Hardware Review A few thoughts about the LG 60PX950 3D Plasma: Official Thread (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

John,

A new model was allegedly introduced at CES.

This particular model seems to have had a very
short run, but then again, so did the Panasonic
VT25 which also seems to be out of production.

 

[DaveF]

Ron, thanks for the detailed overview and review. I shouldn't even be thinking of buying a new TV...and I'm not, really...but if 3D maintains stays strong and the stars align, then maybe I'd do an early upgrade in 2012.

A few questions:

Can you comment on how this Plasma compares to 2009 Pioneer Kuro plasmas? Those were considered the best plasmas at the time (well, 2nd best, to the Kuro Elite). With the demise of that product line, it wasn't obvious what would happen to Plasma sets. I'm wondering if plasmas today meet or beat the Kuro line from a couple of years ago? (And while I'm not 100% satisfied with my Kuro, after watching movies on a 2008 Samsung LCD, I found I can't stand the LCD look with its terrible Soap-Opera 120Hz effects. So I'm likely to stay Plasma in future purchases.)

The fact that this is currently the only THX CERTIFIED 3D DISPLAY on the market should tell you right off the bat that 3D settings should be optimal out of the box. They were.

Does THX have any cachet? When it left the theaters and got plastered on every $99 computer speaker kit back around 2001, I assumed THX had become forever a junk label. Is THX out of the "we'll label anything for a few bucks" business and back to actual standards and quality?

That plasma had some odd remotes, it looked like. Will it work with universal remotes, like the Harmony One?

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Hi Dave!

It has been a long time since I have looked upon
a Kuro display.

I can only tell you what I have picked up from extended
discussions across hardware forums when researching displays.

To start with, my original intent was to purchase the
Panasonic VT25 series. Had I not won this LG in a raffle
I would be the owner of a Panasonic 60" VT25.

I did a lot of research initially on that Panasonic model.
The display got rave reviews though initially, there were
problems with rising black levels that I hear were allegedly
corrected in late productions.

The Panasonic is highly rated, voted display of the year.
It was ranked very high on overall black level. Does it match
that of the Kuro? From what I understand, no, but it does
come close.

The LG was also rated very high, but I see many owners
citing the black levels as being mediocre. Personally, I am
not unhappy with the black levels but I don't think they look
as deep and rich as the DLP that it replaced.

Does THX still have any cachet? They would like to think
so. They were very proud of the work that they did on that
LG model. I do think that the THX mode looks remarkable.
I also think the 3D has less crosstalk in that mode than in
the non-THX modes.

I know too many people that work with THX and they seem
very committed to ensuring quality picture/quality presentation.
I would suspect that if THX were involved with a hardware
manufacturer that there would be a lot more attention given
to overall quality specs.

The LG works perfectly with my Harmony One. In fact, I
found it in the Logitech database.

 

[DaveF]

Thanks, Ron. I'm sure THX engineers are dedicated people. But I'm sure you remember not long ago where it seemed where their logo was plastered on anything and everything, regardless of actual quality. I used to specifically watch movies on THX certified auditoriums. The logo meant something and it affected my movie-watching choices. But then it got to where I purposely ignored it or even bought products without THX to not pay extra for a pointless badge. If it's again a good badge, I can keep that in mind when shopping. Glad to hear the corporate direction is moving back towards real quality and certifications.

Having bought a Kuro, but not spent the money to have it calibrated--and found that even it has some subtle image defects--I've concluded that I could be just as happy with a set that's not as "good" in an absolute, calibrated and reviewed sense, but works well at home and costs a lot less. Sounds like the LG would do well for me for a future set

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Dave,

It's hard for me to say without a doubt that THX has
been perfect across the board.

I seem to remember the DVD release of STAR WARS
that had THX certification but yet had the audio channels
crossed.

I can only relay what my feelings are from meeting and
talking with the people at the top of the THX chain. They
seemed very proud of their efforts with the LG display.

Gonna be a bit hard to step down from a Kuro to anything
else. I don't think any other display is going to match that
Kuro black level. I would think the Panasonic would be
closest. I would hope the LG would be acceptable.

I was hoping to get my display properly calibrated.
However, I have a feeling that is not going to happen
anytime soon.

Let us know how you make out.

 

[DaveF]

If the stars continue to align, I'll comment on it

 

[ralphPerez]

Sorry I am a traitor seen the Panasonic 58VT and love at first sight, as previously stated was looking at this LG but my boss suggested the Panasonic and thought that I should get what she want's or it would be nothing, knowing her.

 

[Jason Charlton]

My perspective of the merits of THX certification has changed over the years, too.

My first receiver was the Onkyo 828THX - one of the very first consumer electronics products to be THX certified. In it's time, the added audio processing THX provided did have a tangible benefit over the vanilla ProLogic decoding that was standard back then.

Over time, however, when it came to audio processing and A/V receiver features (like settable crossover levels), these additional audio processing/features became much less relevant (I prefer listening in "pure" or "direct" mode without any additional fiddling with my 5.1 sources).

Then THX started appearing EVERYWHERE (receivers, speakers, DVDs...) , and suddenly there were multiple "flavors" of THX. What? It was supposed to be all about quality, but now there are different standards of quality? Like you, I got pretty down on THX and felt it wasn't worth it.

Fast forward to a year or two ago, when THX-certified displays started popping up, and I thought to myself, "Great, here we go again."

But then I started hearing about all these new-fangled image "enhancements" that were being ingrained into displays (especially LCD-based displays). Smooth image frame interpolation, good old edge enhancement, and whatever other proprietary gizmos manufacturers could think of.

We also started hearing about how with some model TVs, these features could not be defeated. They were always on in some form or another. Most average consumers wouldn't care (they leave the TV in "Vivid" mode anyway), but critical viewers were not happy.

As I understand it, part of the THX certification for displays dictates that ALL of these enhancements be disabled in the "THX" mode of the display. For some model TVs this may be the only way to defeat some of these features.

To me, this makes THX certification of displays one of the only realms in which THX certification manages to carry some weight. Most of what I have read online (from some very reputable sources) seem to support the idea that for THX certified displays, the special "THX" mode is indeed, very close to a properly calibrated state.

Now, that's not to say you can't achieve similar results using a calibration disc and simply spending a little bit of time getting things right, but at least you know with much greater certainty, that a very close to "reference" image is possible with a THX-certified display.

I haven't shopped for a new TV in several years, and likely won't be shopping for at least another year, but I do know that my previous disdain for THX will be suppressed at least while I audition displays. As I see it now, that's the only place where THX might still actually mean something.

Just my two cents.

 

[HBKMensa]

this is the place to go http://www.sonyhd.us

 

[Dave Moritz]

Am glad you are happy with your display Ron. How long have you had it and have you had any power supply or panel issues as this seems to be the top issues with LG/Goldstar. Personally I will never own a Goldstar/LG product but I honestly hope you have no issues and get lots of use from your display. How many 3D titles do you currently own? I am toying with the idea of eventually getting a 3D display and maybe picking up a title or two to build a small collection so if I get a display I will have content. This might happen as soon as I can move up from part time to full time employment.

 

[FoxyMulder]

Reviews i have read suggest the models released that year all had forced non defeatable edge enhancement sharpening, perhaps this was only on European models or was switched off by a later firmware update, whatever the reason i believe the black levels are more uniform compared to competing LCD ( LED backlit ) models but also the black levels are inferior on the LG models compared to a Panasonic or Samsung plasma.

 

[michaeltrottar]

Very great to hear that and fair price as well.