THE BIG PICTURE

A couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from Bogeun Chung, general manager of the LCD TV product-planning team at LG's headquarters in Seoul, Korea. He wrote that he would be passing through L.A. with one of his engineers on Monday, June 9, and asked if we could meet at Grayscale Studio, the video-testing facility for UAV and Home Theater. I value any personal contact with manufacturer representatives, so I quickly agreed. Little did I know how interesting that meeting would turn out to be...

We started at my favorite Mexican dive, where Chung asked for the hottest salsa they had. (He thought it was still pretty mild, which goes to show how hot things can get in Korea!) As we munched fish tacos, Chung and chief research engineer Mun-Sik Bae explained that they designed the latest LG LCDs—the LG60 line (pictured above)—to deliver the most accurate video reproduction possible from an LCD TV.

Chung noted that many manufacturers aim at producing an "emotional" picture, which is code for too bright, too blue, and oversaturated, whereas his goal is accurate adherence to the BT.709 color gamut and D65 grayscale. When shown side by side, he said that most uneducated consumers prefer the "emotional" approach, but once they understand what's what, they clearly see the superiority of an accurate image.

Unfortunately, I didn't have an LG60 on hand that we could play with. Tom Norton reviewed the 42-inch version for Home Theater's August issue, but it was at the photographer's studio. However, we did have Tom's measurements, which confirmed that the 42LG60 exhibited exceptionally accurate colors and grayscale, especially after calibration, though even the pre-cal results were better than most. It's only real technical drawback was a relatively high black level, which Chung and Bae acknowledged was due to LG's use of IPS (in-plane switching) LCD panels.

After lunch, we went back to Grayscale Studio, where Bae showed me a simulation of the LG60's menu system on his laptop. Among the most impressive options is a 10-point grayscale calibration system—separate, independent RGB controls for 10 IRE, 20 IRE, and so on up to 100 IRE. You can also choose to calibrate with the standard RGB gain and offset controls, but the 10-point system avoids the common problems associated with that approach. Another sophisticated option is the color-management system, which lets you tweak the saturation and hue of the three primaries and three secondaries.

I expect to get a 47-inch LG60 for review in the next couple of weeks, and I look forward to putting it through its paces. Meanwhile, Chung and Bae asked what I would like to see in the next generation of LCD TVs beyond the LG60. The first thing that came to mind was a "blue-only" mode, which shuts off the red and green channels. This is very useful for setting the color and tint controls and a far sight better than using a notoriously unreliable blue filter. Heck, why not include a green-only and red-only mode as well? With the extensive color-management system, that would come in mighty handy as well.

They wondered if including test patterns in the TV's firmware would be useful. At first, I thought not, since I would want to calibrate the set from the source I would then use to play content. But Chung reminded me that you can't calibrate from a broadcast source such as a cable or satellite box, which led me to think that internal test patterns might be useful for that application.

As I was writing this blog, it struck me as a unique opportunity for our readers to help influence the development of future video displays. So I ask you the same question: What features and capabilities would you like to see in LG's next generation of LCD TVs? I invite you to post a comment here or send me an e-mail at the address below. I'll compile the responses and pass the information on to Chung and Bae. Who knows? Your idea just might end up in an LG LCD.

If you have an audio/video question for me, please send it to scott.wilkinson@sourceinterlink.com.