2.0 slot and an Ethernet port.