Home > Consumer Reviews > LG 50PQ30 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

Pros: Rich, vibrant colors; full complement of inputs; extensive color calibration and menu system; inky plasma blacks

Cons: Ineffective anti-reflective coating; basic remote; jerky motion on panning

Summary: This year's bargain plasmas - the Samsung 50PNB450, Panasonic TC-P50X1, and the LG 50PQ30 here - can all be found for around the same price. Each set has its strengths and weaknesses, but in my opinion this LG set comes out the strongest of the pack to be the best big-screen value in 2009.

This set looks great. The swivel stand is a gentle oval in front but tapered in the back to allow you to push it close to a wall - thoughtful. All the inputs are well labeled and easy to find, and LG includes a full batch of cable ties and routes for your convenience - thoughtful. There's also a handy microfiber cloth to polish the shiny bezel - thoughtful. Out of the box, it's a great experience.

Once plugged in to an HD source (I have a Scientific Atlanta HD cable box, a XBox 360, and a Samsung BD-P1600 Blu Ray player), the colors in Standard mode are much better than on the Panasonic plasma I also own. LG generously included two "expert" modes which allow full tuning of each color channel as well as adjustments for greyscale, gamma, etc - this set easily bests the competition from Panasonic and Samsung, with the added bonus that 95% of viewers will plug it in, think it looks great, and never touch any of that stuff. There are energy saving modes which dim the set according to prevailing light conditions as well, and the set automatically turns off if there's no signal.

I will add that this set does not buzz, or at least buzzes much less than my Panasonic plasma. I can hear the Panasonic from my seating position of 10 feet away, but only if I rest my head on the LG do I hear anything. This feels like a better constructed all-around package than this year's Panasonics.

The speakers are nicely hidden underneath the set, and LG includes several sound enhancement modes, two of which - the ClearVoice and auto-volume - are actually useful. It's more than enough for late-night viewing when we let the receiver rest and relax.

There is very little sign of image retention on this set. The only time I've seen it is from the bright white and red menus of the Netflix interface via Samsung's blu-ray player. It went away after a quick white wash. The set has a pixel orbiter which should mean no worries whatsoever with regards to burn in as long as you don't leave a DVD menu up all day.

As for the reflections, I think it's a combination of a coating less effective than Panasonic's as well as this just being one humongous piece of glass. It's easy to live with as long as you make sure there are no lights or windows within the same line of sight of you and the set (the swivel base is very helpful in minimizing reflections as well).

Once the movies get rolling, it's clear you've made a good decision. The set's pixel grid and screen-door effect are, of course, visible within 3 feet, but once you sit back 5 or more feet it disappears and you're left with a sharp, lifelike, colorful window onto the world. It's a marvelous set, the best I've ever seen in my house and I've paid over $2000 (34" CRT HDTV) for TVs before. Blacks are black, whites are white, and everything else is right.

It's hard to go wrong at this price with any of this year's sets, but the LG is the most stylish and best-priced of the lot. Given its natural color, solid build quality, full feature set, and fantastic image quality, the set recommends itself. Buy with confidence.

For a 50" TV at this price point you cannot find a better one. The colors pop out at you. I went to Sears to compare this set with Panasonic and Samsung and this TV provides the best picture out of the 3. It has a lot of features and settings found on more expensive sets. Don't spend more money because a set has 1080p if you cannot tell the difference. I cannot tell that my TV is 720p at the distance I watch it, so why pay for it. This set has lush colors and good brightness and contrast. The skin tones are remarkable not orange or red like my 42" LCD. I watch TV and not specs. Do yourself a favor and go to Sears or another retailer and check this set out and then order it online if you can find a lower price.

After getting burn 3x with our Toshiba 62HM95 DLP(has a class lawsuit for the defected light bulbs that only last 6 month), we thought is time to give up the DLP and shop for a new set. With tight budget, we set our target to under 2K, 52' Plasma or LCD, while we debating between a Vizio 55"120Hz 1080dpi 550XVT1A or Samsung 52" 120Hz 1080dpi VP550XVT1A...we spot this LG 50" plasma..$799 @ Costco right next to them. We stood in front of this 3 sets for 15~20 min. seriously couldnt see any big difference, the color is more vivid than the Vizio, but has almost the same contrast than the Samsung..yet..price tag is +$1k difference!!...bought it home, rushed and set up with my Toshiba upscaling DVD player with HDMI..wallah!!.....plays the movie beautifully, black has so much detail on it, we have a very bright living room ( long windows from all side, plus high ceiling) this TV still does great job..if you dont want to pay for arm & leg for TV, this is a great choice..!

Pros: Nice Clear Picture, good sound, 600hz, low price
Overall the picture quality is great in HD and SD content on this tv. My seating distance is at 8 feet which is about as close to this tv as you can get, any closer and you will need a 1080p or probably a smaller tv. No burn in or image retention issues as far as I can tell after playing video games on the tv(set on orbital. The swivel stand is nice and the design looks pretty good with the glossy black although I am not a fan of the bottom grey stripe. Sound on this tv is nice and clear. HD content looks great and after watching some hd dvd movies(sorry no blu ray player yet) I am impressed with the picure on this set. The amount of extra features on this entry level tv is impressive and will allow you to customize to your hearts content. I especially like the intelligent sensor because if I am watching tv in the dark at night the tv does not blind me with brightness. The tv also supports 24fps for movies. Xbox 360 games look amazing on this tv such as COD4. The tv's instatanious response time means no more lag and things are where they should be i.e. Guitar hero, and online gaming. Fast motion is handled well by the 600hz. SD tv looks good and most stations are pretty clear. Lots of imputs and monitor imput means a 50inch computer screen is possible. Also supports usb so you can play pics or music easily over the tv.
Cons: a few minor things, remote is not the greatest or easiest to use, black levels are good but not as good as a panasonic, 4:3 HD content cannot be stretched to fill the screen
Overall great tv for a great price with lots of features

For the price this unit is hard to beat.

First the 'lows':
1. It would be nice if the frame was 'matte' finish instead of shiny. But most sets seem to be shiny for some reason.
2. When viewing in 4:3 it would be nice if there were some choices for the side bar color. The light gray is somewhat distracting. If I had the choice I'd make them black.
3. "Menu" button on the remote is in an odd place. Normally that button would be set apart like the power button is. This is minor, but still makes me look at the remote to be sure I press the right button.
4. Cabling a little tight if wall-mounting. All A/V jacks should have been side-facing or the recess for them made a little deeper so the cables won't rub the wall.
5. Wall-mount bracket (included by Amazon) difficult to reach to adjust while leveling the set. This was standard universal bracket, and so would have been a problem with any set. A longer allen tool could have helped.

The 'highs':
1. Picture is great. I don't even have HD or up-conversion yet, and the picture is very sharp.
2. The price. This was significantly cheaper than comparable LCD units, and has a better viewing angle and no pixel drag.
3. Easy switching of AV inputs.
4. Easy switching of video modes (4:3, 16:9, etc).
5. Power light is not bright/distracting. Very subdued.
6. Lots of input jacks allowing for many different sources (including a PC).

I anticipate many years of excellent viewing with this set!