LG PA70G LED 1280x800 700 Lumens. - Page 8

That's a great price even if the brightness improvement over the 500 lumen LED picos is minimal.

I sure hope they regularly have them at that price when I actually close on a house in a couple of months!

Does anyone know if this projector can output a 120hz signal at its native res?

I just had a look at PA70G side by side with the W6000 at the same Fry's store. In my opinion the W6000 had a much brighter and cleaner picture. The PA70G had a larger picture since the throw ratios are different. I moved it as close as possible to the screen and got approximately the same picture size as the W6000 which still looked much brighter and better. The PA70G was and minimum power savings and vivid mode.

I have an Optoma ML500 and would rate the brightness between the LG and Optoma as very similar. The LG projectors seems to have a bluish tint and do not look as natural. This goes for both the LG HG350T and the PA70G.

The Optoma may be a little loud but is definitely a keeper for now until the 1080p led projectors come out. Optoma has no transformer to carry around either.

Really? I didn't think the W6000 was that much brighter at the same throw personally. It was brighter yes, but I noticed more of a difference between the HW350-T and the PA70G than I did from the PA70G to the W6000.

The biggest thing I saw was the added sharpness of the W6000, being 1080P obviously.

Are you talking about the Benq W6000? It should be over 2x as bright

Yes we are talking about the Benq W6000. It definitely looked much brighter to me than the PA70G. I fired up the dvd they had in the player and the video had footage in the snow against a blue sky. The W6000 whites and blues looked excellent and much brighter than the LG which looked very dull and had bluish tone. I did not bother looking at the W6000 settings but played around with the PA70G for quite a while and could not get it adjusted to my satisfaction.

I currently own the Optoma ML500 and two weeks ago picked up the LG HG350T. After experimenting with both projectors for a week I decided to return the LG HG350T for the following reasons:
1. less lumens (300 vs 500 on Optoma)
2. LG has an external transformer you need to carry around, optima has it built in.
3. LG colors were bluish, no matter what type of adjustments I made. I actually made a video I will later upload to youtube comparing the two.

Last week the PA70G went on sale at Fry's so I went to the store to pick one up. I was hoping that the extra lumens, higher CR and lower fan noise would make it better than the Optoma. After seeing the display unit at Fry's I changed my mind. The new PA70G has the same bluish tone as the HG350T. Even though I did not do a one to one comparison between the PA70G and ML500 but in my eyes it looked like they both have similar brightness even though the LG is rated at 200 more lumens. I would have to say though that the fan noise on the PA70G is definitely lower than the Optoma.

Yes. It was brighter, but it didn't appear anywhere near 2x as bright. Then again, perceived brightness is logarithmic in nature.

I thought the color saturation on the PA70G was superior, which might have been pushing things more towards it than the pure "lumen output" would suggest. LED projectors appear ~25% brighter than their stated lumens (there's a proper name for this effect).

Totally agree, not even close to 2x brightness.
For the time being my Optoma ML500 is more than good enough for me as a portable led projector. I have been testing it on my 120" Elitescreen and the picture quality at that size is amazing in a dark room.

So does this LG have a power brick?

All the LG LED projectors that I have seen have a power brick anywhere from 15% to 50% of the size of the projector. One more thing to carry around.

I have the Benq W7000 right now and compared to the ML500 I had last year, the W7000 is 4x as bright, its not even close. I got 360 lumens in best mode on the Optoma ML500 and I got 1350 lumens in Eco mode in the W7000. The fan noise did not bother me on the ML500 but the brightness was just not good enough. On my 100in screen I got around 13ftL with the ML500, which just too dim for daytime viewing. I don't really like watching sports or playing ps3 in the pitch black. With the Benq, I can get up to 50ftL with excellent color to watch anything with the lights on. Even when I'm watching my JVC at night, I keep the brightness between 16-18ftL, 13ftL is just not acceptable on the ML500. I thought the perceive brightness would be more, since people state LED projectors are brighter than bulbs, but that's not really the case to me. I will have to see a review on the LG to see how bright it is.

Most importantly, picture quality is not in the same league if you are viewing HD material. On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate my RS55 an 10, my W7000 an 8.5, and my old ML500 a 3. I'm still keeping an eye out on the lumens on the LG pa70g. If I can get 550 with good color on the LG with a HP screen, I should be able to get 30ftL with a 96in screen.

try the projector calculator at projectorcentral to give an idea for ftL for 100 inch screen .. it came out to 23 ftL for 100 inch screen with 1.0 gain.

I have tried both the LG HW350T and PA70G LED projectors. I am new to projectors and don't feel qualified to call this a review, but here at least are my impressions:

1) PA70G operates significantly quieter than the HW350T. At max brightness setting, the HW350T sounded like a mild hair dryer. It was also the one negative comment my wife made about the HW350T, asking me if the fan could be turned down. On the other hand, I find the PA70G max brightness sound to be acceptable for viewing. Also I noticed no odd high-pitched fan noises mentioned by some other folks. And since my older ears might not hear the upper registers, I asked my 10 year old if he heard any high pitched whine or whistle from the PA70G - he said no.

2) PA70G is brighter than the HW350T. Of course, at a rated 700 lumen compared to 300 lumen (HW350T), the PA70G should be brighter. The HW350T seemed a bit dark in some shadow and low lit scenes, with the PA70G bringing the brightness up to a more acceptable level. This is in a light controlled basement with 100" screen. There can be some light leakage and a 60 watt bulb on in the room, and the PA70G can still be used with no problem, but image quality is negatively impacted.

3) Can't comment yet on focus issues if any, because I have not had either projector perfectly aligned with the screen. But it is true on my PA70G and as mentioned by some other persons, the focus dial is very near the end of the adjustment range when I have the projector appox 10 feet from the screen. Not sure if this means there would be an issue if the projector were moved further back. My walls will not allow moving it much further back anyway.

4) Very much like the build and design of the PA70G, even though the HW350T was also fine. But the PA70G is just to my eye a nice looking projector that seems a very solid build and I like the buttons etc.

5) I can see the diagonal pixels up close on either unit, and the text does appear more jagged compared to a traditional pixel matrix. But when watching movies (most of my content is DVD quality or worse), the diagonal pixels are no problem.

6) Both projectors are native 16:10, and this poses an issue with my 16:9 screen. If I send 16:10 to the projector and leave projector set to accept it as-is, then I have to move the projector forward to accommodate the image size. But when moved forward, if I wish to view a 16:9 movie, it takes up less of the screen. On the other hand, if I move the projector backward to make the 16:9 image take up the entire screen, then the 16:10 image when in regular PC mode causes the task bar to appear off the screen. Hope that all makes sense, lol. Anyway, currently I am sending the PA70G a PC resolution of 1200x800 (16:10) and then having the PA70G size it to 16:9 to fill the screen. Maybe this is not the ideal for image clarity, but seems to work fine for what we display.

Summary: In my limited experience with projectors, neither of these LED projectors are going to best a lamp based unit in terms of resolution and image quality. I think that is why some folks offer some harsh appraisals. The key is to purchase based on the needs. In my case, this projector will be used by family including young kids. So I need it to be robust and there is little option to baby a bulb, and I am on a budget. So far today the PA70G has been on 4+ hours, with kids playing flash games from the internet, Minecraft, and watching a movie. If this kind of usage is the trend, maybe LED is a good option. I think LED has a place and is getting better, but depending on usage there are better options. I am fairly sure a 1080p lamp projector with various color and tweak settings is going to look nicer and be a better fit for the A/V enthusiast who does not need the qualities that make LED an attractive option to some other users. Particularly if light control is an issue - go with a traditional high lumen output lamp model.

With guests over last night watching a movie with the PA70G, everyone enjoyed and was lavishing praise on the PA70G setup. And not because it bests higher grade lamp projectors, rather it was the first time watching a large screen in a home, and that quality of the experience can't be overstated compared to smaller flat screen TVs. In that regard, count me as a convert to projectors in general. As a second display device in my light controlled basement to complement my living room LCD TV, going forward can't see myself going with anything but a projector in the basement. Not to mention, I think we will have a hard time watching movies any more on the regular TV.
Edited by indio22 - 8/6/12 at 2:01pm

Guys is it worth to carry the size of PA70G over PB60g, is there anyone who made a comparison of the quality of these two projectors ? ?

That calculator assumes that the picture gives out maximum lumens, when it doesn't. The best way to get the actual foot Lambert number is to buy a light meter and get the correct lumens since its always overstated. For instance, the Panasonic AE7000 is rated at 2000 lumens but in best mode its only 600 lumens. So if you use the calculator from that side, your numbers will be far off.

nice review, could you comment more on black level and image quality between both projectors in cinema mode please. and have you measured input lag ?

I only have the PA70G now, and am not sure how to measure input lag. But later this week, I will be connecting an Xbox to the PA70G, to see how well it works. I want to see how the projector performs with some of the darker scenes in the video games. My kids mostly play it, so I will also ask them if they notice any lag impacting ability to play, and try to report back here the opinion.

In terms of the display modes on the PA70G, the "vivid" mode to my eyes has generally too much purple. The "normal" mode" can trend a bit bluish depending on the scene. The "cinema" mode cuts down on the blues, making the colors warmer. In all of the mentioned three modes, the colors can seem a bit off occasionally, but that could also be partly my bad source material, which is less than DVD quality. For example, watching part of "Apocalypse Now" last night, I noticed some fern leaves that seemed too bright a shade of green. Haven't tried playing with any color settings yet. But I have watched some other movies and the colors seemed ok. Keep in mind I am not as into color accuracy as some folks around here.

Regarding black levels - without a light meter hard to make an honest appraisal. Room dynamics could also impact. But watching parts of "Master and Commander" and "The Dark Knight", I found that in some scenes in these generally darker films, some details are lost in the black sections. Perhaps this has something to do with contrast ratio? Meaning, the greater the contrast ratio of the display device, the more gradients of white to black would be available, and hence a darker scene could theoretically show more detail. That is my hunch anyway. I can't assess how well the PA70G compares in that regard to other projectors, as I haven't owned any others. But I watched the entire "The Dark Knight" movie with my kids on the projector yesterday evening, and for what it is worth, we all enjoyed watching on the big screen.

Indio,
Can you tell me what warranty comes with the PJ? Nothing online has the warranty terms for some reason. Even LG's site says to refer to the warranty card in the box. Lots of the picos are just 1 year... I'd really like 2-3. Thanks!

The warranty card in the box for the PA70G states a length of 2 years parts and labor. The card also mentions the following: "User replaceable projection lamps carry a 90-day parts/labor warranty." But since the LED light source to my knowledge is not user replaceable, I think the 2 year warranty in this situation covers the entire projector including the LED lamp.

I noticed a mention in the user manual for:

"Picture Wizard II, By following the instructions, using the remote control, you can easily adjust the picture quality to technical standards without needing an expensive pattern device or a picture quality expert."

Has anyone used this, and if so, is it about as good as using a calibration disc? Or what calibration disc would give better results?

Now that I got my question out of the way, as a AVS Forum newbie, here's my background:
More interested in sound quality than picture quality, I have been enjoying Blurays on a 480p Infocus SP4805 that I've owned for almost 8 years now. Last month the original bulb suddenly got tired (dimmer) after 2000 hours; I boosted a bunch of settings and it helped a little, but I now feel ready to upgrade to my second projector. Yesterday I got the PA70G with my first HDMI cable, set to cinema, feeding it 720p onto a 90" Silverstar screen in a very dark room. For less than half the price my 4805 was, I have a quieter projector (medium power on LG vs low power on Infocus), darker blacks, and finally, HD video. With my small screen, I was less than tempted by a more expensive 1080p projector with a bulb. I believe my next projector purchased will be 1080p, laser and/or led, and will accompany an upgrade to a much larger screen. Maybe in less than 8 years from now? For now I'm happy with a significant step up.

How's the brightness compared to the SP4805? I almost pulled the trigger on that projector in '06 as my primary display, but got a great deal on a plasma (at the time) instead. It's pretty crazy to see how far display technology has come in the last 6 years. The 4805 was the hot thing with 480P, decent brightness, and "reasonable" contrast.

Maybe that's why I'm pretty impressed with the PA70G when I see it in person, even though I've seen more $$$ projectors in the meantime.



So how's the brightness of the PA70G compare with the 4805?

I like a bright display, that is why I have a high gain Silverstar screen. When new, the 4805 in the high power setting was close to the brightness of medium power mode of the PA70G in a bright room. At high power mode the PA70G blows away the new 4805 brightness in the bright room.

On a related note, I don't think I'll have a need for the high power setting on the PA70G in a dark room with the gain and size of my screen. I haven't tried the lowest power setting yet.

From looking at super old reviews, the SP4805 would put out ~450 lumens with a fresh lamp on high. So that bodes well for the PA70G actually belting out a lumen number close to its rating in torch mode.


From my limiting viewing of the PA70G, I didn't think Vivid mode was that bad for color accuracy. Sure, it got a little oversaturated and maybe a little red push, but nothing like most LCD sets that have an almost neon-colored torch mode.

When describing how the PA70G looked in a bright room, I used the term "brighter" very loosely. The 4805 had much more washed out colors in bright room, perhaps lumen output was not the main cause, I'm no expert.

A big thank you to the person who told us about the Fry's $549 deal on the PA700g!

I've had a Panasonic AE900U for 5 years, and it's in need of repair. I just bought the PA70G today and hooked it up.

It is certainly as bright as the Panasonic, which is rated at 1100 lumens.
I like the picture at first look. I was afraid it would be washed out, but it was not. It is bright and colorful, with good contrast.

I remember the Panasonic picture being more 'cinema' like, but I think that was due to their smooth-screen LCD technology. This is my first DLP, and I think DLP projectors typically show each pixel more clearly.

I'll have a more informed opinion after a day or two of watching.
I also plan to put on THOR tonight. The dark scenes in that movie gave my Panasonic a hard time.

The thing that makes me happiest... NO MORE BULBS!

My kids used the projector constantly and always forgot to turn it off. My Panasonic is on it's fifth bulb! That's about $1000.00 buying inexpensive bulbs. The LG is rated for 30,000 hours.

congratulation. im very interested to see you review. i hope it has good picture and input lag for games and movies

Another subjective update on the PA70G.

I'm not a videophile, but I have owned a Panasonic AE900U 720p for 5 years, so that is my comparison point.

Out of the box, the picture was a bit cartoonish and grainy. However, the 'Settings' menu had enough adjustments to rectify the situation. I adjusted the black level and contrast on a known difficult bdark scene, then adjusted for normal flesh tones.

The picture is very good now. Black levels are decent without losing much detail.

I have a decent movie collection, and would be glad to snap some pics of your fav scenes if requested.

My wife and daughters commented the Pa70g was brighter than the AE900U it replaced. It confirmed my first impression. Keep in mind the ae900u was only rated at 1100 lumens, but that was quite enough in a light controlled room.

This projector won't match a modern bulb projector with 2000+ lumens in a bright room, but that's just basic physics. It works great in a dark room on my 96" projector screen.

Goodnight, all!

P.S. my opinions are completely subjective. YMMV.

The picture is good enough to enjoy with some tweaking. I won't be able to comment on lag, since I'm not a gamer.

you're welcome, Im glad I could help, I almost bought it myself but I want a built-in tuner, enjoy

Yes, thank you from myself also, I jumped on the Fry's deal

fbunn: Can you please post your settings? I have not received mine yet but would like to try out your settings when I do. Thanks.