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LCD HDTV

Model number: 42LH40-UA | SKU: 9246737

Enjoy rich and accurate reproduction of high-action scenes with this 42" flat-panel HDTV that features TruMotion 120Hz refresh rate and a true 1080p high-definition display.

Average Customer Rating:

4.3 out of 5 (90 Reviews)

73 of 90 (81%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Review 21 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Whoa... 12/22/2009
By Anonymous1987 from Prov., RI

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Clean, sleek, sharp
What's not so great: My wallet feels lighter=)...

"I did a lot of research before actually purchasing this TV. This was exactly the size I wanted since I didn't want the living room to be overwhelmed by some elephant. After about a month of using it, this is by far the best bang-for-the-buck TV out there. Especially compared with the new LED TV's that are just coming out, for the size and price, there's just no comparison.

Some will complain about the speakers that are built into the TV and how they're not so good. For just the average user, they are perfect. I have my volume setting at 10 right now and it's loud enough to hear sitting about 20ft. away from the TV.

Picture quality is awesome! I've heard very faint rumors about this TV not being so great with the PS3 through HDMI, but so far, everything has been running smooth, especially regular DVD's. They seem to just "pop" out at you and the movies are just more fluid. I haven't had a chance to test out blu-ray movies yet (because of the ridiculously high price), but I'm sure it'll look just as good. As for video games - I don't know how I ever played video games without this TV. Playing games on the PS3 can be a bit painful sometimes because the size of the fonts are extremely small to make out on an standard definition TV. I use to play games like MGS4 on a SD TV, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, but when you're trying to look at the words, it's nearly impossible to read it. The second I started playing the game on this LG TV, everything just stood out and there was nothing I couldn't read.

This is by far the best TV I ever had. Period."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 22 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Very Nice 12/22/2009
By Gina10 from Ohio

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Picture and extras
What's not so great: Nothing yet

"Walked into Best Buy store and choosing the 42LH40 or 42LH50 and the only difference is the internet. Exact same functions and the price is what helped me. Got it for $688 sale and the one with the internet was $899 big difference. Great buy."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 23 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Highly recommended 12/17/2009
By JJFTW79 from Goshen, CT

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

4.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Easy set up, beautiful picture, easy to customize audio and video to your liking
What's not so great: The volume can go very loud but I would recommend a surround sound system

"Took me a long time to decide on an HDTV after lots of researching specs and prices. I will say that you should actually go to a store which has lots of HDTV's being demoed because that is the only real way to decide which tv has the best picture quality. I chose this one because I wanted a LCD under $1000 with a screen 40" or larger which was 1080p, 120Hz and had a good contrast ratio. I didn't want the 60Hz because from what I have read the refresh rate does make a difference especially when playing video games. The real deciding factor when it came to the specs of this TV was the very high contrast ratio. This meant a very high color detail and providing dark blacks and bright whites. Also the energy star power save adjustments can dim your screen which actually give you a great contrast without losing color detail. The sound is great and there are many options to adjust it to how you want it. It can get very loud way before the volume is even half way up. My only complaint for the sound is the simulated surround sound. You can hear things better with this feature but in no way do you get a true surround sound effect with it. I'm hoping to get a surround sound system to complete this package. My only other complaint isn't the TV's fault. If you play Guitar Hero or Rock Band on PS3, XB360 or the Wii you're going to have to calibrate the lag. It seems like no matter what HDTV you get, if you want to play these games well you will need to calibrate and sometimes it takes a lot of fine tuning to get it just the way you want it. I noticed a big difference going from a standard TV to an HDTV in playing these games so just keep that in mind. Other games that I have played have looked absolutely amazing on this TV and I have had no gameplay or lag issues. This TV was even better than I thought it was going to be so I feel like I made a great choice."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 24 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Practically 3-D 12/14/2009
By rainingsparks from Pendleton, OR

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Fast refresh rate, sleek design and the picture jumps off the screen

"I received the 42LH40 as a birthday present and I love it! the Picture is practically 3-D it is so great. I had to get used to being able see every little detail, but after that it was smooth sailing :)"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 25 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Perfect TV for the Price 12/12/2009
By Shortwop14 from Greenwood, IN

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: This TV was an excellent purchase, it fits perfect for the room it was purchased for, and the quality is phenominal

"I was excited to be able to get this TV for the steal of a price. I'm almost wishing now I would have bought two."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 26 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

4.0 5

NICE TV. BUT LIP SYNCH EXIST 12/08/2009
By VIP from GURNEE, IL

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

4.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Great TV. Picture is very clear.
What's not so great: Lip Synch issue on certain channel based on some telecast

"Great TV. Picture is very clear. Lip Synch issue on certain channel based on some telecast. Sometimes on FOX channel and Sometimes on Bravo Channel. I got it for $599. Great TV"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 27 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Almost perfect 12/05/2009
By Kineticman

Picture Quality

4.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Affordable 120hz display, very little motion blur
What's not so great: some flashlighting

"I recently returned a 40" 60hz Samsung B550 due to very poor low light performance, and decided to try this panel despite everything bad the negative reviews had to say. So far, I haven't experienced audio de-syncing, screen blanking, poor sound, or my PS3 being incompatible with any of its hdmi ports. That doesn't mean these issues don't exist, or other users are doing something wrong, but mine doesn't seem to have these defects. The only thing that is wrong with it, is it has a fair amount of flashlighting at the bottom of the screen. For those who don't know what that means, flashlighting is backlight bleed-through on lcd screens. In other words, it has a bright spot that resembles a flashlight being pointed upward from with the screen.
I never thought I would say this either, because I've always been of the mindset that anything I spend close to a grand on should function PERFECTLY, but I'm actually willing to put up with this. It's really only visible from certain angles, and at night with the lights off when the screen is completely black. It's also not as bad as some of the flashlighting I've seen on other panels (LEDs for some reason have some of the worst I've personally seen) but it's not as slight as the somsung I had. It's moderate overall, and every LCD I've ever owned (computer monitors included) have had it to some extent. If you think your TV doesn't you probably just haven't found it yet.

Anyway! On to everything else. The sound is on par with my Samsung plasma, and the Samsung I just returned. It won't knock your socks off, but it's deep and dynamic enough overall. The secret is to set the sound profile to music. I've done this with every flat panel I've owned an I think it easily boosts sound quality.
The picture is great. It's so sharp I could shave with it. You do get the "soap opera" effect with the 120hz running, but it easily enhances motion in the picture. As someone who was skeptical about it, I certainly recommend it now that I've tried it. Whether it's over the air signal, cable, hd cable, movies, blu-ray, or games. Blu-ray looks particularly good, because the 120hz also eliminates the need for the 3:2 pulldown that causes judder.
Motion blur is kept to a minimum as well, partially because of the smooth transition of frames, and partially because of the fast 2.7ms response time of the pixels. I can definitely notice a difference over the 5ms of the Samsung I had, especially with light on dark colors.

On a side note, the TV does emit light from it's back through the vents for whatever reason. This is the first time I've ever seen a panel do that, but it seems normal for it and you'll really only notice it in a dark room. I don't find it distracting, and actually it seems sort of cool so long as it doesn't mean dirt is going to accumulate in there. Only time will tell.

Overall, an excellent TV. The only real downside is the cheap-o remote. Come on LG... Did you buy these in bulk from wal-mart? ;)"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 28 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Amazing TV for the price 11/29/2009
By Crawshayi from RI

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Picture quality - Inputs - Built in speakers - Simplistic design
What's not so great: Nothing

"After using a 25" Samsung CRT TV for years it was more than time for an upgrade. I regretfully missed a $499 sale on a 42" Insignia by only a day and in frustration was ready to spend around $1000 on a 40" Samsung. I'm glad now that I didn't because the LG was a much better deal. I bought this one for $799 on sale and it was worth every penny.

I have had good luck in the past with other LG products, mainly a 22" LCD computer monitor I've used for years now but the main reason I bought this TV was the amazing picture and features it offered at it's price range. Even at it's normal price ($899) it's still worth it. Sure you can find cheaper 42" TVs in this price range or even get a 47" for the same price but the features can't be beat. The picture quality of this set rivals high end Samsungs and the options for calibration are excellent.

A couple things about the 120hz... I tried using it when I was watching TV and movies but it made them very unnatural looking. A good way to describe it would be that it makes what you watch look like it was shot with a home camcorder rather than how you're normally used to seeing it. Some people might get used to this and even like it but I didn't and disabled it for those situations. However, using 120hz when I play games on my Xbox 360 is amazing and really does cut down on motion blur quite a bit. So basically I use it while gaming and otherwise I turn it off.

The sound quality on this set was better than I expected... I mean it's only TV speakers so you can only expect so much but this set really does sound quite good, and can go really loud if you want it to. Anyone truly concerned about getting the best audio quality will most likely be running a home theater system anyway, so for the rest of us this gets the job done better than most.

So in conclusion this is a great TV for the price. I suppose because LG isn't as popular as Sony or Samsung they can keep the prices low but still have many of the same (or more) features of their rivals. I wasn't all that surprised about the picture quality being great because like I said I already own an LG computer monitor, but the other features of this set really impressed me. The bottom line is, yes, you can get a TV this size for cheaper but it won't have the picture quality or the features this set can offer and in the end you may wish you spent a little extra for them- now that I've been using the 120hz for gaming I don't think I'd want to go back to 60hz.

If I had to complain at all about something then it would be the remote... it's a little to long and the buttons aren't really placed in a way that you can use it without looking at it, but that's really only a minor annoyance that you'll get used to. What really matters is the quality of the set itself, and LG delivers 100% on this one."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 29 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Excellent TV 11/22/2009
By jhp from Topsham, Me.

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: It has a great picture compared to my last HDTV. It was a great value for the money.
What's not so great: nothing

"I specifically wanted a 42" set. Consumer Report rated it 3rd in the 42" category. I saw it on display in the store and it was a very good picture and a very good price. It set up very easily. I have it hooked to a separate older sound surround system and couldn't use HDMI cables so I used Componet Video connections and the picture is still crystal clear. Great set."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 30 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Amazing HDTV!! 11/21/2009
By kleighh from Lancaster, PA

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Amazing picture and Sound
What's not so great: Nothing

"I read the reviews listed here after I bought this TV and was nervous about all the complaints regarding the lip sync problems. I printed out the fix suggested by another reviewer and was ready to go when we set it up. I've had this TV set up for a week now and haven't experienced a single problem with the sound. In fact, it is truly amazing. I've only had to have the sound set between 10 and 15 depending on the channel and it's plenty loud. The picture blows my husband and I away. The 3d quality on HD shows makes everything look like a live feed. Watched 2 movies on blu-ray last weekend and didn't even need the surround for outstanding audio quality. We did as the salesperson recommended and paid a little extra for the higher grade monster cables, so I don't know if that is what is making the difference but I could not be happier with this purchase. We previously had a Sharp Aquos 1080P and thought that was great, but this is even better. If you're looking for a great TV and an excellent price, this is it. Maybe someone has fixed those lip sync problems others have complained about? Maybe it's the cables and having HD Directv. Spend the extra bucks and get the better cables."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 31 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

an awesome tv for an awesome price 11/20/2009
By scotty1988504 from new orleans

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

4.0 5

Features

4.0 5

What's great about it: 120hz trumotion really makes non-hd cable NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL.
What's not so great: the sound could be a bit higher, but thats even minimal

"first off, i am so surprised by this tv based off of the reviews.

there are no sound/mouth issues as stated in all the reviews prior to mine. im guessing LG fixed this issue. I have cox digital cable and no HD at this time. with this tv hooked up to regular digital cable, it still looks amazing. the 120hz really is noticeable and it looks real.

the color is deep and crisp and boy is this tv BRIGHT! not bright in a bad way, but bright as in really giving those reds blues oranges and greens and FLOURSCENT look to them.

i have a wd HD TV LIVE (which i reccomend everyone get) and i have it connected to my new LG set with a rocketfish hdmi. now, i can stream all my dvd, blu ray rips and digital downloads right from my computer.

i can even use this tv as a monitor if i choose.

what makes the samsung line better is only the higher color contrast. the 40 inch samsungs have 100000:1.

but the way i look at it, this tv is 42 inches and it has a color contrast of 80000:1. you are giving up some color contrast for 2 more inches, but not much and believe it or not, this 42 is definetely noticeable compared to a 40.

overall, if you don't have the deep pockets to get a 40 inch samsung -- go for this tv! i reccommend over the sony bravia thats only 40 inches with a lower color contrast or the toshiba or sharps

this tv is great! good job LG for giving us consumers a competitive set without breaking our wallets!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 32 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Excellent TV! 11/15/2009
By crmurphy from Indianapolis, IN

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: PIcture quality is amazing, easy setup, search menus and much more....

"I purchased this TV from Best Buy for $599 and it has been one of the best purchases of the year for me. I purchased a 42" Insignia LCD 60hz for $499 and wasn't impressed so I took it back and found the LG for just $100 more. The $100 additional cost was completely worth the money. Everything about this TV is amazing. Picture quality is amazing. I would recommend this TV to anyone. Going from 60hz (which I'm used to) to 120hz is huge! Spending a little more for the 120hz feature is completely worth the money. If anyone reads this in the near future, $599 for this TV is an amazing deal. Completely satisfied."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 33 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

3.0 5

Great picture...but couldn't get over the lip sync 11/14/2009
By charks from Tulsa, OK

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

2.0 5

Features

4.0 5

What's great about it: Excellent picture...very easy initial setup
What's not so great: Horrible lip sync issue...very poor and s l o w customer service from LG

"Oh I really wanted to like this set.

This replaced a 2 year old 37" LG LCD which has been a fantastic TV. Very basic setup for us...cable into DVR and HDMI from DVR to set...so the only component to change was the TV (our 37" never had a lip sync problem). Lip sync issue showed up right from the start with the new set. Initially contacted our cable company...but tweaking the settings in the DVR helped little or none. Contacted LG 3 days after purchase...and they attempted to walk me through the hold menu on set/hold menu on remote work-around...but it wouldn't work. Another attempt at a different work-around failed as well. Put in a service call order...heard nothing for 2 weeks...called back...heard nothing for another week. Was told by LG rep that they originally were mailing customers USB drives with updated firmware...but now they were just doing house calls.

Wasn't about to let the 30 day return policy expire...so I reluctantly returned the set to BB and bought a Samsung (no lip sync issues at all). Best Buy happily took back the LG...although I was a bit disappointed that the salesperson was unaware of the lip sync issue.

LG makes some great products...and this particular model has a spectacular picture...but I just can't recommend it based on my experience."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

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Review 34 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Best LCD Purchase Ever Made 11/09/2009
By JLR from Madison, AL

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

4.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Picture quality looks 3D...very life like
What's not so great: Nothing yet

"I got really lucky. I went into local Best Buy just to look at LCD TV's and the price on this TV was erroneously marked at $429. Best Buy honored the price even though they knew it was incorrect (and they immediately corrected the price tag just as soon as I completed my purchase). I give them kudos for honoring the erroneous price since it was their mistake. I would also like to thank whomever created the label with the incorrect price. I can honestly say, I have no regrets at all purchasing this TV. I should have tried to get a second one at that price. Oh well, at least I got one. Picture quality is worth the advertised price of $799 without a doubt."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 35 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

2.0 5

Awesome TV, Hates ps3 11/06/2009
By BrizzleS from Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: everything
What's not so great: displays invalid format with ps3's

"Supposedly this is a widespread problem with LG HD tv's and PS3's through HDMI, it will display "invalid format", It's all over the Playstation forums, ive had the motherboard replaced 3 times and the power supply, even LG is stumped."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

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Review 36 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Top 100 Contributor

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Lg is great 10/22/2009
By Mustakrakish from Manassas, Va

Picture Quality

4.0 5

Sound Quality

4.0 5

Features

4.0 5

What's great about it: great picture! I don't use the speakers O I cannot comment on them
What's not so great: nothing yet

"This was an exchange as my previous tv could not be fixed, so I got this instead. What a jump from my previous set! WOW, this thing is amazing, the picture is so clear and smooth. Blu-ray looks incredible."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 37 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Best Buy Warranty - LG 42 Class 10/22/2009
By KathieL from Jupiter, FL

What's great about it: Great Picture
What's not so great: Nothing

"This is answer to the previous reviewer talking about the terrible customer service from LG.

I tried to deal with LG as well (for the same issue) and they will not even call me (tech support) about the issue for 7-10 business days(!).

Not acceptable. Especially since the return policy on the set is 30 days.

I thought, why not use my Best Buy extended warranty - which I did.

End of day: Best Buy had someone come out to the house 1 day after I called with the firmware upgrade.

I still have a little lag issue, but have concluded that its the Comcast (Cisco Systems) HD-DVR box at fault. My Blu-Ray movies play beautifully without the pesky lip sync issue."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 38 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

3.0 5

Awsome tv but there is an issue. 10/21/2009
By cjhere from Dayton, Ohio

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

3.0 5

Features

4.0 5

What's great about it: The picture, sound and price.
What's not so great: There is a lip sync problem.

"I bought this tv on 10-8-2009 and an hour after i had it home i was on the phone with lg about how the sound did not go along with the mouth movement. Lg had told me that I just need a update so they would send a tech out to do the upgrade. Today is Wednesday the 21st. Over the last two weeks, i have called lg twice and they keep saying a couple of days. They will have utill Friday to get out here or i will take it back. Bad customer service with my first and last purchase of lg. I will rewrite a review if they come out by the end of this week."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

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Review 39 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Pretty good tv 10/21/2009
By Ninja199 from Georgia

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: Easy set up great sound and picture
What's not so great: nothing

"got this tv on sale for 899 pretty good buy. the picture is great the volume control goes up to 100 and around 15 to 20 is all i need. picture is almost like the show is in your living room."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 40 for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV

Customer Rating

5.0 5

GREAT TV FOR PRICE!!!! 10/19/2009
By LIZ78 from LONG BEACH, CA

Picture Quality

5.0 5

Sound Quality

5.0 5

Features

5.0 5

What's great about it: EVERYTHING
What's not so great: NOTHING....YET

"I purchased this tv about a week ago and so far I haven't found any problems with my purchase. I researched many tv's bfore deciding on the LG. One thing that bought me into it was not only the picture but the sound, unlike sony or samsung this had better sound quality. I didn't want to have my sourround sound plugged in everytime I wanted to watch tv so, sound was a big plus. So far the picture is fine I'm still waiting for the satellite company to upgrade me to HD signal, and even without full HD, the overall picture and sound quality is AMAZING. Blue Ray is awesome. I would definetely recomend this tv. It's worth the price."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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More Reviews for LG 42" Class / 1080p / 120Hz / LCD HDTV