Review: LG LA8600 Smart TV

By Mike Wheeler

Like any piece of kit that is going to complement your lounge, the first thing you ask is “how does it look?”. With LG’s LA8600 55-inch Smart TV, the answer is “very nice thank you”.  With a smooth, thin profile, a teeny bezel and a classy looking stand, the LA8600 ticks all the right boxes on the design front.

By Mike Wheeler

Like any piece of kit that is going to complement your lounge, the first thing you ask is “how does it look?”. With LG’s LA8600 55-inch Smart TV, the answer is “very nice thank you”.  With a smooth, thin profile, a teeny bezel and a classy looking stand, the LA8600 ticks all the right boxes on the design front.

Next is set up. I would love to say that setting it up was a breeze, however it was delivered to us in a swanky road case with the stand in place. The stand doesn’t look too difficult to set up, unlike some units over the past couple of years where an advanced degree in physics would be a good starting point. The actual set up of getting the television working is just a case of plug-and-play – you plug it into the wall, connect your Ethernet cable, and your smart television is up and going.

But what we really want to know about is the picture. We are happy to report that we were very satisfied with what the LA8600 threw up. Certainly sharp and crisp enough for us to notice them, will little or no blur that you sometimes get when you’re up close – it helps that it has the company’s TruMotion 200Hz refresh rate. The blacks are deep although, to be fair, the average person wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a picture with less-than decent blacks.

LG has updated its Magic remote, so instead of being a long sleek black device, it is now half the size, twice as wide, and white. Not too sure if it makes too much of a difference as the television is still easy to navigate around.

Surfing is pretty basic with the smart aspects of the unit. There is a menu that is easy to navigate – whether you want to watch television, browse the internet, download some apps, play games or watch a DVD/Blu-ray – it’s just a case of point and clicking.

One thing that we really liked was the audio. It has virtual surround plus, and 12W speakers with a woofer, and it really was noticeable on the action movie we were watching. Not too sure if you’d get the best out of it if you’re into late night movies and don’t want to wake the rest of the house, but if you get a chance to crank it up, we suggest you take it.

Other features include the obligatory 3D mode, dual play glasses so two gamers can play using a full screen, an abundance of ports (HDMI x 3, USB 2.0 x 3 – no 3.0 which is surprising, RF input, AV/Component input, LAN port, headphone jack), and a one year parts and labour warranty.

Overall, we liked this unit a lot. It is one of those televisions that will be very popular with people who love their sport and movies, and are into gaming, too.

Pros: Easy set up, fantastic picture, easy to navigate, Magic remote redesign a plus
Cons: Some might find a bit pricey at just over $4,000

4.5 Shacks Out Of 5