The LG 47LW6500's long, skinny standard remote has all the controls you'd expect on a current set, including the ability to program controls of other devices and a Quick Menu that lets you easily adjust aspect ratio, audio, video, and AV presets, closed captions, the channel editor, and other key features.

The Home button brings up a handsomely designed screen that gives you access to all connected TV content, including downloadable and some preinstalled apps, the Web browser, and buttons for launching the setup menu, switching inputs, and accessing favorites. The current TV content is displayed in a window in the upper left corner, and a customizable function menu in the center of the screen links to premium services such as streaming media and social networking sites.

LG's Smart TV lineup includes Amazon's on-demand service, Facebook, Hulu Plus, Netflix, Twitter, Vudu, (an HDTV optimized version of YouTube), and several other content sites. You can stream your own content from a USB drive or from any DLNA-compatible device on your home network; the set supports a dozen or so video formats, JPEG stills, and MP3 audio (as long as they aren't copy-protected). You can create a slideshow with background music and apply a few effects to images.

If you plan to run the Web browser, however, you'll want to set up and use the Magic Motion remote that comes with the set. This wandlike second remote is smaller than the standard one and uses motion-sensing technology to control the on-screen cursor, reminiscent of a Wii remote. You must pair the remote with the set before you can use it.

The Magic Motion remote lets you access the set's features via a handful of buttons: a power button, a Home screen button, volume- and channel-changing rockers, a mute button, and a select clicker surrounded by a navigation wheel. It's a welcome option for people who don't like sorting through all of the buttons on the standard remote.