Selasa, 02 Oktober 2012

LG INFINIA 50PK750


  • INFINIA Series
  • THX Certified Display
  • NetCast Entertainment Access (Wi-Fi Ready)
  • Wireless 1080p Ready
  • 600Hz Max Sub Field Driving
  • Brand Name: LG
  • Model: 50PK750
  • Display Technology: Plasma
  • Display Size: 50 inches
  • Speaker Count: 2 
  • Setting a new standard in picture quality, the 50-inch LG INFINIA 50PK750 1080p Plasma HDTV features THX Display Certification, 600Hz Sub-Field Driving, a protective Skin Glass, Dual XD Engine, and a TruBlack Filter to provide superior picture quality in a bright room. It also comes with LG's NetCast, enabling you to access to TV shows, movies and more, streamed directly from the Internet to your television screen. The 600Hz Sub-Field Driving improves moving picture response time using a 10 sub-field per frame driving process for a clearer picture. The Protective Skin Glass system reduces the gap between the outer glass and filter by 70 percent, virtually eliminating double imaging and helping to reduce glare. And LG's exclusive Dual XD Engine facilitates up-conversion of standard definition content to near high-definition quality, so you can enjoy improved image quality with everything you watch.
    Passing more than 30 rigorous tests, this LG INFINIA Plasma TV achieved picture quality worthy of THX Display Certification--the industry standard for having the correct gamma, luminance, and color temperature. This certification demonstrates that this HDTV can recreate the cinema experience at home, making the picture resemble movie theatre quality.
    Other features include an incredible 3,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for more stunning colors and deeper blacks, two USB ports for connecting external drives for playing back MP3 audio, JPEG photo and DivX HD video files, stereo speakers with 20 watts of power and Dolby Digital decoding, and four HDMI inputs. The INFINIA PK750 has taken expectations about plasma and redefined them. A slimmer profile. A seamless design that's Wireless 1080p Ready. NetCast Entertainment Access, THX Certification and a vast array of other innovations. Simply, a TV that will blow you away.
    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.
    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.
    Bought this 12/2010. Great picture. Easy setup. Nice looking TV.
    But, 2 days ago, the TV cannot power on anymore.
    Click ON, the screen flashes and the status light turned blue.
    In a second, the TV shuts down and status light goes to red.

    Called LG and did a few troubleshooting steps.
    No help and was referred to a local repair shop since the TV is now 13 months old.

    Searched the Internet and found the problem to be common.
    Called local repair shop and quote was $150 labor + $430 parts.
    That is more than half of what I paid for the set.

    Not comfortable buying an LG anymore especially this looks like a common problem.

    02/05/2012 - update
    Decided to do the repair myself after reading troubleshooting comments on the internet and search ebay for the power supply board. The board costs $27 (cheapest I could find). Replacement was simple. 20 some screws on the back of the TV. Few more screws and 4 connectors on the power supply board. TV is back to live now. Give my review 4 stars now since I really like the picture of the TV. While the THX viewing mode looks great, we've had to have 4 service calls in the first year due to circuit board failures. I guess I'll get an extended warranty before the original expires this month, which seems ridiculous to have to do. I'm not too thrilled with having an expensive new product inoperative for several weeks at a time while parts are ordered, repairs scheduled, etc. Very aggravating! I'd steer people away from LG based on the issues we've had. TV worked for 2 months then stop working with no sound and picture. LG fixed the problem with new mother board and sound board. Do not buy this junk. Did not purchase from Amazon. I bought this tv January 2011, it lasted 4 months.....The tv will power on and off by itself 5 or 6 times before it stays on and then there is no picture...If this is the quality of all LG tv's then this is my first and last one.....I contacted LG and they are getting in touch with HD Repair Company, that is supposed to set up a date for repairman to come and fix this junker!!!!!!!!This tv was not purchased from Amazon, but maybe if I had, maybe I wouldn't be having the trouble that I am now getting this junker fixed or hopefully replaced!!!!! Beautiful modern appearance, brilliant picture, love the swivel. Speakers are in the back so sound quality is reduced a bit -- has to bounce off the wall in back before reaching us. Still not a bad sound, not tinny. Good purchase. [...] I asked a friend over to help me lift the TV unto the wall hanger and within minutes after hanging it, we were watching it. The picture is great. I always rated plasma low because of its high reflectivity. Our TV room has only one window and it faces north, so even if the TV had a high reflectivity, we wouldn't notice. The LG claims to have chosen a finish to the screen to minimize the reflections. Because of the room, I don't feel I can comment on it, but we see no reflection during daylight viewing or with overhead and sidelights on in the evening.

    I was going to run some Cat5 to the TV room, but the run from the second floor down to the basement and back up to the ground floor seemed a little daunting. I ordered the Wi-Fi USB adapter and plugged it into the TV. Doing so, I lost a USB port, but it works flawlessly on my wireless G network. My only gripe is the limited "widgets" they offer. You get Netflix, but forget about Hulu or Hulu Plus. They claim there are more Widgets to come - time will tell. I used the other USB port for a 500GB USB powered hard drive. AVI movies play flawlessly, but mp4 do not play at all. I haven't tried MKV films yet.I have owned this tv since June 2010 - it is now February 2011. Great TV for the price! Smooth glass covers tv all the way to edge - no bulky frame. Love my wireless access to netflix (bye Roku), vudu, youtube, etc. directly from tv. HD picture is amazing! - better output source, better picture! - i.e. Superbowl pic was outstanding! Never had problem with burn-in and I pause tv for a LONG time! Disadvantage: Plasma tvs are not energy-efficient. Have owned this TV for nine months and have bad case of 4:3 screen burn-in. LG will not repair under warranty. Do yourself a favor and stay away from LG plasma. I'll never buy another LG product due to poor warranty service and shoddy products!!!!!!!!!!!! The TV lasted 10 days then died. We are now watching the replacement unit and wonder how long it will last. I was without TV for three weeks. The good news is that I started reading again. .