Best 3D TV LG Infinia 55LX9500

The LG Infinia LED 3D TV. Not the best 3D we've seen.

• Type: Active shutter
• Size: 55-inch
• Price: £3500
• Extra glasses: £100 a pair

3D Pros: Glasses are more comfortable than other active shutters on test

3D Cons: Ghosting (possibly exaggerated by the reflective screen), jittery motion and picture noise all detract from the 3D effect

The 55-inch LX9500 from LG’s exclusive LED TV range has a dubious double distinction - it’s one of the most expensive and most disappointing 3D TV on test. Like all the televisions in our test it delivers the ‘3D wow’ effect, but a host of glitches and flaws make it a poor choice. But 3D is only part of the story. Check our full review of the LX9900 from the same range.

3D picture 

So how does the priciest 3D TV on test manage to score so poorly? Its picture is fuzzy rather than sharp, dark detail is missing and colours look dull and muddy. 3D depth is present and correct but some odd vertical banding and a reflective screen detract from the effect.

Our testers also noticed a ghosting effect, which was emphasised by the screen reflections. Ghosting, a slight double image caused by an overlap between the pictures sent to left and right eyes, is a slight issue with most 3D TVs. But it really spoils the Infinia’s performance. Even the most impressive ‘natural world’ sequence suffers, while the Sky logo and ‘choir’ sequence prompted howls of ‘it just doesn’t work’ from our panel.

3D sports sequences reveal this TV’s limitations on motion. During rugby it suffers from a consistent jerky motion, likewise on football and tennis. It’s much worse than the other 3D TVs on test and, though it’s not as bad with Trumotion (motion processing software) turned up to the max, it’s still noticeable.

It’s worth bearing in mind you can’t fiddle with picture settings while in 3D mode, and we wouldn’t recommend using Trumotion for regular 2D TV.

3D glasses

Put all the grumbles together and this LG just doesn’t measure up next to the Samsung, Sony and Panasonic 3D models we tested. Like its rivals the Infinia uses active shutter glasses which synchronise the TV via an infra-red signal and rapidly blink on and off, playing back full 1080p images to the right eye and left eye at a rate of 50 frames per second.

For full results for LG Infinia visit our LCD, LED and plasma reviews page.