The LG 47LX6500 is a 47-inch LCD that supports 3D display, hence the hefty $2699 MSRP. The standard 2D performance was fantastic, but we suspect that LG has a long way to go in improving its 3D TVs.

The LG 47LX6500 has a thin, attractive frame made of reflective, black plastic. The thin-necked base has a slight brownish tint, which may or may not fit in with your decor. The remote control, like the user experience, is par for the course – nothing special and similar to what you'd find on any LG television.

The TV features an ethernet port and optional WiFi (with separate purchase) to connect to a limited but sufficient collection of streaming content. It's not a match for what Sony offers, but with Netflix, YouTube, and Vudu included, most users should be satisfied.

There are over a dozen video processing features on the TV, including local dimming of the LED backlights, motion smoothing, color saturation, white brightening, shadow darkening, and more. We recommend that you leave most or all of these features disabled, as they tend to do more harm than good.

Performance (Read the full lab performance results at Televisioninfo.com)

The LG 47LX6500, like all the LGs we've reviewed this year, produced outstanding color results. The contrast ratio, however, was lackluster (another trait shared by most LGs). The problem is that the black levels just don't get that low compared to similar LCDs from Sony and Samsung, at least under our calibration settings. We suspect that you won't find it that problematic once it's in your living room, though.

The 3D performance was a disaster, to put it bluntly. Once you put on the requisite 3D glasses, you lose a huge amount of contrast ratio and the color performance is severely skewed. We saw big problems with crosstalk, which occurs when content intended to one eye bleeds into the other eye. Too much crosstalk ruins the 3D effect, and we noted it occurring wherever there were areas of contrast on the screen.

Comparisons (Read more in-depth comparisons at Televisioninfo.com)

To put the LG 47LX6500 in context, we compared it to three similar TVs. The Sony KDL-46HX800 is a 3D-ready TV, which means you need to purchase the glasses and a 3D sync transmitter separately. The Sony's contrast performance is stronger and the online content offerings are more comprehensive, but the color performance is not as good. Priced the same as the LG, it's a tough call which is the better buy. The Samsung UN46C8000 retails for slightly more, but offers a much more stylish design and slightly better online offerings. The contrast ratio is better, as is the 3D performance, but color performance is worse. The viewing angle is particularly narrow on this Samsung, so be aware if you're trying to service a wide room. Finally, the Panasonic TC-P50VT20 is a plasma TV with much better 3D performance and a ultra-wide viewing angle. The black levels get very deep, but we noted a problem with dim whites. When you put on the 3D glasses, those whites only get dimmer. 

Overall, the LG 47LX6500 would be an excellent TV, were it merely 2D and less expensive. But the addition of 3D, and accompanying price bump, make it a questionable buy, considering how bad we found the 3D experience.