LG Electronics LG 50PY3D

The TV swivels after you loosen a tiny bolt in the back of the TV; the swiveling mechanisms on TVs such as the Samsung FP-T5084 are less awkward to use. Just above the bolt on the LG set is a thick removable plastic half loop to keep cables bundled together. The TV's display settings buttons are invisible until you lightly press a touch-sensitive pad on the lower right-hand side of the TV beneath the bezel--a novel and visually arresting feature.

A fairly well-organized on-screen display menu lets you adjust the TV's many settings, which include individual red, green, and blue controls under the color temperature submenu. Color presets for Dynamic, Standard, and Mild adjust contrast, brightness, and vividness. I found Dynamic to be the most eye-catching setting, but colors were artificially saturated; the other two settings seemed more life-like. Two additional User modes let you program your own custom TV presets. You can access all of these settings through the TV's touch pad or via the remote. The remote control has no backlight, and its buttons--some arranged in a rectangular grid and some in an arc--seem cramped. However, they did aid me in getting around the extensive OSD menu.

The built-in speakers are installed on the sides of the TV, making the panel somewhat wider than on other TVs of the same size. Nonetheless, it may be a good compromise, because the speakers produced rich sounds in scenes from Phantom of the Opera. LG offers a two-year parts and labor warranty, twice as long as that of any other vendor whose set we tested.

The LG 50PY3DF's many strengths and features, including good speakers and a reasonable price, may help it find it a place on the TV stands of some homes despite its middle-of-the-road performance.