LG 42PG6000 Review
By Vincent Teoh • Wednesday, 28 May 2008, 11:00 am GMT
The LG 42PG6000 plasma television should make the shortlist of anyone looking to acquire a flat screen HDTV for less than £700. Boasting a “frameless” design which scooped up the “Best Of Innovation” award at CES (Consumer Electronic Show) 2008 in Las Vegas, 4 HDMI 1.3 inputs, and a quoted contrast ratio of 30,000:1, the PG6000 plasma series may have been partly responsible for LG outselling Matsushita (parent company of Panasonic) in terms of global plasma volume shipped for the first time since the third quarter of 2006.
A non-true-HD native screen resolution of 1024×768 is probably the only slight chink in the armour of the LG 42PG6000 when you look at the specification sheet, but hey, you can’t expect the world at this bargain price.
We have completed a review of the LG 42PG6000, which contains a few comments comparing its performance against the Panasonic PX80, its main competitor in terms of specification and pricing. The LG 42PG6000 holds the edge in colour accuracy, overall video processing (especially in standard-def) and aesthetics, while the Panasonic TH42PX80 is capable of deeper blacks and native 1080p/24 playback free of telecine judder, and is more resistant to image retention.
At the end of the day, both of these HDTVs are fine choices for buyers looking to spend no more than £700 on a plasma TV. The only reason we gave the PX80 a higher rating is because some of its chief deficiencies could potentially be remedied by “outsourcing” (e.g. scaler, dedicated video processor); whereas most of the LG 42PG6000’s shortcomings are “fixed” (e.g. lighter black level, non-native 24fps playback, proneness to image retention).
Hi Vincent,
Thanks for the great review - it is great to know that the SD performance of this set is good - if it ‘outshines’ the Panasonic 42PX80 then it must be very good - out of interest, how does the SD performance compare to that of the Pioneer 428/4280?
You also mentioned that the poor black levels may possibly have been an issue with just your review set - what are the chances that you will be able to check them again on another set just to verify? How much do they trail the new Panasonics and the Kuro’s by - would one appreciable notice in a darkened environment? I had my heart set on this set but am a little worried about both the black levels and the image retention - will you be reviewing the Samsung 42PSA456/7 soon as that is also in the same price bracket as both the 42PG6000 and 42PX80.
Thanks!
Hello! I’m a little disapointed with this review.
I have the 50PG6000, and the black level is very good; there isn’t any “buzz” (compare it with the fans of the Panasonic PZ80!); I haven’t any problem with retention (but I don’t use it to play -PS3, Xbox…-).
The resolution of my set is bigger (50′), and maybe it makes that plays better.
I think that value for money is superb, and it’s a set highly recommended (in my opinion).
Thanks, anywhere, for your review.
Hello,
Many thanks to Vincent and his team for the good job, however in other reviews, reviewers are somehow disappointed by SD performance of the PG6000, they mainly pointed out that the PG6000 is not quite as accomplished as its rivals like those of panasonic and Pioneer. However in this review, I am surprised to learn that the PG6000 outshine (outperform) the PX80 in SD.
Thanks again.
Dear Vincent, I have just bought this set and can say taht at least the black than black test I have on a DVD calibration discs works fine. I would however be very interested in the specific adjustments you did to color etc. as I cannot do this with my discs. Thank you in advance for this.
I also appreciate the review very much. I for one thinks you get an excellent value for money here.
Troels
Hello Vincent,
thank you for the great review! I have one question - is there any picture format, that fill the 4:3 content to the entire screen non-proportionally - I mean some smart mode, in which the middle of the picture is not changed, but the right and left edges of the picture are wide spread. I hope you understand my question, thank you for your answer.
Markus
Hello,
I am going to buy the 42PG6000 instead of the PX80 because I have compared the two sets side by side and the LG has got the better image quality, superb detail. I’ve tried to change some parameters on the PX80, but the result in the end was the same. And looking at these two sets you have to admit that with this cheap plastic frame the PX80 is a pretty ugly thing and I have no place in my living room to hide it when I am not watching TV
To Markus
I have the 50″ version and there is no non-proportionally mode (smart-mode) on this set … only 16:9 and different zoom-modes.
Other than that the tv is great, though not as black as I had hoped for …
Hi Vincent,
thanks again for a great very usefull review. I do have a request. Would it be posdsible to get the HCFR ‘.chc’ files post calibration following a review. I’d love to analys the measurement data a bit deeper. Helps while learning.
thanks
Vincent, agreat reviiew on the PG6000. I have to disagree slightly with the black level as ‘average’. The black levels are still very good but not at the level of the 2008 Panasonics or the Kuros obviously. In saying that, I was at my local electrical store which was displaying a number of LCDs and Plasmas and the two best black level performers by a margin were the PG6000 and the Panasonic PX80. I owned the PG6000 but had to send it back as it was faulty. They had none left so they refunded me and I was offered a 46PZ80 at a good price which I took. The 46PZ80 is being returned as the fan noise is intolerable and the picture noise on HD is awful at times. The PG6000 image is much cleaner and I would rate it better than the PZ80 overall. In fact, the PX80 is better then the PZ80 as the fullHD panel introduces a lot of noise. Also, the SD performance on the PZ80 is poor compared to the PX80/PG6000. Overall, I am very disappointed in the 2008 models as they are no better than last year’s.
Please post your settings for the PG6000 as this would improve the image even more. Thanks for the review!
Excellent review. Very accurate. i’d've never have though LG would make a TV this good! i have just purchased a 42PG6000 and its superb! it looks amazing and amazing value for money! I used to be very pro Pana and Pioneer and a bit brand led but now the proof is in the pudding. Keep up the good work and can;t wait to see what the Koreans bring out next!! (1080p version please!)
Does anyone know how to get into the ISF calibration mode settings. I beleive you can change the ‘Expert’ presets so they say ISF day and ISF night if you know what you’re doing!!?…
Superb rewiev. I decided to buy this product, but in 50”. I hope I made the right decision. Can you post or send me the settings you made to you PG6000, so that I can improve the image as much as possible. Thank you and keep up the good work, it really helps when you are looking to buy something and you have people like you helping with reviews and advices.
Hi, This is a great service you provide.
I have more of a newbie’s perspective…
I’m not sure if anyone shares my request. There’s alotta stuud about the blackness of black and image retention and so on. I don’t know for sure what some of this means (I think I know black when i see it).
I was wondering if I could make a “don’t know all the techy stuff but just how good is thisTV?” with the following categories…
Sky HD Football
Sky HD Movies
Freeview Std viewing
PC/Gaming
BluRay Movies
This way I’ll know what you think about what I want to watch and I don’t have to think about what’s under the bonnet?
I ask that those of you who are technically oriented will bear with me on this.
thanks
Hi, great review. I have just purchased a 42 inch and its a great tv.
What are the best settings?
Thanks, Steven
Hi Vincent
I greatly appreciate your review. I am so close to buying this set but something is holding me back. I am concerned about the retention. I also read the samsung A656 test and you have included really useful settings. Please please can you give us the post callibration settings for the LG. Also i have read that this set has 2 layers of protective clear covering on the glass did you discover this on your set that you reviewed? Compared to a pioneer would the LG be so obviously lower quality or is the difference not really great.I look forward to hearing from you.
can anyone confirm if this set has 2 layers of protective film as i have removed one but there still seems to be a layer on the glass front which i dont want to try and remove if its supposed to stay it just seems to overlap the black edges
can anyone confirm if this set has 2layers of protective film as i have removed one but there still seems to be a layer on the glass front mainly visible around edges of black i would like to no so i do not remove something that should be there
Hi Paul
Hi Paul,there is a discussion on “av forum” about this and there is no definitive answer but the consensus of opinion is that there is a second cover but it should not be removed. I went in to a store in manchester where they have a set on display to look out for it myself and there does seem to be a second layer stuck to the screen. This issue has slightly put me off this model because how can you clean the screen if there is a cover on it. Maybe Vincent had experience of this second layer when he tested it. Can Vincent make a comment about this and possibly spare a few minutes to let us have the post callibration settings . It would be really interesting to read bearing in mind the really good callibration options available for this set. thanks Jamie
Hi, i have recently bought the LG 42PG6010 from Pixmania for £599. it has now gone up to nearly £660. Anyway, i was looking at my options for about 2 months having previously owned a Panasonic 42″ Plamsa with 4000:1 contrast ratio, i was considering the new Panasonic TH-42PZ85B for a little over £900. in the end i decided that the LG 42PG6010 was a great picture for the price and also the saving of around £300. Not only does the picture look great in standard def, but the true quality came out for me when i played a WMVHD movie on my XBOX360 through HDMI. awesome clarity for the buck, and the black levels for me were ample, however, image retention could be noticeable after prolonged bright images but they soon go after a couple of minitues of motion, i believe this will not be as prominent after around 200 hours of usage. I chose the LG 42PG6010 over the LG 42PG6000 as the screen resolution is a bit higher at 1366 X 768, and to this day i dont know of any other differences between the 2 models, i have been on the LG website and they do not have any info on the 6010, only ther 6000 model, and i am still looking for the full spec for both so i can compare them. Anyway, all in all, a great tv with everthing you will need for connectivity for years to come, and great looking too, a friend of mine quoted, he wanted to take it home to bed with him.
Thanks
Regards
Barry, I am currently looking at the LG6010 and the LG6000. Although the Pixmania site states the resolution as 1366 X 768, the currys website states that the resolution is the same as the LG6000. Have yo found out any other information on comparing the two products?
Hi Emma, no i havent but Amazon now seem to also say that it has a native resolution of 1366 X 768
[...] If 42" then 42pv80, unless the LG has PQ to beat the panny (don’t think so). You will have to get your wife to understand (i am single so dunno how easy that is ) there is no point on deciding on LG because it looks good frameless (usb is there in all dvd players) if the pq is better on panny. None of the cnet reviews etc recommend lg over panny in best 42" hdtvs. Best HDTVs (33 - 43 inches) - CNET Reviews nor is lg rated over panny overall for top plasmas Best plasma TVs - CNET Reviews[/quote] As i had mentioned earlier in my post the Lg pg61 handles standard definition like tata sky and dvds better than the panny pv80.The websites like cnet have all measured the performance in high definition material , where the panny pv80 scores above the Lg .So i hope you got the point LG 42PG6000 Review [...]
Vincent, Please Post Your Settings For This Tv, I Have This Tv And Your Settings Are Usually The Best, Please Provide Us With The Settings For The LG PG6000.
Hi Vincent can you provide settings for the PG6000 42″ Thanks.
The LG website quotes the contrast ratio for the 42PG6000 as 1000000:1.
I got a demo of the 4280XD, PZ85B and 42PG6010 playing a blue-ray disc and watching channel 4 on freeview. The Pioneer was better than the Panasonic and LG, but the Panny was not better than the LG.
In aesthetics, its LG, Pio, Panny. Ive owned a 3rd gen Panny before which was much better (sturdier and better looking) than their current models.
The current best TV is the Pio Kuro KRP500 but its well over £2500 and certainly not 3.5 times better than the LG.
I’m going for the LG as its the cheapest, in 3 years time all of the current models will be out of date and I wont have lost a fortune. (I paid 3.5k for my 3rd gen panny which I sold for £250 this year).