LG goes IDTV, too!

Philip Wong | May 02, 2008

LG has beaten Samsung in releasing a new 2008 Integrated Digital TV. Its upcoming LG50-series HDTVs feature an onboard Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial tuner (DVB-T) and MPEG-4 decoder for receiving Singapore MediaCorp's HD5 high-definition broadcast. In addition, they also feature 30,000:1 dynamic contrast, electronic program guide, digital optical audio output and have trio of HDMI jacks with full 1080p24 input capability.

Interestingly, the LG50s seem to have the same teething issue as the Samsung IDTV offerings, too, with a single TV aerial for standard and HD receptions. So unless you are prepared to hot swap antennas on-the-fly, you will have a choice of either HD5 or the non-digitized channels (e.g. Channel U, Suria etc.). A rather strange problem since the usual practice overseas is to have two independent aerial inputs.

On a side note, the Korean company has also lined up a no-frills LG30-series with varying screen sizes ranging from 22- to 47-inches. For a value range, their specs are pretty respectable with HD-ready 1,366 x 768-pixel resolution, up to 15,000:1 dynamic contrast and dual HDMI ports. We're still awaiting information on pricing and availability from our LG contact, so stay tuned.

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