I've had the LG 50PK550 and the LG BD570 for almost 2 weeks now and all I can say is WOW!
Over the past 7 years I've upgraded tv's 5 times with my firt being a panny plasma and then 3 lcd's 2 LG 1 Samsung and now the PK550 and none have ever impressed me half as much as this unit, it has great blacks(I think they rival panasonic's blacks) absolutely no motion blur or artifacts and the picture quality is the most vibrant and clear I've seen in a while...
I tested 4 movies and here are the results
Ong Bak 2 - bluray - awsome pictue no blur or artifacts great sound
Disney's Up - bluray "same as above"
(and just if anyone wanted to know here's little on the BD570
Ip Man - 720P MKV DVD - awsome picture no blur or artifacts & great sound
Chocolate - 1080P MKV 120GB HDD - "same as above
I would totally recommend this tv to anyone looking for good quality at an affordable price as well as the BD570 they make an great combo set
Oh yeah just in case here are my settimgs
(keep in mind I'm no professional calibrator)
LG 50 PK550: Just scan, energy saving off,pic mode: expret2,contrast 100,brightness 33,H Sharp 50,V Sharp 50,color 62,expert control: D Contrast off, noise reduc off,gamma high, black level low, color gamut standard,edge enhance off
LG BD570:User setting: Contrast 2,brightness 0,Color 1, Sharpness 2,Noise reduction 0 LG 50PK550 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Well, I got my pk550 on tuesday. So far, i'm in love. Watching blu rays on my ps3 is a new experience. I want to go through all my movies and watch them again. The panel is just sexy. For my ps3 for blu rays, I use cinema mode (obviously recalibrated) and the picture is so smooth and crisp. My brother noticed right away how smooth and real the movement was. For my xbox 360, im using Game Mode (recalibrated as well). I've been playing mass effect 2 and it's way more vibrant and rich. I have no issue with IR or burn in. As long as you set your tv to Orbiter and do a "color wash" every so often it cleans away any IR in a matter of seconds.
I was very nervous as this was my first plasma and i read about burn ins and IR. But after only 3 days and doing research I feel more confident in the tv and plasmas in general. I just do the "color wash" mode sometimes when im gone to break in it/speed the break in process up. If im playing a game that has a HUD on for a while, ill pause the game, and do a quick "color wash" for about 10 seconds and set it back to orbiter and keep playing. Now, this may sound annoying, but honestly, it's not. You get used to it and get real quick at using the tv.
Also the pk550 has a load of calibration options. I love that. Anyway, it's a great tv, def best bang for you buck for a 50" 1080p plasma. This is my first plasma and it's an LG. I have much more faith in plasmas now. Especially lg. Pick this set up!!
***I returned a Samsung UN32C5000 and bought this one (see review of the Sammy here on Amazon)***
I purchased this set from somewhere else (Dad has a retiree discount) so I got it cheaper, but otherwise would had no problem buying from here.
I only had the set for a few days, but I really like it so far. I'm doing a break-in period for the set (not really necessary, but helps age the phosphor evenly) so the settings are a little low right now, but still fantastic. I watched two BD movies so far(The Hurt Locker & StarTrek) and they were awesome to watch. Colors were vivid and the detail kept my eyes popping out. lol I don't know if I ever could be happy going back to DVDs again. lol
**Note on plasma Tvs: Burn-In has not been an issue with plasma TVs for quite a few years, but you may still get some Image Retention. I have seen very little IR on this set, and what did show up quickly went away. I wouldn't even consider it an issue.
I know Samsung has been having problems with loud buzzing sound coming from their plasma TVs, and a few heard it from other manufacturers as well(including LG), but I cannot hear any buzz coming from mine. I even held my head up to the TV and the only hum I heard was the mini-frig in the room. :)
The screen is very uniform in lighting. Probably my only wish would be for darker blacks. My set is not calibrated yet, so I know it will go darker than it is now. It's not bad mind you, but you can tell where the black bars end from a movie and the black bezel begins, which would disappear with the darkness of the room.
**For the Gamers: As far as I can tell, there is very little lag or none at all. I tried a couple games (ie GTAIV & Crackdown) and got into a Semi-truck. What I would do was pull the right trigger as fast as I could to go into reverse which causes the back-ups lights to come on with the beeping sound. Even closing my eyes I would hear the click from the trigger at the same time as the reverse beep. The controls even felt the same coming from a computer (TN Panel) monitor.
Just to point out, this TV does have a glossy screen. My complaint with the Sammy was they stated it eliminated reflections, but it was mirror like. The reflections are not as bad on this set and at least I knew about it ahead of time.
So overall I am real happy right now with this set.
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Encrypted Neuron
I was actually forced to buy this TV. We wanted a 50" plasma that would fit our 47" entertainment center in the family room. I really wanted a Panasonic plasma since I love the 65" Panasonic that we have in our theater room. But this LG was the only 50" that fits in our ent center. I could not be happier with the LG. The picture is stunning in all AV modes. We bought it at Sears and they threw in the LG BD550 which is also excellent. I have to say the PK550 picture is on a par with the Panasonic plasmas. Blacks are excellent and colors are beautiful. I tried the Picture Wizard for calibration and found the pre sets to be dead on. We have had the TV for about a month and have used all the AV modes for general viewing, sports, and movies. Everything looks great. My only minor complaint is that the TV's virtual surround sound is not as good as I expected. But I have the TV connected to a Pioneer Amp and it sounds great. Besides, the important thing is a TV's picture. I highly recommend this TV for anyone looking for a beautiful television at a reasonable price. - Plasma Tv - Lg - Plasma - 50 Inch Plasma'
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