LCD TV Reviews

User Interface
The 52LBX user interface can be charitably described as aggravating. First, the main menu does not disappear when adjusting a picture parameter—it remains onscreen obscuring the picture and interfering with many test patterns. The same thing happens in the hidden service menu (which should be accessed only by a trained technician in order to fully calibrate the set), but that menu is even bigger and more obtrusive! Second, the basic picture controls (which are only available in the two User picture modes) are buried four levels deep in the menu system.

The pre-programmed universal remote is neither illuminated nor particularly stylish. It's the same remote that has been included with just about every LG TV for several years, and it's past due for an update.

As usual, there are no dedicated input buttons. Inputs are selected in one of two ways. You can either press the single Input button repeatedly to step through the options in sequence, or push the button once, use the up/down buttons to highlight the desired input, and press the Enter key to select it. Things get tedious either way, because unused inputs are not skipped, but continue to appear in "grayed out" form. It also takes the set several seconds to lock onto and display the selected input.