Customer Reviews

LG INFINIA 50PK750 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is one of the Best TVs available on the market, especially considering it's price. I've had this TV for about a week now and have nothing major to complain. I was nervous getting a plasma TV due issues like glare, buzz, weight, form factor, ghosting, burn-in etc. But this TV proved to out live most of the disadvantages of plasmas.

Pros:

1. Color Accuracy - Color accuracy great without even tweaking any calibration settings. I like the THX cinema mode the best.

2. Slick - The TV has a slim form factor and the uniform glass top (Bezel does not pop out of the screen). We absolutely love it's looks.

3. DLNA - This is the first TV I owned with DLNA capability. I installed the Nero Home media essentials that came with this TV, on my laptop and I was able to watch photos and videos that are on my laptop, in no time. The video quality also feels upscaled and close to HD.

4. Plug and Play USB - I connected my USB hard drive and instantly there is a prompt on the TV to play videos, music and photos.

5. Netcast and Widgets - The TV comes with Netflix, Youtube, Vudu, Picasa widgets and it also supports the Yahoo widget gallery. I haven't yet tried Netflix or Vudu. But Youtube and Picasa were really good. The picture quality of the youtube videos was not great, but it really is a matter of the video itself, but not the TV. Yahoo widgets were good too. I especially use the Twitter widget a lot.

6. Games - The TV came with some games pre-installed. I haven't explored this feature much. But I tried Sudoku and it was simple to use.

7. No Buzz - Since I read in one of the earlier reviews about the buzz sound, I tried hard to hear it from my typical viewing distance (about 10ft) and I heard nothing.

8. Ease of use - The menus and features are very easy to navigate and operate.

9. Remote - The remote is really slick and with big keys and very easy to operate. Also has decent short cuts to most of the frequently used features.

Cons:

1. Black Levels - Black levels are not as dark as I'd hoped for, in a Plasma. In fact in some cases I tend to think they are not even on par with some of the latest better performing Sony and Samsung LCDs. I was a little disappointed with this. But hey, you get what you pay for..!

2. Glare - Like any other plasma TV, this TV produces a bit of glare. But this is much better compared to a lot of other plasmas I've seen and in most cases you wouldn't really notice it unless you are looking for it.

3. PIP/POP - I'd hoped that a 2010 TV comes with the basic PIP/POP features. But seems like this TV does not have it. It's not a deal breaker for me though.

4. Zoom - The picture zoom feature is a little cumbersome.

5. Typing - Netcast widgets use the number pad for typing. But Yahoo widgets (twitter) rely on the visual keyboard and entering each alphabet takes a lot of strokes. I wish LG offered a remote with QWERTY keyboard, something similar to the one that comes with Vizio VF552XVT.

6. Video format compatibility - I tried playing several videos of different formats - divx, divx HD, mpeg, mp4, wmv, avi etc. It was able to handle all formats. But within a given format some videos were not recognized (videos that I have are, even though of the same format, are different in bit rate, compression, resolution etc). Sometimes it does not recognize the audio. I wish LG comes up with a firmware update to expand it's support.

One feature I haven't tried is the wireless connectivity. This TV is both WiFi ready and Wireless 1080p ready. But both of these optional accessories which I do not currently have.

I haven't played around with a lot of picture settings yet (Mostly, because I didn't need to). But as I explore more, I shall come back to update this post.

This may not be the best TV on market. But for a little over 1000 bucks, you can not go wrong with this TV, especially if you are not a videophile and picky about deep black levels.

I really like this tv. I researched tv's for a while before purchasing. It was between the Panasonic G25 and the LG PK750. Although the picture was an important factor the looks of the tv weighted in heavily as well.

The Pani G25 is an extraordinary tv, but it comes at a premium and it looks are a bit dated in comparison with the beautiful Infinia PK750.

I purchased the tv three months ago from Amazon. Excellent experience all around, even with the free shipping received. I did the prerequisited 100 hrs break in process, running only full screen programing for hours at a time. The BBC Life blu ray is excellent for this, as is has a 3hrs plus disc. The tv looks better now than when I purchased back in April. the colors pop and it renders a very good black, not as good as the PK950 model, but good.

Pros
1. Beautiful tv, it resists dust
2. Options - THX and various watching and color adjustments - Tweek them to obtain best
3. Internet able - Netcast, Netflix, etc.
4. Price
5. Multiple connections - 4 HDMI
6. Thin and very light

Cons

1. Screen glare from certain watching angles
2. Image retention for the first 200 or so hrs, this is different than burn in. It will go away, but it is a little annoying nonetheless.
3. Sound - speakers under perform - I have mine connected to an Onkyo receiver.

Overall I give this tv 4.5 stars.

Great TV, with ever so slight a buzzing noise that is the function of the picture brightness.

I can only hear it when everything is absolutely quiet and I am fast forwarding the remote DVR. It sounds like a transformer or capacitor noise. I cannot hear it over the TV's volume - only when the TV is on mute and it is displaying a very bright image (I sit 8' away).

The LG Certified Tech verified everything and said that he believes that it is due to the 2010 panels being much thinner - less material to absorb and dampen out the vibrations (once a Mechanical Engineer, always a Mechanical Engineer).

The long story: Bought it a couple of weeks ago from another vendor. It arrived late Sunday night, so I did not have time to really enjoy it until the following weekend, by which time I had also completed the 100 hour Plasma TV burn in.
I gave my wife the option of this TV, the equivalent and equally priced Samsung 50" (with 2 million contrast ration in place of the LG's 3), versus the Panasonic G25 for an additional $300. I took her to a store that had all 3, and she picked this for its beautiful clean lines.

I had a concern about the Panasonic TV retaining its deep black levels, so I was relieved (if it was not for that, I would have just picked the Panasonic and not mentioned the other two). I was also concerned about the Samsung's buzzing noise, which seems to afflict random sets (even in the 2010 models).

I sat to watch the TV over the following weekend. Everything was fine during the day, but at night, when the hose was perfectly quiet, I started to hear a very slight buzzing noise whenever I fast forwarded or paused the DVR'd programs - especially whenever the image was very bright. Upon further investigation, I realized that the noise was coming from the back of the TV, and that if I pushed in on the back of the TV (bottom right quarter, as you are looking at the TV from the front), I could cut the noise by 2/3rds.

Had the tech come out and he verified it. Had the store bring a replacement today, and it had the exact same issue (sitting on a different table), so I sent the new one back. FYI: The Tech said that the Samsung's noise is more of a very loud (by comparison to my LG's noise) rattle, caused by a vibrating coil. He also offered to replace the LG's board, but said that he doubted very much if that would resolve anything.

I could still return this and get the Panasonic, but I will not: It looks much more impressive than the Panasonic and I can only hear the light buzz if it is mute, at night, on a torch bright screen.

I am loving it and keeping it.

I got this TV two days ago, the delivery was smooth, they even placed in the the basement of my house (I tip). We unboxed the the TV and tuned on the set, I looked for damage and signed the paperwork. I have Verizon Fios, they encrypt everything but locals and government channels. But after hanging the TV on the wall, (having the screws in the back of the TV already was nice), scanning for open QAM channels and playing with the settings I found its sweet spot. I actually used the built in auto tune for this, it looks pretty damm good. The blacks improved, the local news (Philly) looked great in HD. The overall color was great, I have a media server and hooked up the Ethernet cable. I like the interface for my media, it found my twonky server and I was able to play AVIs and MKVs with little issue. I have one file that it failed to decode the audio for, it stated that when it started playing the file. I kicked on the BBC life series in 1080p and it looks good. I have another Panasonic plasma up stairs, its a few years old. The reason for one less star is that the blacks are deeper on that set. Since it's new it might change on the LG. I'm currently running a break in DVD, since this isn't my main TV the 1000 hrs should go quickly. I'll update the post after the break in period. I do have a light in the middle of the room, it showed up on the TV. The reflection was enough that I needed to turn off the light. I had a smaller LCD TV in the same spot, I didn't notice that before. Placing a table lamp downstairs should fix that. This is a plasma and it doesn't have the anti-reflective coating (50PK950 has it).

The TV widgets are cool, I hope there are more yahoo widgets to come. Twitter is available, but adding face book would be great.

I got the deal from Amazon that included the HTIB, the TV remote works both devices. I don't think the remote is universal, so adding a cable box maybe an issue. I need to do a little research, either way I plan on using a harmony remote anyway. So far spending a grand on the TV has been worth it, I can't find an issue with it yet. After reading all the reviews, worrying about the black levels and detailed specs on other AVS websites, I can say this is a nice TV.

Something you should really consider if you are in the market for a plasma.

UPDATE: July 2nd, 2010
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I've given it another star, this is a really nice TV. I've let things settle down in the basement, got the light problem licked and watched quite a few movies. At times this TV looks ALMOST as good as my uncles Pioneer Kuro, the picture quantity is amazing. I've been blown away at times, the blacks are just as good as my Panasonic upstairs. I think allowing for proper break-in is key to this set, go get a break-in DVD from the AVS forums site. I have seen some image retention, but this was solved my turning on the orbiter. I'm still using the auto detection settings, they look really good. The energy savings feature also works pretty good, if you set it to auto it will adjust the brightness depending on the lighting in the room. You have to get used to the initial change in brightness, but I keep things pretty dark so there isn't much happening with the sensor.

For the money it's a sweet TV.

I have been selling tv's for the last 10 years the panasonic g25 series is bad ass but about $300 more. This tv is about as close as you can get to the panasonic on a budget. THX certified wireless ready netcast. First thing I would do is get the tv. Once you get it home set your lighting up the way you want it then run the picture wizard to calibrate it. It will blow your mind. They also make it in a 60 inch (60pk750) if 50 won't do. I know its not 3d but 3d in the home is a gimick anyways.

If you are looking for a plasma television that is NOT a Panasonic, look no further, this television is amazing! Initially I was looking at Panasonic because the reviews tend to favor them in comparison to other manufacturers, but due to the current situation of Panasonic plasma televisions and the increasing MLL levels (blacks turn to grays over time - approx. 100-200 hours) I began looking at other makers. The LGs tend to get pretty good reviews across the board, and the new Infinia lineup has impressive specs, particularly the PK750 and PK950 models. The television is very sleek looking and the slim bezel makes for a professional appearance. There is noticeable screen glare but it does not concern me as it is in my opinion still better than a CRT. Having watched several widescreen movies with black bars at the top and bottom as well as using it with my PC I have not noticed any image retention. Black levels are very good, scenes in Transformers and Terminator Salvation give a good example of the contrast level this tv is capable of reproducing. THX mode has the best colors out of the box, but some manual tweaking will be able to improve them even further. I recommend turning off the energy saving function as this tends to brighten and dim the screen at odd times and is quite distracting during viewing. I have my brightness set at 50 and my contrast set at 60 and I feel this gives a a good balance. Overall this tv is excellent and I would recommend it over ANY Panasonic because of the reason I mentioned earlier. Great job LG!

I love this TV. The picture is clear and bright and awesome. It has plenty of hookups for anything you want. The only thing it is missing is maybe some RCA sound outputs in addition to the optical. The buttons on the front of the TV aren't really buttons, but are touch sensitive areas on the front glass that you simply have to tap or brush by and it gets the input. There are a million different options for picture set-up, which is good in some ways but also why I gave it four stars instead of five. I can never get the picture just the way I want it without spending several minutes messing with it each time I change the input. But most of the time I just leave it alone and it looks good, just not as good as it does if I mess with the settings. I think the sound is plenty loud and pretty good. I love the internet capability and we watch netflix on it constantly. I like that it can connect to my home network, but wish it could read my .mov files. Overall, I would recommend this TV to anyone.

Purchased this tv over a month ago, easily installed it on a wall mount and have been enjoying a perfect HD tv viewing experience ever since. The picture is perfect, don't know alot about technical things, but I do know what I can see with my eye. The tv looks beautiful, sleek, slim hanging on your wall, like a piece of art when the picture comes on. Do not hesitate to purchase. The remote is sleek and easy to use. The screen even has a protective cover so it wont get scratched. This is a wireless tv BUT you do have to purchase something so you can actually use it as wireless. That cost us $50 on Amazon and worth every penny. We now can watch movies on Netflix that come diretly to the tv through your computer. Awesome TV, don't hesitate to buy, perfect picture, beautiful look, excellent price.

TELEVISION REVIEW:

I bought this TV on an excellent pre-Black Friday special from Amazon. The actual TV buying and delivery experience from Amazon was excellent. The return process has been nothing but a complete pain. I didn't know what to expect for the first time buying such a large item but at least getting the item was terrific and I applaud Amazon for that. Now that I want to return it though: disaster. But, this isn't a review of Amazon, it's a review of this 50" LG 50PK750. I'll add more on the delivery/return experience at the end.

A lot of time and research and the aforementioned great sale led me to purchase this TV with high expectations. The reviews here and at other sites were high and for 50" plasmas, this was Consumer Reports #1 pick. It was to take the place of a 3 yr old Panasonic 50" 720p TH-50PX75U plasma. I wanted to upgrade to 1080p and a TV with a 1:1 pixel mapping so it would work better with my home theater PC setup.

Unboxing the TV, it looked terrific. It has a unified glass front, a slim bezel and is very thin. It was very easy to setup with a ton of options, including what I really wanted: a THX mode. However, in any of the default modes the picture quality (PQ) looked either soft or blurry. In THX mode, it was very soft and dimmer than I liked. Even the THX bright room setting wasn't acceptable. It was a definite let-down from the PQ of the Panasonic it was replacing but I figured I would just need to tweak the setting and I'd be all set.

I Googled for some settings and came across a lot of forums with people having the same issues with PQ. On their advice, I made sure to upgrade the firmware to the latest since it seemed it would improve the PQ. I used the Picture Wizard and made sure Edge Enhancement was turned off. It didn't help. Around any text, people, anything were always these halos and dancing pixels. I never saw this in my Panasonic. I guess if I didn't have something to compare to then maybe I wouldn't have noticed? However, my wife who confesses to not care about these things, without prompting, says to me that her videos are "all blurry and funny looking". I spent probably two weeks learning as much as I could and trying different settings to no avail. The best picture I got was with a 1080p picture and the input set to PC mode. Unfortunately, that setting also turned off 3:2 pulldown and made videos seem to stutter so it wasn't a solution.

So, despite the great expectations, look and pricing I've been letdown and I am sending this TV back. I've since purchased the next model down, the LG 50PK550 and I cannot believe how good the PQ is. They have the same panels in these TVs but I read the big difference is in the picture processing. Whatever the 50PK750 is doing the 50PK550 is not and that's a good thing. The PQ of the 50PK550 is what I was expecting. Unfortunately, it comes without the nice glass skin and internet connectivity but I'd rather have good PQ than those things.

That's been my experience. It seems lots of people are happy with this TV but I was not. Reviews are no substitute for seeing and living with a product. And, despite looks and bells and whistles it really comes down to how the picture looks and for me that equals 2/5 stars.

SHOPPING EXPERIENCE REVIEW:

Note: the following is NOT included in my star rating of the TV. I just want to share my experience trying to return this TV. It hasn't been good. I understand it's busy but that's no excuse for not calling back when promised and not showing up for an appointment.

--- Update 12/14/2010 ---

I opened an RMA for this on December 3rd and was told I would receive notice from Pilot by the end of the week. Nothing. So, I call Amazon and they call Pilot and chat and Pilot sets up a pickup. It turns out when they setup the pickup they hadn't received whatever they needed from Amazon and processed it through their system. Apparently the agent "wasn't supposed to do that". Instead of informing me of this they just let me sit home the entire day waiting for them to show up. Now, again, I am told to wait until the end of the week for another call. What had begun as a good experience has now gone pretty bad. I took the day off today so that I could be home for this, one of the last days of the year I could take off and because these people can't get their acts together now I have to figure out how I am going to be here for the next time.

--- Update 12/20/2010 ---

Pilot said they would call by the end of last week and they didn't so now I am on the phone with them again. So far I've been on hold for nearly 20 minutes listening to their marketing about what a great company they are. But, alas, finally a human voice and a new scheduled pickup. It seems like the root of the problem with the last pickup might be in fact I was transferred to the wrong city of all things. Unbelieveable. I've confirmed these people actually are in my state and know where I am. We'll see how it goes! It's so wonderful I have to take another day to be home and that I am now carrying interest on this TV.

--- Update 12/22/2010 ---

They finally showed up this morning and took away the TV. I was given no receipt and no tracking number -- nothing. The driver produced a folded up piece of paper for me to sign. This doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence. We'll see how long it is before I hear from Amazon that they have the TV.

Purchased this Plasma 5/15/2010 it arrived within the window provided 5/24/2010.

Set up was a breeze. Plugged in all the HDMI cables in the back, as well as the CAT5 for the internet connection and a composite cable so I can see my receiver menu on the screen. Also plugged in the coax for OTA reception and the optical audio out connection. Fired it up and was very impressed. I'm not one of those guys that notices or pretends to notice every little picture detail or insignificant imperfection. All I know is that the HD feeds from the antenna look awesome. I'm watching the NBA Finals right now and it's being shown in 720P and it's incredible.

There are plenty of preset picture settings and 2 Expert Modes that you can set how you want if you don't like any of the presets. I prefer the THX Bright Room personally. I also have an HTPC hooked up via one of the HDMI ports in the back and the TV handles the PC very well. The HD movies played from the PC also look great.

The internet features are pretty good too. Netflix through the NetCast feature provides a free 30 day trial. You sign up online from a PC then enter a code that the TV provides. You can then add all your movies to the Netflix queue and they show up on the TV. Watched a couple streamed in HD and it's impressive. The YouTube feature is also pretty cool. You can search and stream anything from YouTube. Of course YouTube's video quality isn't the best, but it's convenient if you want to show everyone a video without having to crowd around a little computer screen. Push the green button and it pops into full screen. Both the Picasa app and the Flikr app are also good for streaming your pictures without having to connect another component.

The Yahoo Widgets is also a pretty cool little gadget as well. If you want to check the weather real quick or look at the top headlines, it comes in handy. There may be some issues with this device however. When I first got the set, the Widgets worked fine, then about a week later I pushed the Widget button on the remote and nothing happened. It was dead. Everything else on the TV worked fine, including the NetCast feature so I was debating if I even wanted to get it serviced. I decided I would and called LG. Their customer service was excellent. They sent a service van out about 3 days later and the guy called ahead of time to make sure I was there. He was on time and only took a few minutes to determine that the main board needed replacing. I again had to decide if it was even worth it. He said it's a simple process and only would take a few minutes so I had him order the board last Friday. He showed up again yesterday with the board, helped me take the TV off the wall, unscrewed about 15 screws, replaced the board then screwed everything in. Helped me hang it back up, and all is fine.

Even with the Widget issue, I'm giving the TV 5 stars. As with any product, there are bound to be occasional issues with individual items. Since the TV was still under warranty I paid nothing and the fix was extremely easy. In fact should something happen in the future and the TV is no longer under warranty, I will try to find a board myself and replace it.

Considering the picture quality and features this set has all for $1000.00, this is a no brainer. Highly recommended.