Home > Consumer Reviews > LG 42PG20 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

I have owned several HDTV's both Plasma and LCD. I wanted to stick with a plasma on this purchase because of the superior contrast ratio versus a typical LCD. I went to my local electronics store intent on buying an entry level Samsung A450. Despite my plan, I soon realized I could not pull the lever on the Samsung. Its picture suffered from severe jagged edges and presented an inferior image quality compared to the TV's surrounding it on the showroom floor. No manner of adjustments could resolve the problem, therefore I moved on to the similarly priced Panasonic and LG. I immediately noticed that the Panasonic had issues with background noise. This was despite the fact that the noise reduction feature was already turned on. The CNET editor review mentions this problem with the Panasonic plasma. Meanwhile I was impressed with the LG's smooth, clear, and lifelike picture. No background noise, and a deep rich color reproduction equal to that of the Panasonic. I decided to do some more research on LG reliablity and performance before making my final decision. As you would expect, it is easy to locate horror stories for any television brand, as of course people with a bad experience are more likely to post their sob story all over the web. The bottom line for myself was that a Consumer Review said that LG has a similar reliability record compared to other major brands, with only 2% or fewer models suffering from defects within their first year. That was sufficient evidence for myself while also taking in to account the 1 year parts & labor warranty (plus 2 years for the panel) provided by LG. I waited for a blowout sale, and then purchased the 42PG20. The first one arrived with a broken screen. Of course Plasma screens are glass unlike LCD's so they are more easily damaged in shipment. I refused shipment and soon thereafter received a replacement which arrived undamaged. Out of the box the LG is one slick & sweet looking plasma. Unlike some people, I prefer the high gloss piano black screen border. Its sleek and more upscale in appearance. I have HDTV running via an HDMI 1.3 cable. The picture is even better than it was in the store. Despite a low 1024x768 resolution, the HD reproduction is detailed and crisp. I was expecting to sacrifice a bit in this area, and am simply ecstatic that the difference between this TV and my previous 1080p is simply insignificant. As you would expect with a plasma, the colors are deep and rich. Unlike many LCD's, sports broadcasts suffer no ghosting or pixelation. SD broadcasts look great as well, with certain channels looking better after switching to cinema mode or one of the other customized picture settings. I have the LG TV ORBITER feature set to the ON position. A nice feature available to prevent image retention or burn in which can be an issue with plasma televisions. So far, this has not been an issue. I will mention a couple of minor negatives. This LG does suffer from severe glare if operated in a brightly lit room. As is the case with many plasmas, the glass screen reflects the bright windows in my living room. Thus, it will do better in a dark room or positioned with windows behind rather than in front of the TV. Also, this plasma runs HOT. It actually raises the temperature in my living room if run for a few hours. If I put my hand over the set, I can feel the heat rising from it. From what I've read, this is common with plasma TV's in general. Overall, I am VERY happy with the LG 42PG20. A great Plasma television, providing a fantastic HD picture while outperforming many of the other brands in this price range.


UPDATE - Its been a couple of years, so I recently purchased the Samsung B450 Plasma and find it to be even better than this LG. See my review for details.

After the price dropped on this T.V. I decided to buy.
Wary of plasmas I still loved the high contrast ratio that this one delivered. I had the choice between this and a similar samsung and definately could see that this Lg model gave the better picture. 720p? they could have fooled me because the crispness of picture quality is terrific, one thing I was wary of with this being a 42" model.
The Darks are dark, the whites are white, and the colors are vibrant.
I keep mine set on cinema style settings and love it.
The sound is better than most flat panels and the speakers are hidden.
I like the high gloss finish, makes it look sleek.
Ghosting is minimal on this model and if you do experience some ghosting they supply different ISM methods to basically prevent or actually one called white wash which basically resets your picture. I play a lot of Xbox 360 so I was worried about the ghosting but it is not really a problem. I recently paired this with LG's LHT854 home theatre system (about $220) and am enjoying a high quality home theatre setup for a decent price.
So everyone considering picking up this T.V. I say Enjoy!

I recently purchased this model on a black-Friday special for a great price.

Pros:
Compared to other units in the same price range, up-scaling from SD cable is excellent as is broadcast HD. Blacks are great, contrast is great, no remorse.

To correct the previous reviewer 1024x768 is only the PC display mode, in TV modes it displays full 720p. I did an in-store comparison with the Samsung PN42A450 and I could not make it look this good.

Cons:
In 4:3 mode the borders are gray instead of black. Start-up and Channel select are a bit slower than some competing models. PC input does not provide full 720p resolution.

I bought this model on 1\28\09 at my local PC Richards store. I had went there to buy the Panasonic 42 inch Plasma set, but after seeing this set on display i was impressed by the color, contrast, black levels and clarity of the picture on the screen. I have seen other LG sets and know how vivid their pictures are so i am very aware of LG's quality. This set hooked up to regular cable or HD cable is very very impressive. I ordered some HDMI cables today so when they arrive i know i will be even more happy with my purchase. I also ordered a new DVD player so i have more testing to do and iam very eager to test it out on my new set. LG stands up to there reputation so if your looking for an affordable very good quality 42 inch plasma set, go with the LG 42PG20 you won't be sorry trust me !

Picture
--Great Picture even before changing settings or adding HD.
--At the moment only connected to satellite & regular DVD
through composite cables and the picture is clear & bright.
--In 4:3 mode the sides are gray? Looks weird so I keep it in 16:9
--No blur watching sports or other fast moving scenes

Set up
--connect stand to TV with 4 screws.
--Instructions for TV on a pdf file on a CD

Remote/Menu
--Big buttons, comfortable in hand.
--Straight forward menu choices, and not too many,
I thought there would be more choices but basically 6
--1 Channel menu (for antenna channels)
--2 Picture menu (change ratio 4:3/16:9/Zoom1 or 2
also Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness, Tint)
--3 Audio menu (keep commercials at same level,
Clear Voice, Balance & some pre-set sound schemes)
--4 Time menu (set clock)
--5 Option menu (change language, Captions etc)
--6 Lock menu (parental controls, etc)

--Press Input on remote to chose between inputs like
Antenna, Cable, DVD etc (you can label the inputs
so no guessing) Also it automatically highlights only
what you have connected to chose from

Sound
--Better than most. (I turned up all brands at the stores
and none are great) Eventually I will get a surround
sound but for the moment its just fine

Price
--Couldn't pass up. Bought at Best Buy 4-4-09 $699.99


Conclusion
--Very pleased with this purchase