LG 32LD460
I bought this unit on September 5, 2010 from SnS at 25K cash. It came with a free HDMI cable (thanks, sir Vic & SnS staff!). The plan was to use it for Playstation 3 gaming. It's mostly used for cable TV viewing that averages around 8 hours a day and watching movies thru USB (because I don't have a home theater system and my dvd player is broken). I'm not an expert but here's my review anyway. I'm sorry if I go OT from time to time.
Cable TV (Skycable) w/o digibox
Not recommended unless you enjoy watching programs with noise effect. It gets worse if your cable connection isn't perfect (mine isn't). Low-quality coaxial cables and electromagnetic interference give you a static-filled picture for your viewing pleasure.
Cable TV (Skycable) w/ digibox (but no HD subscription. I have none.)
Thanks to the digibox, picture quality is now so-so as opposed to the above, but for hardcore A/V people it might not be enough to get a thumbs-up. No more static and noise effect is gone or hardly noticeable. Without HD subscription you will either have to watch programs that are stretched to 16:9 aspect ratios or be content with a 4:3 version with black bars on the left and right side. With HD subscription, you get to watch around 6 additional channels (I guess) that are in high definition but will add another Php 799.00 (I guess) on top of your monthly fee. Also, there is a one-time connection fee around Php 5,000.00+ and they give you an HD box (I think) that will replace your digibox.
Movies thru USB/External HDD
This depends on the quality of the audio/video tracks, no matter what a/v file format. But I noticed that the best pq comes from MKV file formats that has a video stream of 1920x1080 with a frame rate of 23.976. If that's the kind of file you'll play then the 32LD460 won't dissapoint you. But (yes, there's a but) the video stream sometimes loses sync with the audio (happens to me). Maybe the USB/External HDD connection to the TV is shaky or not secure, or it could just be some dust around the port. Solution to this would be to exit the movie (Gasp!) and re-enter. You will be asked if you want to continue from the point where you left so just say yes and presto, video and audio are back in sync. Also, I've noticed that some movies that are over 2 hours or over 4GB auto-exit at some point and you can't get past that point ever. A solution was to use a software program that cuts the movie into two (or three) parts. Now you just play the movie in sequence and you get to watch the whole movie and just have to experience a short loading where the first part ends and the second part begins. Regarding the audio, some movies have DTS tracks and the LD460 can’t decode DTS tracks by itself so you’ll hear nothing, no audio. If you insist on playing the movie from USB/External HDD, you must convert the DTS track. All in all, the LD460 does an ok job.
Movies thru a Home Theater system/DVD-player
I don’t have one. Next.
Listening to Music thru USB
I haven’t tried anything other than mp3 files. You can listen to music while the screen is off. TV has 2 speakers, 15 Watts each. It’s ok.
Playstation 3 Gaming thru HDMI
Picture quality is very good and you can adjust backlight, contrast, brightness, sharpness and whatever else in the LD460 that can be adjusted in order to suit your needs/wants. Audio isn’t lacking too much either. Makes you want to play until your playstation overheats.
Anyway, that’s how I’ve used the unit for more than a month. There’s a minor backlight bleed at the middle on the lowest part of the screen but it’s not an issue. Electricity bill stayed the same as when I was using a 21” CRT (also by LG). Manufacture date of my unit is June 2010.