LG 42PG61UR Plasma TV

Plasma TVs are always refreshing to review, as the ratio of LCDs to plasma is anyways askew in the HDTV market. Besides all the technical differences, there is a difference in the picture output, and it is especially important to check out a brand like LG that still manufactures both types of HDTVs: LCDs and Plasma. We have LG's new series called the 42PG61, which comes with a fancy design and a promise to deliver ‘crystal clear’ images. That we will see...

Design and Features
After the Scarlet and the Jazz, LG has come up with more ideas for aesthetic beauty. These plasma TVs have no real frame around the screen, rather it's a seamless transition from panel to bezel, with a glass on top, thus having a very smooth and original looking screen. The black bezel is also very narrow in the front, thus making the TV look ultra sleek. The sides of this frameless screen is a continuous silver metallic strip, adding to the subtle, futuristic look. Then we have a regular back panel with grilles exposing the anatomy of the TV and a small, neat connection window on the right at the bottom.

The connections available are plentiful, with 3 HDMI 1.3a inputs, 2 component ins, PC input (Mini D-Sub), composite ins( 3 in total), plus the all important USB 2.0 input. One point needs mention here: the USB can play MP3s, JPEGS and also Div X, MPEG 4 movies. There is no headphone out, and it comes with inbuilt stereo regular speakers that output 15 watts of power each at their loudest.

The unit is actually a heavy 35 Kg machine along with its oval stand, but due to the glossy finish and sleek frameless glassy screen, it looks much lighter. It’s a 42-inch screen, with native resolution of 1024 x 768, which is typical of 42-inch plasma screens. The brightness is 1500 Cd/m2 and contrast ratio is 30,000:1 dynamic. (LG is famous for having some over the top numbers in specs; I wonder how they measure them.)