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LG 50PV450 Plasma

2495 Views 7 Replies 3 Participants Last post by no123one, Aug 27, 2011

no123one

Discussion Starter · Aug 22, 2011

I've really been eyeballing the LG 50PV450 Plasma for quite some time now, and Coscto finally put it on a very short sale which ends today, so it's about $750 cdn, the same as Futureshop and Best Buy, but with the better return and warranty service.

I spent nearly 2 hours at FS and Best Buy looking at Tv's this weekend, going from Plasmas to LCD's to LED's and have a difficult time because they all have their disadvantages... LCD's are bright, but noisy/jaggy images vs Plasma. LED's are perfect in most regards, but very expensive (I found a lower end LED for about $950 with smart functions from LG (47LV5400) however, the viewing angles were noticeably worse than the Sony LCD and the LG Plasmas beside it!

Both BB and FS turn the lights off over the TV area, so judging panels, especially Plasmas, is difficult. I do find the Plasmas to be much darker, however, there was a Panasonic TC-P50x3 which was MUCH brighter than the other Plasmas for some reason even with settings similar (Vivid, Brightness 50) it was MUCH brighter than the PV450 eve if I turned up the brightness all the way. That Panny is only a 720p set though for about the same price.

I would consider an LED as small as 42-46" if it had a great picture and smart functions for about the same price as the LG Plasma ($750 is about my budget).

Panasonic has a couple competitors, slightly more money, with more of an anti-glare panel than the LG (the LG is like a mirror, sharp reflections, the S30 from Panasonic has more muted reflections, but I don't like the design, and lack of swivel stand which I will need in my apartment).

I live in a bachelor apartment, and here is a picture of what I'm dealing with. I do now have full length curtain installed over horizontal venetians, but am I going to have to keep my place dark like a dungeon all the time?

I face east, so I only get direct light early in the morning. Currently I just have a 27" CRT (98 lbs worth! LOL) and glare isn't too bad but sometimes if we watch a movie in the eve, I like to draw the curtains. I suspect with 50" of real estate I will have even more problems?

The swivel stand will be perfect for watching from the couch, or from my bed which we often do.

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/7970/aptpano.jpg

Thoughts? Suggestions?

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fpsfreak

· #2 · Aug 22, 2011

i dont like alot of brightness when it comes to tv,that is one of the reasons i'm going with plasma

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no123one

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 23, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by fpsfreak /forum/post/20853630

i dont like alot of brightness when it comes to tv,that is one of the reasons i'm going with plasma

Do you have any windows or is your tv in the basement?

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tim1_2

· #4 · Aug 23, 2011

If you a plasma like the LG, with a very reflective screen, you'll want to keep your viewing area dark. Any direct light on the screen will be noticeable and possibly annoying. That being said, I have last year's budget LG plasma (PK550, 60"), and I love it!

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no123one

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 24, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by tim1_2

Thanks Tim1. It's such a tough call because it's not like buying, say a camera, that's easy to return. It's a 50" TV so returning is a bit of a hassle (Costco return policies are great, but having to repackage, get a friend with a car, and drive it back is a pain).

One thing I did do was, since I'm a photographer, I used a strobe meter to measure the light where my TV is with my windows open. Then I went to Costco and used it there to compare lighting... very similar.

I was VERY impressed with the look of the 720P plasmas, they seemed much brighter (at same settings) than the 1080p LG (even with the brightness turned up). I wonder why that is? The 720p's were a Panasonic and a Samsung, maybe that has more to do with it than anything.

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fpsfreak

· #6 · Aug 24, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by no123one /forum/post/20856000

Do you have any windows or is your tv in the basement?

i have three large windows right behind the couch with curtains.

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tim1_2

· #7 · Aug 24, 2011

Quote:
Originally Posted by no123one /forum/post/20859537

I was VERY impressed with the look of the 720P plasmas, they seemed much brighter (at same settings) than the 1080p LG (even with the brightness turned up). I wonder why that is? The 720p's were a Panasonic and a Samsung, maybe that has more to do with it than anything.

It's not so much the ambient light that I'd be concerned with, it's having a direct light source shining on the screen (i.e. the sun beaming in through the windows, or a light opposite the TV reflecting). You will certainly notice any direct light shining on the screen. If this is controllable, you should be alright.

As for brightness, were you able to go through the menus of all the TVs? The LGs default with power saving mode on, which makes a HUGE difference. Once power-saving is turned off, and the contrast/brightness settings are adjusted reasonably, the LG should look comparable to the other sets.

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no123one

Discussion Starter · #8 · Aug 27, 2011

Thanks guys!

I agree Tim1_2, the ambient isn't as big a concern. I face east so I only get the morning direct sun, and even then not so much (large apartment tower across from me blocks most of that), I mainly get diffuse light coming from the windows.

I notice now sometimes in the day with my cheap 27" CRT we need to close the blinds, so I would expect a plasma to be similar? Are plasmas as bright as CRT TVs?

I checked all the settings on the TV's turned off the Energy Save (which did make the TV brighter) but it still wasn't close to any of the other plasmas really, all set on vivid, 50 brightness on them all, tried cranking the LG to 100 but it didn't touch the others around it (including cheaper 720p plasmas), I noticed this both at Costco and Futureshop.

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