LG 50PG30 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was really nervous about making such a large purchase so I did alot of research before I made my choice. I will go point by point here. :)
Resolution:
I chose the 1080p because it was clearer than the 760p. I've heard people say that you can tell unless you're using BluRay and I disagree. I could definitely tell the difference, especially on text, and I am glad that I chose the 1080p.
This television has a 30:1 contrast ratio and that makes HUGE difference in viewing text and the color black. Televisions with a lower contrast ratio (including the LG 50PG20) looked grey and the colors sometimes bled.
The Glare:
I upgraded from a CRT television to this. This television has alot less glare than my old TV, so I don't know what all of the fuss is about. When my four lamps are on and my huge picture window is uncurtained, there is STILL less glare than my old TV. If I have company over, I close the curtains and turn off the largest lamp and it looks great. No glare at all. I don't know what all of the glare fuss is about.
Sound Quality:
The sound quality is adequate. It's about the same as other televisions I've seen, even the more expensive ones. The general consensus is that people who buy flat-screens should also buy a home theater system, which I'm planning to do next year. When I have alot of background noise during the day (my kids playing, phones ringing, hubby on the computer, cars going by) I have to turn it to about 75. (Their volume scale is 1-100.) When the house is quieter, 25 suffices. It works well and is fine for now.
Size:
The size is awesome and terrific!!! The closest seats are about five feet away and the farthest seats are eleven feet away and it looks great from any of those distances, at whatever angles. I love, love, love the size. It's like being at a movie theater without any crying kids. (Except my own.) Let me say it again. THE SIZE IS AWESOME!
Picture Quality:
I have cable and it looks fine. The HD channels look awesome. In both cases, (HD and digital channel) you can practically see the pores on the actors' faces. I purchased an upconverting DVD players so almost all of my DVDs look awesome as well. I do have a few that don't look so hot. I picked up Ghostbusters I and II for cheap at Wal-Mart and they both look grainy. However, I'm chalking that up to both films being produced in the early eighties and never having been remastered.
A note on this: You cannot just plug this is and let it go. I had to purchase a good HDMI cable (cost me about 100 bucks) to get the picture quality that I expect from a plasma. I originally had it hooked up with my old RCA cables and it looked okay. Once we got the HDMI hooked up, I was blown away and ecstatic, even with the picture on standard settings. UPDATE: Apparently, HDMI cables are all the same. If you pay $100 bucks for one, you're a chump like me, lol. But 'em cheap here on Amazon. My first set died and I got my second set of cables for less than $10 bucks, including shipping.
Price:
This television has an average price on it. There are televisions that cost less and ones that cost more. I really found this television to be the best value for my money, because it LOOKED like the expensive televisions without the higher price tag. It is a bit more than some of the lower-end versions, but I really feel like you get what you pay for, and this is awesome and totally worth it. However, the Amazon price on it now is about four hundred dollars more than I paid, so I would really price shop before I purchased.
The Remote:
I saw some bad reviews for the remote and I decided I didn't care because I could always purchase a universal remote later. Some reviewers said it was confusing and so I expected it to be confusing, but it wasn't. UPDATE: My kids recently broke the remote casing open and the remote is sturdy enough that my husband put it back together, and it still works great. I am very pleased with this remote.
It is a very straightforward remote. On top you have your sound and picture controls, then your arrow keys followed by your volume and channel keys (your favorites and mute button is in between the two) followed by your numbers. The volume and channel buttons are curved so your fingers can feel the difference between up and down without looking.
The addition of the sound and picture controls make it a LONG remote and I couldn't reach all of the controls with my hand on the middle, My husband can but I can't. However, it is very light and slim so moving my hand to different sections was not a problem and doesn't even require looking at it.
Shipping:
This item was very well packed by LG and arrived without a scratch or a dead pixel. It was awesome. I had heard some horror stories so I was a bit worried. In the end, I was more than satisfied with the condition it arrived in.
The Verdict:
This television is the best value for the money and I am so glad that I purchased it. It impresses me every time I see it and I have had it for over a month. Yay!
UPDATE: I have now had it for more than four months and I am still ecstatic with it. The picture is still great and I am STILL impressed by it's size. :)
UPDATE: It's January so it's been almost a year and this TV is still impressive and awesome, although it's been discontinued. :P Still, my recommendation for the specs stands.
UPDATE: It's February 2011, so almost two years and this TV is still impressing the heck out of my friends. It's gorgeous and I love it.

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50" PDP 1080P HDTV, 1920 x 1080 Resolution, 30,000:1 Contrast Ratio, 1,000 cd/m2 Brightness, ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM- 1 Tuner, SRS TruSurroundXT, 3 HDMI input, USB 2.0, Swivel Stand

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