LG TVs 2012: Thin bezels, motion remotes and lots of LEDs

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Massive numbers of new 2012 TVs were announced at CES 2012 earlier this month, and digesting them all is easier with a table than umpteen blog posts.

Hewing close to hoary CES tradition of yore, LG was the first major TV maker to hold its CES press conference. The company also gave CNET the most information prior to the show about its TV models (and probably other stuff; don’t ask me about LG phones or kimchi refrigerators please). It also took home Best of Show.

You won’t find these TVs described in detail on LG’s Web site yet. The company, like all of those I’m profiling in table form over the next few days, holds back its Web site updates until the 2012 models start shipping.

Anyway, here’s the table. Scroll lower in the post for more detail and click through to the series links for even more, including our patented in-depth blog posts.

Notes:

1. This info is based on public CES announcements as well as information given by the manufacturer to CNET. A lot of it isn’t available from other sources. It’s accurate as far as I know, but not officially official. I’ll update it when I hear about a change. And if you copy it, please give CNET attribution.
2. Pricing will most likely be announced when these TVs appear in stores, although it could leak earlier as a result of premature launches on sites like Amazon.
3. Availability of “Feb/Mar” is based on the words “Most of them are shipping in February or March” said to me by a contact at LG. I expect a few of these sets to appear later than that.
4. An entry of “X” or a brief description (e.g. “1mm” or “4 mode”) means the TV has the feature. A blank entry means it does not. An entry of “TBD” means I don’t know yet.
5. LG’s edge-lit local dimming is called “LED+,” and it’s basically the same as what’s described in-depth in the review of the 2011 LW5600 series. Short story: it’s not as good as the “Full” local dimming found on TVs like the LM9600 series, but it does help.
6. Click the following for more on full vs. edge LED and passive vs. active 3D.
7. The 2011 version of LG’s Smart TV was one of our favorites. This post details the 2012 improvements.
8. “Semi-gloss” refers to the anti-reflective properties of the screen. LG’s rep told me it’s not as reflective as some others on the market, but not completely matte. He also told me he believes it’s slightly glossier than the matte screen on 2011 models like the LW5600, but couldn’t say for sure. The CCFL models (from the “Not included” line in the chart) are matte.
9. LG calls its thin bezel “Cinema Screen.”
10. A “4 mode” motion remote has the built-in mic and voice control detailed here. The “3 mode” is the standard version that shipped on the 2011 models.
11. I don’t list refresh rate because frankly, I don’t think it matters. The same goes for numerous other specs you won’t find on these tables. I do think screen finish matters, but LG couldn’t tell us about that by press time.
12. Please don’t ask for other information, including dimensions, contrast ratios, whether these will be better or worse than last year, or whether New York’s football team will win. This table, and the blog posts behind it (feel free to click through!) represent pretty much the extent of my/CNET’s current knowledge about LG’s 2012 TVs.

Want to check out the 2012 lineups of other TV makers?

Changelog:

• Feb 3rd: Added “semi-gloss” column and related note.