LG 60PV250 - Very Dim / Dull

Please check this discussion for some settings tweak that are recommended for the 60pv250 model.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1346417

I did have the same issue but with the changes and adjusting the contrast and brightness a bit it sort of looked better. Of course comparing to a LCD display like the laptop does not make sense I guess since this is a plasma and not the LED model.

The difference between energy saving mode on and off should be really obvious, at least it was like that on my lg plasma (lg pw350). You're not going to get the same light output as a lcd as on a plasma because plasmas don't have backlighting.

Make sure you really have the energy saving mode off. With it on, I felt like I was watching tv with a pair of sunglasses on, with it off, it looked normal. It was basically unwatchable with energy saving on.

Make sure the intelligent sensor is off along with the energy saver mode. Plasmas don't offer the light output of a LCD or CRT, it's something you'll have to get use to. It's really hard to tell in the stores as vivid modes on LCDs use only 50 to 60% of their brightness and picture controls while a plasma will have the brightness, picture, dynamic contrast setting, and color all maxed out.

I also had a LG Plasma, the LG 50" 50PV450 and I didn't care for it's picture quality. It's list was $899.99 so it was fairly cheap for what it was. I returned it and replaced it with a LG 47" LED LCD 47LW5600 and just love this TV, but it lists for $1699.99. I was lucky enough to get the 47LW5600 for only $100 more than the 50PV450.

I consider myself a videophile as I nit pick picture quality characterics quite a bit. I went through several CRT TVs with my last purchase back in 2000, before I found a TV I loved, the JVC 36" AV-36D302. Luckily it only took 2 TVs this round.

One thing I found is with the LG plasma, it requires a very dark room with lamps to the extreme sides of it, not within it's screen reflective view. Since my television is situated in a 'living room' and not a dedicated basement 'home theater', a LCD offers the best picture quality in my home. I have 3 lamps and a picture window 4/5ths the size of the wall it's on. Even at dark, with only 1 extreme side lamp on, it's picture is not as dynamic or vivid as the LED LCD, but then again, this LED LCD is a top of the line model while the 50PV450 is a mid level plasma. You may want to try Panasonic Plasmas or a higher end LG plasma, or go to a LED LCD TV with local dimming.

Good luck with finding a TV that works for you.

Do the initial setup using the Picture Wizard. It should save to Expert1.

Now go into the Expert1 menu and then scroll down to and enter Expert Control menu. Scroll down and change White Balance to Cool.

VoilÃ*, LED bright whites!

Now if that doesn't work, you might just have a bad set. I got a bad LG plasma last year that was very dim regardless the settings. I exchanged it for the same model and the second one was fine. Here's a couple photos I took of it:












































If that isn't bright and vibrant enough for you, I don't know what is! That's a LG 50PK540. My 60PV450 is capable of the same exact image quality.

Wonder what happened to Benjiman? I was curious to see what his outcome was and if he thought my photos looked "very dim and dull".

i had 2 and they both did the brightness thing, i dont understand why others do not notice it.

That's the ABL issue of Plasmas. I absolutely hate that and why I went to LCD. I seen this on my LG 50PV450 and a Panasonic 60ST30.

I refer to what you're talking about as strobing. When it's much faster, it produces a flickering which is even more annoying. I went nuts watching this and could endure it no longer. That's why I went to LCD besides the less reflective screens and high brightness for brightly lit rooms.

Good luck, maybe you can ignore it like a lot of plasma owners because LED LCD has it's own problems.

hmmm... i dont see it on my ST...

Normal working ABL shouldn't be that distracting IMO. Sure you don't have "Dynamic Contrast" switched on? Oh and, the strobing that OldSchoolMETAL talks about, I think using Dynamic Color alleviates it a little (mine is set to medium)...

Got my 60PV250 today and hooked it up. The picture looks great on Cinema mode and energy saving mode off. I haven't had any issues with fluctuating brightness. Blurays and PS3 look awesome. Black levels are nice and dark, with no obvious "grey" blacks. I have not changed any other factory settings.

The pic is nice and bright and not dim.

The only problem however is the glare. Wow, this thing is like a mirror. Don't buy this TV if you have any type of light source in front of the tv (window or lamp) and intend on watching TV when the light source is on.

My 5 yr old 42" Panasonic has SO much less glare. I compared the two side by side, and the LG had twice the amount of reflection/glare.

Overall great value. Cant beat the price for $799.

I received my LG 60PV250 a few days ago. This is my first new TV since about '95 - a Panasonic Gao CRT - so take impressions with a grain of salt.

Glare is certainly present, but it's better than the old glass CRT so no complaints from me. The image is bright. I have it in a room with subdued lighting and planned to avoid light sources that might cause problems.

My first changes to the picture settings were frequent and completely seat-of-the-pants. I could never get dark gradients and skin tones right. Then I found the wizard and used that as my starting point. Messed it up by modifying Expert1 too much. I'm currently running with wizard results and cool white balance, as described by Emig5m. Skin tones are good and some of the rare background flickers seem to have gone away. (stuff above the horizon on outdoor scenes) I'm still not happy with the dark gradients, like skin tones in low light or underwater scenes, but for most source material it's pretty darn nice. Then again, I'm not sure what I'm aiming for given I've probably never watched a properly calibrated plasma.

Oh, source material varies but I'm trying to stick with 1080 video to minimize compression effects on those gradients.

Tuning suggestions welcome.