Did you know there is new set of LG Commercial Television’s on the market that do not have key features for integration? What!? How can that be you say? The TV’s are designed specifically for commercial use, but we have seen them in a handful of residential homes (the most recent was Model 65LX770H-UA).
While you can use these TV’s for spec’d jobs, there are a few points we want you to know:
- Ports:
- These TV’s may state they have RS232 control in the data sheets; however, there is no port to use for integration. There are two service ports: (1) DB9 connection and (1) 3.5 mm connection (think Samsung ex-link). Both service ports are for diagnostics only.
- Consumer Electronics Control:
- Most of these TV’s are also not capable of Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) for digital media systems. There may be one or two capable of CEC, but we have found you must do two important things first:
- Enable SIMPLINK; and
- Set a SIMPLINK ID – not 0 (default); but 1 is fine for all devices
- Most of these TV’s are also not capable of Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) for digital media systems. There may be one or two capable of CEC, but we have found you must do two important things first:
- Infrared (IR) Control:
- If you still wanted to use these TV’s in residential applications, you should note the IR control is also problematic. There is a long startup delay while in the boot-up process. In fact, the TV ignores any command during the (roughly) 15 seconds from powering up before the input can change. So, if you were to send a command within the 15 seconds, the TV will ignore the command the next time the information is sent – even after the boot-up period.
- If the TV has a hospitality menu, then your only option is IR control – meaning there is would be no other option available.
This blog isn’t meant to deter you from LG TV – in fact we love the LG Residential line. We just want you to be prepared when using certain LG Commercial TV’s that may cause you some trouble.
If you are considering an LG TV for a job and don’t want to have problems during deployment, feel free to send us the model number and we’ll look it up and tell you if you could have any problems with control.
We hope this helps!