Verdict

The LG Flatron L3000A is a strange beast. It has a massive 30in viewable area but can only manage a native resolution of 1,280 x 768. Considering that the LG Flatron L2320A can manage a resolution of 1,920 x 1200 with only a 23in screen size, the desktop real estate on the L3000A seems a little meagre.

To be fair the L3000A is aimed at a very different market to the L2320A. LG is expecting its 30in TFT screen to be used more as a presentation device than a desktop display, and looking at it in this light it seems slightly more attractive.

Reinforcing the idea that this is a presentation device is the complete lack of a stand. Opening the box you’ll find the screen and a single piece of metal which constitutes the ‘temporary stand’.

Attaching the temporary stand allows you to place the monitor on a desk but this really is a temporary measure since you can’t even access the controls with the screen set up like this.

The natural environment for the L3000A is a wall mount, which you’ll have to purchase separately.

Even if this screen had a desk stand you wouldn’t really want to use it that way. It’s quite simply just too big and the image most definitely looks better from a distance rather than from a few inches away.

Rather than compare the L3000A to other LCD flat panel displays it’s probably fairer to compare it to plasma screens which are also used as presentation devices.

In this sort of environment the L3000A can definitely hold its own, in some areas at least.

The most obvious location for a screen like this would be in a board room where presentations are regularly given and many people need to be able to see the image. In this environment the L3000A flourishes with a very bright image coupled with a terrific viewing angle. There won’t be any need to dim the lights or close the blinds before you view anything on this screen.

The other application that springs to mind is of course using the L3000A as a monitor in a home cinema set up. Wall mounted TVs have become very desirable objects in designer homes these days, and on looks and profile this LG should fit the bill.

However, there’s more to a wall mounted TV/monitor than design and a narrow form factor.

First there is a lack of AV inputs. For home entertainment use you’d want a SCART connector and even more preferable would be component video inputs. What you do get is composite and S-Video inputs, which seems a little disappointing considering the price.

That said, LG does have other products in its range that cater better to the home cinema market, which is a good thing because the video playback performance is quite disappointing.

The biggest issue is the way the screen handles dark scenes. It becomes very difficult to distinguish between objects in a low light environment, and dark areas seem to be subject to unpleasant artefacts.

Even if LG isn’t aiming this screen at the DVD viewing public, there is still a good chance that it will have to display video when being used as a presentation device, and the results will be far from ideal.

Now, assuming that you want a presentation display for your board room or reception area and you’re considering the L3000A, the obvious question that springs to mind is why would you buy a 30in LCD instead of a 42in plasma at more or less the same price?

Well, for one thing the L3000A has a higher resolution than most 42in plasma screens. Although 1,280 x 768 might not seem high by LCD standards, it’s impressive compared to the 852 x 480 resolution offered by the majority of cheaper 42in plasma screens.

So if you need a decent resolution on you presentation display the L3000A can offer a fairly good argument in its favour.

Another plus point for the L3000A is the fact that LCD screens produce nowhere near as much heat as plasma screens. This means that there is no need to build fans into the casing to cool the screen as with plasmas, and consequently means a silent operation.

So the L3000A does have a couple of things going for it but is it enough to justify the £2749 price? Well if you only had low end plasma screens to compare it with, the advantages of the LCD technology would make the L3000A the best solution for the boardroom. However, since you can buy a projector for well under £1,000 now that will produce a larger image, without the need to draw the blinds, the argument for the L3000A is less compelling.

”’Verdict”’

If the price was considerably lower, or the dimensions were a good 10in larger then we’d be able to recommend the LG Flatron L3000A. Unfortunately as it stands there are other solutions that offer better value and performance.

(table:features)

Trusted Score