LG 50PK590 50-inch Widescreen Full HD 1080p 600Hz Plasma Internet TV with Freeview HD

I never intended purchasing this tv, but perusing through Currys I saw one on display and the "wow" factor bit me. It replaced my 42" Panasonic - which I thought was brilliant to begin with - after I sold it to fund the purchase of this set.

So, down to the details. The set is incredibly thin at just 55mm but unbeliveably I don't think can be wall mounted - so if this is important to you then investigate more before you buy.The "razor frame" adds to the overall sleekness of the look of the set. It can swivel around 30 degress left or right when the stand has been affixed. There are several different picture modes including vivid, standard, sport and THX Cinema and there is a wealth of connectivity options including four HDMI ports, a USB port for watching from either a flash drive or externally powered external hard drive, wifi connectivity, DLNA compatibilty and a built in DivX player. You can also hard wire the set to your network using the ethernet connection. If there are any youngsters in your household the set even has eight built in (basic) games which can be played using the remote handset.

PICTURE and SOUND....... I've had Sky HD, am currently on Virgin and with the built-in Freeview HD receiver in this set, have seen all the available options in my own home. Freeview HD is easily on a par with both Sky and Virgin, and the only disadvantage it suffers is the current lack of HD channels available. After auto-tuning, the set had just three HD channels to show - BBC, ITV and Channel 4. As Freeview HD is still in its infancy this is hardly a criticism as undoubtedly more HD channels will become readily available as the year goes on. The HD picture on this set is the reason for the aforementioned "wow" factor. It is simply stunning and for whatever reason (perhaps the 600hz scanning ?) - the HD picture on some occasions has a 3D feel to it that I've never seen before (from a none 3D set)....... Each of the picture modes can be fine tuned to your own personal preferance, from colour, tint, brightness, contrast, etc, so you'll quickly accomplish your "perfect" picture. The sound whilst being acceptable, isn't as brilliant as the picture and I can only say it's ok for day to day viewing, but if you're going to purchase a set of this calibre then you'll either have (or need) a half decent AV amp and speaker system with which to experience the full THX approved capabilities of this marvellous piece of equipment....! The set again astounds when a blu-ray is played back and I think it's here it goes head and shoulders above the competition. Like a previous reviewer, I too watched sections of Avatar to test the set, and using the THX set up assitant built into the set, the end result was incredible; almost like discovering the home cinema surround sound experience for the very first time.....

My only other 'negative' comment about this set is that it's HD performance really is so outstanding that when you switch back to standard definition; it's like having to travel economy class when you've become accustomed to sitting in first class - a bit of a come down. Until Freeview HD has a bigger selection of HD channels available you'll need to subscribe to either Sky or Virgin to enjoy this set to its full potential.

MY CONCLUSION - and sorry if I'm gushing in my enthusiasm - is buy this set without hesitation. If you've got the money and the space then go for the 60" version, but whatever your choice, you're getting one the best equipped plasma screens available in terms of connectivity and features, and as for the HD picture quality - I'll doubt it can be bettered.

After being pleasantly surprised at how much the price of 50" plasma televisions had dropped since I originally looked I decided that I would finally update my 32" set for the World Cup. I did a lot of research on the internet, reading many reviews of different sets, and also looked through all the local electrical stores to get a better idea of how they actually performed. Ultimately I found that this LG set was of an equal, if not higher, standard than many other makes and models that were far more expensive. It's just a shame that we only stayed in the World Cup for one match after I purchased it.

I have hung the set on the wall (with all connecting wires sunk into the wall) and it looks great. The touch sensitive buttons on the front, the on-screen menus, the style of the set - it all amounts to a very sleek looking television.

I have yet to see anything in high definition on it (as Freeview HD is 2 years away from arriving in this part of the country) but have found the normal definition to be absolutely great. Having chosen this set after previously owning an LCD television the only downside I have found is that the screen is very reflective. I had grown used to being able to watch TV with the lights on or the curtains open and having no reflection at all. The plus side is that I don't have to worry about children's chocolate-covered fingerprints on the screen as they can be simply wiped off with a damp cloth.

My previous television had all inputs accessible from underneath whereas this one has them to the rear. If you're going to wall mount the set you need to bear in mind that the connections won't be accessible once mounted. I set it all up and mounted it on the wall, then had to lift it off to connect a Freeview+ box to the Scart and remount it. I then had to take it off again when I remembered to connect the Wii. At some point it's going to have to come off again as I forgot to connect it to my LAN. This isn't really a problem with the set but is something to consider when setting it up.

I've been running the set on the energy saving mode so far and will do so for about another month. All the information I read about plasma recommended running a plasma television with muted colours for the first 200 hours to prevent ghosting and burn-in. Even in the energy saving (slightly duller) mode, the picture is fantastic quality. I've had brief looks at the other settings - vivid, THX, sport, etc - absolutely stunning picture quality.

I did think that this TV supported wireless LAN, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Again, this isn't a problem with the television, but could be something to bear in mind if you want to watch YouTube on it and don't have a nearby LAN connection.

I've found the ClearVoice technology to be really useful and have this on at a low level as default now.

To sum it all up, I thoroughly recommend purchasing this television. The reflective screen is the only problem I have found with it (but that's obviously going to be the case with any television with a glass screen). You could easily spend hundreds of pounds more and end up with a television of the same, or just as likely, lesser quality than this one. Go ahead... treat yourself... you know it makes sense!

My previous tv was a 42" LCD and was 3 years old. I was very pleased with that set as the colours were good and the picture very clear but the downside was that the edges of moving images would break up. It was a 720 HD ready set and as I was thinking of trying out HD programs I decided to purchase the LG 50PK590. This set is a full 1080 HD giving a much better picture than a 720 HD ready set. Although I subscribe to cable tv and have a HD cable tuner I decided to buy this LG model because it has an inbult HD tuner thus able to receive HD freeview programs without a cable HD tuner. I find that the plasma screen is not as bright as the LCD screen so during the day the picture tends to be a little bit pale as the screen tends to reflex light from windows etc. but its ok when the room is darkened and then the picture is very good and clear. The edges of moving images do not break up as did with the LCD set and when th HD is used the picture is excellent.