LG 42PQ30 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

By HDTVReviewsDigest | Published: November 9, 2009
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LG 42PQ30 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
 
Manufacturer: LG
Customer Rating:
 
List Price: $749.95
Sale Price: Too low to display
Availibility: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
600Hz refresh rate, HD performance and Mega Contrast 42" PDP HDTV, 1024 x 768 Resolution, 20,000:1 Contrast Ratio, 1,500:1 cd/m2 Brightness, ATSC/NTSC/Clear QAM - 1 Tuner, SRS TruSurroundXT, 3 HDMI input. USB 2.0.

Product Details
  • 600Hz sub-field driving refresh rate technology for realistic movement in sports and movie actions
  • 720p Full HD resolution 1365 x 768p with 3x HDMI v 1.3 digital inputs with swivel stand
  • Mega contrast ratio of 2 million to 1 provides sharper image quality
  • Smart energy savings 3.0 specifications
  • LG Simplink allows for convenient control of other LG products using HDMI connection

Video Reviews
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Customer Reviews
GREAT VALUE IN A FLAT PANEL
 
Review Date: April 16, 2009
Reviewer: John Rivera, brooklyn, ny
Just replaced my 2 year old Panasonic Plasma with the 42pq30 from LG. The LG delivers a fantastic picture, the 600 mhz fluid motion effect works beautifully for sports and action movies. The ultra high contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 really brings out the dark backgrounds when fitting. Oddly enough it performed especially well while I was watching Charlie Rose. That black back-drop he uses really creates a personal proximity between him and his guests. The classic mahogany table is equally appealing on the set creating the ultimate prop for shared space and time.
I would highly recommend this TV for anyone not looking to spend a fortune on a good quality flat panel television.
Very Happy with purchase!
 
Review Date: August 5, 2009
Reviewer: Debra Koch, St. Charles, MO United States
I waited for over a month before leaving a review, I'm still happy with product. Color is great, movement flow is great. Love how it recognizes different products when plugged into it. I bought it so I could watch the border collie trials in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales that I normally play on my computer. The trials look beautiful on this lg plasma screen. Sound and video worked flawlessly hooked up by one hdmi cable. Maybe 1080p would be better but not hundreds of dollars better, at least not to me. I took it off the energy saving mode that it is set to by default and image quality is vastly improved. I still have not played around with the usb features but I am glad that the feature is there. I hope the reliability factor is there but only time will tell. Terrific value for money.
Love this plasma television (update after a year of use)
 
Review Date: November 20, 2009
Reviewer: Khanh Ngoc Kim, Houston, TX USA
I've had the LG 42PQ30 plasma tv for about 2 months now and I'm still learning how to use more of its features.
The other day I upconverted my dvds to 1080p and noticed the TV picked up the signal as 1080/60p. Then i figured wow I got a 1080p television at a 720p plasma tv price. What a nice tv, I was able to display 1920 by 1080 resolution from my pc vga output even though the picture is a little washed out because of vga resolution limitations. I will try to go DVI out to HDMI and see if there's a difference in picture quality. The picture on 480p, 720p, and 1080i were all great. I guess when you have a 42inch television standard definition doesn't get dragged out and blurred like the larger 50 plus inch television. This tv displays everything I threw at it greatly. I looked at my friend's Samsung LN40B650 with 120 hz and noticed my LG 42" plasma displays football games alot better with no blurs. One caveat is that this LG plasma has one of the best hdtv tuners that I've seen. It picks up all the digital channels in my area with no artifacts and i'm only using old rabbit ears antenna that I bought for $10 ten years ago. Nevertheless, this TV is a plasma so lights need to be minimized to eliminate the glare.

Update: After a year of having owned and played with this tv, it has been a pleasure. No burn in, no IR, even though i thought there was one when I first had the tv. Now i can have anything on the plasma and don't even worry about IR. Sometimes i have the tv on pc input without screensaver for an hour and no IR. The tv just automatically shifts the picture every 10 minutes to eliminate IR. Everyone that comes to the house to visit compliments how the picture looks on the tv. They were absolutely stunned when I said i bought it for less than $600. Finally, i found that the max native resolution for the LG 42pq30 is 1366 by 768 (720p per say) not the foolish 1080p i thought when I first got the tv. When you plug a pc input to tv, the computer foolishly recognizes it as a 42 inch plasma 1080p. The best part about this plasma tv is when i rent a nice action movie and turn off all the lights and turn on surround sound. Wow, its better than being at the movie theatre. I did not get that feeling when i went to my sister in law's house when she first bought the expensive Samsung UN55B7000 LED tv. In the dark there's little white freckles in dark scenes that irritated me. Funny my wife hasn't even talked about replacing the tv, even though everything else in the house has changed in the past year !!!
Great TV at a great price
 
Review Date: July 22, 2009
Reviewer: A. Bunner, Ohio
I actually bought mine from Sears online at a net cost of $565 after rebate. I've had it two weeks and am thrilled with everything about it - picture (been watching lots of sports), sound, and ease of use. The user interface is really neat, too, almost like a computer. When you connect another input - like a USB or a game system, the TV tells you that another device has been detected,and then asks you if you are ready to use it. Nice touch. Another nice touch is that it automatically adjusts the screen temperature based on the light levels of the room (if you have it set to automatic). Go for it!
Glorious Picture!
 
Review Date: January 7, 2010
Reviewer: John L.,
I have had this TV for about three months now and the picture quality is outstanding. In fact, the only imperfection I notice is a slight haloing effect when really bright elements are adjacent to really dark ones (I usually only see this during film credits with bright text on a black background but it's nothing major). This haloing effect seems due to the two-layer deign (a clear plastic layer set in front of the main plasma screen). I think this is the main trade-off at this price level. Otherwise, the picture is gorgeous. The picture is so good that, unfortunately, it reveals all the flaws in over-compressed "hi-def" source material. I have DISH HD and I notice a lot of artifacts and black crush (over-compression of dark parts of an image). I can't wait until the satellite, cable companies, and studios stop over-compressing their signals so I can enjoy a real hi-def picture. And when they do, this little LG will easily be up to the task. Be warned, it is essential that you adjust the brightness, contrast, and especially the gamma to get a great picture. Out of the box I was unimpressed but after several hours of tweaking I finally honed-in on a near-perfect combination of settings for my satellite and DVD/bluray. The brightness, clarity and naturalness of the picture sometimes gives me the sense that I'm looking out a window instead of at a television. This tv is much like my expensive Sony Trinitron CRT except with a wide screen, perfect geometry and much higher resolution. Also, the up-conversion it does for standard definition is the best I've ever seen. I wasn't sure I wanted a plasma because I couldn't find one that wasn't an unbelievable power hog but this little beauty is rated at a scant 180 watts which is less than my smaller 37" LCD! At this price level, I would have to give this TV 6 stars (on a 5-star scale).
Can't Go wrong with this Plasma!!!!!!
 
Review Date: July 28, 2009
Reviewer: Phillip Danielson, San Leandro, Ca
I just purchased the LG 42PQ30 this past weekend. This is my second Plasma. I have a hitachi 42" plasma 1080i in the livingroom. So i kept going back and forth about if i wanted another plasma or get a LCD. After endless hours of research on 32" LCDs, I was ready to find the best deal and buy a LCD.(Due to Plasmas being more expensive.) I decided that I wanted an LG over most of the other brands. Once i arrived at the store, I took a close look at all the LCds they had. Then I came across The LG 42PQ30, which i knew i had found what i was looking for. Yes, it's only 720p, but the current 720p picture is a tad better than my 1080i. After 15 minutes of watching TV, I know playing movies on my PS3 was great before, The picture was everything i had hoped for and more.

This Flat screen has some very nice features. It has a senor that really helps the picture in all types of lighting. 3 different view settings (cinema, sports & game)which after switching to game while playing my PS3 the picture got even better. i would recommend this set to anybody in the market for a great plasma with a semi tight budget. I will definately look into buying the 50" LG Plasma when i decide to replace my other Plasma.
42PQ30 IS A STEAL!
 
Review Date: November 17, 2009
Reviewer: M. Jesena, CA, USA
@ 720p people make a big deal about 1080p being superior when in fact, the difference is minute depending on your viewing distance. The LG 42PQ30 is an absolute steal in terms of value, picture quality, and size. I use my LG Netflix ready Blu-Ray player on this TV and the colors and image quality are spectacular - deep blacks, fluid motions, vibrant visuals, and great sound give this HDTV the best value for your money. Moreover, it is easy to set up and has lots of features. I got this HDTV for $575 and added the LG BD390 BD player with it and the total didn't even add up to $1000. So far, I am very satisfied with this purchase.
Great buy for the price
 
Review Date: November 18, 2009
Reviewer: D. Pearl,
I bought this TV about three months ago after strongly considering both Panasonic and Samsung, both of which were priced roughly $100 more. I was a little concerned that I'd get what I paid for and get a lesser quality TV. But I am thrilled with the picture quality, the amazing contrast, and the excellent brightness. Whether watching DVD movies, playing the playstation, or just watching a game, there is not much out there for $600 that is better than this. I am very satisfied and strongly recommend this TV for anyone considering a 42" plasma.

I also still think the picture quality in general are sharper when it comes to plasmas compared to LCD's. Certainly deeper blacks and crisper images.

Thank you LG!
Take a BOW!!! Outstanding!
 
Review Date: December 30, 2009
Reviewer: S. Graeff, CA
Listen ppl... you can go out shopping til you drop dead..looking for the right performance and value.. This is it. I've had this tv for over 5 weeks.. I couldn't be more pleased. For features, benefits and performance I am thrilled.. I have it attached to DirecTV HD.. on my dresser in the bedroom. Don't hesitate... if you are looking.. this is the one!
All you need is love and a 720P Plasma
 
Review Date: April 19, 2010
Reviewer: kia,
What can I say? This TV is amazing.
As the title of this review says, all you need in this world is a 720P Plasma TV and some loved ones to accompany you.
Just like most tech savvy, net savvy guys I did lot of research about Plasma Vs LCD Vs LED.
While you can google all the good, bad and ugly about Plasma Vs LCD, one major factor for me was Color...rather colors.
I want to see colors as they should. Black should be Black, Red should be Red etc.
Plasmas are way ahead in color clarity and smooth motion.
-ve: Plasma screen has high glare. If you are watching it in a brightly lit room then pump up the brightness and contrast.
Then comes 1080P Vs 720P. I would go for 1080P if I am not paying more bucks over a 720P.
I read a lot on net about 1080/720 stuff and came to a conclusion that
when you watch the TV from a decent distance (at least 6ft), you cannot tell the difference.
Moreover all the HD broadcast over cable is just 720P.
The bottom line is that if you are saving some bucks go for 720P.
Tell your friends that its a 1080P and they will praise it.
Tell them its a 720P, they will say that they can see some difference compared to their 1080P.

Well talking about this particular model:
This is my first LG product.....and it did not disappoint.
Excellent appearance, superb colors, amazing clarity.
It has all the possible inputs and outputs you will ever need.
Beside the obvious 3HDMI, 2 AV, s-video, component etc., the most imp one for me is the optical out with surround sound.
Optical out was not mentioned in their specs.
This connection saved me from buying a receiver system.
Connect all video inputs to your TV, send sound output of TV to your home theater.
The sound from TV is good for normal viewing. I turn on the sound system for movies and music.
There is a newer sleeker model from LG to replace this model...go for it.
LG is my new fav.

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