LG 50PA6500 and LG 60PA6500 Plasmas - Page 2

I also just received mine yesterday and am also very pleased. My 56" Sammy 720 DLP died over the weekend, so I was in a hurry to replace. Was favoring Panasonic, but would have had to go down to 55" because of the size limits of our converted closet-entertainment center. The LG 60" just fit with 3/8" to spare thanks to their super slim frames.

What I read about the improved blacks with this model is TRUE! Tweaking the settings has been a lot simpler compared to my other two Sammy plasmas...and I have yet to play with it extensively...may not need to. Ran Picture Wizard, then started modifying from there (Expert 1). I found most of the default settings too dark and color too hot.

So far, extremely pleased.

BTW, this model is now in the Logitech Harmony database.

I just received my 60" today and this is my first plasma. I'm no enthusiast but I do hope to get it looking as good as I can outside of a professional calibration.

One of the first pieces of advice I got was to lower the contrast during the break in period, so I did. The picture still looks better than any other tv I've had and I'm very pleased with it so far.

Hopefully some of you more experienced guys will have some settings for me to copy.

Welcome to the wonderful world of plasma. So far, the LG is beating the pants off my two Sammys, which I used to swear by. Will try to post my current settings this weekend. No way you should need "professional" calibration. I spent nearly twenty years in commercial film production, including extensive video color correction. At the risk of sounding cocky, I'll put my "eye" over their meters/numbers any day.

had my LG 60 POP a couple times last night. Pretty damn loud, only happened twice while watching HDTV. hopefully this doesnt become a common occurrance. I dont hear any buzzing from this set but my hearing isnt what it used to be either. PQ is still great have had tv for 2 weeks.

anyone attempt to get the extended warranty thru costco even if you didnt buy tv from them? Ive heard this can be done. I think a 2yr extended warranty from BB was like $170-180 if i recall.

Speaking of "popping", I had a little scare, too. I walked across the living room carpet and touched the frame of my new LG. I got a little static electricity shock in my finger, heard the usual static electricity pop, and...the picture went blank for a few seconds! It immediately came back on, though. I'm guessing there's some sort of fancy "anti-static shock" gizmo to protect it from such things.

How far away are you guys sitting from the 60" model? My chair is about 8' away and the seating on the couch is about 11' or 12' away. We watch primarily HD cable with the occasional blueray. I have a 50" Samsung plasma currently (720P) but I'm wondering if this 60" LG would be too big at my 8' viewing distance for HD cable?

Also how is the IR on this set? IR is pretty bad on my sammy especially when my daugter watches cartoon network for a bit. That darn CN bug they use wreaks havoc on my sammy. Hoping this LG would be better?

Thanks,

-Guru

my couch seating is about 14' from the screen which is about 5' above the ground. I dont notice any IR from that distance. sometimes when i am 2-4 feet away and not in HD.

A gentleman, Teever, posted extensive calibration settings on Amazon's product feedback...and my 60" looks STUNNING. Only changes I made were -5 each on contrast and brightness, no edge enhancement, and did not run picture wizard...no need.
http://www.amazon.com/LG-60PA6500-60...DateDescending

I put an LG 50PA5500 on hold, need to pick up by Tuesday if I want to buy it, at $599. Was looking at the 50PA6500, best I can find on that is $749 locally which isn't bad. Looking at the specs on LG's site, the only diff is the 5500 has one set of component inputs, whereas the 6500 as two sets, both have three HDMI, and all other features & dimensions are identical ($150 for another set of component inputs?). But, looking at the 5500 in the store it actually does have two component inputs. In fact, the label on the back shows the 50PA5500 model number, but the FCC ID is BEJ50PA6500UA. The label also shows a March 2012 mfgr date, so it is current production.

I called LG customer support and they told me what they read off their marketing lit about only one component input; when I told them even the owner's manual shows it as two and the model in the store has two, they said they were unable to find any differences then. (P.S. They did note that their marketing lit for the 50PA5500 was incorrect that it does not include a "universal" remote, it's the same remote as the rest of the PA series.)

So my question is, does anyone know definitively what the difference is between the 5500 and 6500 models, if any? (Please don't bother going to LG website to tell me what's there...I've already spent a few hours there, thoroughly going through the owner's manual, Google searches, etc.) Would kindly appreciate some factual input Thanks!

Here's what I discovered...

I went to my Local BJ's Wholesale Club in Riverdale, NJ (Northern NJ, Morris County).

They had the LG 50PA5500 In Stock.

All I could find on the web was in for about the LG 50PA6500...

Then I checked LG's website. I noticed 2 things:

1. It IS LISTED, and the specs are EXACTLY THE SAME WHEN COMPARING THE TWO. I mean down to a T... Inputs, ratios, settings, etc etc etc...

2. If you look on LG's website here, you'll see that there are SUGGESTED PRICES for each model:
The LG 50PA5500 and LG 60PA5500 ARE NOT GIVEN PRICES...
THis is because they are Warehouse SKU's...


I noticed Samsung DOing this too, because at the same BJ's wholesale club, I saw an LN46D610: bjs.com/store/samsung-46-full-hd-1080p-120hz-lcd-hdtv.ln46d610.html
Upon further research, I also saw a Samsung LN 46D630 at Best Buy:
Checking the review section on BB's website, the 4th question from the 4th page of questions, you'll see that the Samsung Representative stated that the D610 was a Warehouse SKU, and the D630 is a retail SKU..
reviews.bestbuy.com/answers/3545/product/2122306/samsung-46-class-lcd-1080p-120hz-hdtv-questions-answers/questions.htm?page=4 (4th question up from the bottom)

THEY ARE THE SAME PRODUCT... But one is manufactured for a different selling channel.


To repay me, PLEASE tell me where you're getting it for $599! I'm looking at the same 5500 for $699 at my local BJ's, and I'd love to save another $100!

Gladly: Fry's Electronics has the LG 50PA450 on sell in their current weekly adds (frys-electronics-ads.com/#TV), SKU 6537613 good through May 3rd. I went in and they didn't have the 50PA450 in stock so I bitched a bit and they gave me the PA5500 as a replacement, so I bought it with a 72hr hold to pick up.

Not sure if this is going to help in NJ ;(

The PA5500 is a much better set than the pv450 by virtue of improved black levels.

How is IR on these new LG plasmas?

Non-existent, for me.

Same here. I've been pleasantly surprised. I've been careful to watch only full screen shows so far, but during the first week with this set, no IR that I've noticed.

Do you happen to watch Cartoon Network at all? For some reason that CN logo leaves some nasty IR on my cheap 50" Samsung.

-Guru

Nice, gonna check this out right now. Thanks for the heads up.



Like others have said, it's pretty nonexistent. Even when I go up close and specifically look for it I see no IR. I made the mistake of falling asleep to a movie last night that was being streamed from my PC thru my PS3. When the movie ends the screen goes blank with a "pause" symbol in the lower left hand corner of the screen. When I woke I almost panicked because I'm still in the break-in phase and I thought that little pause symbol would be stuck there. I'm happy to say there was not even a hint of it. I love this tv.

Got mine today and all I have to say is wow, it was totally worth the extra $60 I spent on it.

The picture is WORLDS better over the Vizio LCD that I had. I'm so stoked. Still in burn in, but watched hours of netflix tonight and it looked great. only problem I seemed to have was that I couldn't quite get it to look like the store had it, with the humans in the TV shows showing depth. I'll have to play with the settings more.

No games on it yet either

what are you guys doing as far as breakin goes? Mine arrives tonight

Just keeping it in 16:9 mode and watching full screen video for the first 100 hours or so.

cool, thanks

Agreed, thus would not go with the PV450. Live chat with someone at place in Chicago that carries both models, and here's what I got:

"[Me] What's the difference between the two LG Plasma models 50PA5500 and 50PA6500 (other than price?)
[David] Thanks for your patience. The 6500 offers better contrast which provides you with more shading between the whitest whites and darkest black colors so every color in between is more vibrant. Other than that, these are very similar tvs."

I called LG again and asked if there was a difference in contrast between the two, was told no, they use the same electronics and display.

I'm picking up the 50PA5500 today ($599) and will post if I find out anything more. (I'm tempted to pick up a 6500 too with intent to return it just so I can compare them myself side by side...just don't like that idea too much nor have the time!)

FYI, the owner's manual (CD) for the 6500's also covers the 5500's.

I'll be interested to know what else is found out with the 5500 vs 6500.

Going the other way, is it safe to assume that the 6500 is the same panel as the 6700, just without the 3D, apps, etc?

bmp

I picked up the 60PA6550 from Costco a couple of weeks ago (great price for the real estate; have the generous return policy in my back pocket should the TV not suit my needs). While this is my second plasma - I had an old (> 5 years) 37" Panasonic in the bedroom - this is the first one I have "babied" as it serves as my primary viewing experience (home theater, sports, etc.).

I'm not sure what everyone's expectation is for IR length (time apparent - not to be confused with burn in) - I would love to hear what those expectations are today...but I have noticed some...e.g., watching an hour long Nat Geo show that was DVR'ed (I skipped through the commercials), the yellow picture frame logo was evident for at least a few minutes after the show ended. After the show, I happened to switch over to a station that presented a darker background; I turned on some break in images and it was much more apparent. After a few minutes of the slides, it was gone...

Note: My current settings are (now) modeled pretty closely after those posted in the Amazon link further up the thread. Previous settings, aside from IRE values, were pretty close (contrast: 90, brightness: 50). I had also run break in slides for a little over 100 hours up to that point in time as well.

I've also noticed some IR (generally lasting a minute to a few minutes thus far) after watching 15 minutes or so of anamorphic blu-rays...(99% of the viewing has been full 16:9, I've spot checked 2.35/2.4 : 1 content to get an ideal on the visuals).

Overall, though, the picture quality has been very good and I am extremely pleased with the set thus far. It has replaced another LG TV (LH90), that happened to have the full array of LED's - the blooming (or haloing effect) was starting to bug me to the extreme...

Jim

when i am watching a BR thru my PS3 I still have a minor black bar on top/bottom of picture. should that be there? I could have sworn my settings are at 16:9

Yes you can but double check with Square Trade (the company for the extended warranty) which stores are acceptable. I seem to recall when registering my TV with Square Trade that there was a list of stores to choose from. Three years is $100 if the TV is over $1000 $60 if its $500-$999. You have to buy the warranty with in 60 days of buying the TV.

I am about to become a proud owner of my 1st plasma TV. The LG 60PA6500.

I keep reading about the 100 hrs burn in time.

What is this and how does a person go about doing it?



Thanks

Gerald

60"x1.65=99"/12"=8.25'

mine was delivered yesterday, very happy so far, I previously had a 56" samsung DLP that I did love but I wanted something I could mount on the wall (and I just bought the wife a washer and dryer so I could justify buying something new)


I did the tweeks in the amazon thread, not sure if i'm happy with them, but I'll adjust over the next few weeks.

Mounting it above the fireplace tomorrow