LG 32LG6000 Scarlet television review

Mutton dressed as lamb?

22 July 2008 9:00 GMT / By Jamie Carter

What's unusual about the 32-inch 32LG6000 LCD TV is its design. Also known as Scarlet, a round aperture with LED light on the front is the most obvious flourish, but look behind the TV and you’ll find it completely, err, red. Wall mounters look away now – and anyone else who doesn’t regularly watch TV from behind.

A silver ring in the centre of the TV, below the screen, is touch sensitive and glows red when the TV is switched off and white when it’s on. It’s an effect that can be bypassed from the remote. Sadly, the shrill music that plays every time the TV is switched-on can't be muted.

Although the end result is rather attractive, the 32LG6000’s unusual colour and hollowed-out hoop design can’t hide the fact that the technology inside is dangerously close to its sell-by-date. And that's despite it being just 1.7-inch thin.

These pages are increasingly filled with reviews of Full HD televisions sporting 1920 x 1080 pixel resolutions. It’s happening so fast – many new 32-inchers have exactly that resolution already – that TV manufacturers like LG are perhaps trying to shift old stock before it becomes wholly derided. That’s the harsh take on Scarlet.

So is she simply mutton dressed as lamb? Not at all. For starters, it can be found online for under £450 – it's hardly as if LG is cashing-in. Besides, for most consumers Scarlet’s 1366 x 768 resolution is plenty enough. Some would even argue that at this relatively small size there’s no visible difference between HD-ready and Full HD screens, and though we would have to disagree on that, the 32LG6000 turns in a decent picture performance.

Pumping in some high-def to one of the set’s four HDMI inputs (you won't find any other TVs this size with so many) produces a superbly clean picture. Some BBC HD footage of the men’s final at Wimbledon makes a good example. Set to sport mode and the picture is brightened, suffers from some picture noise and just doesn't know what to do with the net. It’s in a right state. Change to either game or cinema mode and it's pretty much the perfect image, albeit a slightly less detailed one.

Freeview has the same issue – often unwatchable until you tweak the picture settings, but damned fine thereafter. It's also worth mentioning the fabulous digital TV software that, together with the TV's own onscreen menus, makes Scarlet a joy to use.

Our only issue is with motion judder, which can make camera pans slightly awkward to watch.

Even if you’ve moved on from Freeview to embrace world of HDTV from Sky, Virgin or Freesat, there’s really no need to find a Full HD set over a HD-ready version – you really will see no difference and, worse, Freeview can look shoddy on higher resolution sets.

Verdict

Scarlet puts in a decent performance with Freeview, DVDs and Blu-ray, although its style and usability should be its key attractions. Time to paint the lounge red.

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Review Recap

Made by: LG
Price as reviewed: £600
Latest price: Compare prices
The good: Easy to use on-screen menus, Freeview pictures, clean high-def images
The bad: Blu-ray discs lack fine detail, some image lag
Quick verdict: Style and substance rule on this mid-range screen, though its mass of features can't hide its lack of Full HD resolution
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