LG 52LG70YD LCD television

It bears a family resemblance to its plasma sibling, the LG 50PG30FD, but the LG Electronics 52LG70YD LCD HDTV is clearly the more advanced model.

Whereas the LG 50PG30's main menu starts with six icons, the LG 52LG70YD adds two more, Input and USB. And unlike with the 50PG30FD, you can plug a flash drive into the LG 52LG70YD to view photos and listen to MP3s.

This model packs four HDMI ports (one more than the LG 50PG30FD) and two optical audio outputs into its 52-inch frame. But it lacks a picture-in-picture mode.

Setup is simple: Well-placed connectors and a setup wizard that asks whether the set needs home or store optimization help things along. And the well-designed, logical on-screen menus simplify day-to-day.

When you press the remote's Input button to change from your cable input to your DVD player (for example), the TV displays icons for all of your inputs; the inputs that are turned on are highlighted and grouped together at the front. Want to adjust the aspect ratio or the TV's backlighting? Press the Q (for Quick) Menu button for instant access to these common options. Those buttons--and others on the long, thin remote--are of good size and are well-placed for the user's thumb. Though the remote lacks backlighting, it (unlike the LG 50PG30FD's remote) can be programmed for use with other devices.

Our PC World Test Center judges rated this model's image quality as average. I saw several faces with the unnatural color and texture of an oil painting rather than human flesh. All of the judges noticed pixelation and other artifacts in various tests, especially during fast action and dissolves. Some images in our tests seemed a bit soft, too, but in general we found the image quality pleasing.

The LG 52LG70YD is a very good HDTV at an acceptable price. But a better TV in the same size category (the Samsung PN50A760) is available at the same price, and you can find pretty good sets (like the Sharp LC46D85X) that are less expensive.