Pana 42G10 and LG 42LH5000 - both 5 stars

[admin_exported]

to the whf review team, and anyone with direct comparison

Now similar price if discount for the pana freesat tuner. They were rated 5 star five months apart by the mag, does the G10 still match up? I will prob buy one of them. On the basis of picture alone are there any areas of significant performance difference? In partic: SD tv viewing; HD tv; Sport on tv; Brightness (re daylight viewing ); and background artifacts.

If you can level the playing field I can agonise over plasma v lcd as usual !

By the way does anyone know of a decent 42 with a cream or white frame?

 

[ear]

white only the late model philips or the new sony's

 

[Anonymous]

Come on Editor! Would these two both get 5 stars in the same review?

Thanks ear, have found a white LG as well bt really need a less stark colour.

 

[Clare Newsome]

They are definitely the two top contenders at present for budget 40-42in TV winner in our forthcoming Awards - but we haven't done a head to head yet.

In the meantime, here are a few issues that may help you make up your mind.

1) Where will the set sit in your room? If light's going to fall onto the TV, the LCD would be a better option than the plasma.

2) Conversely, if you're a 'watch in a dark room' person, then the plasma may appeal over the LCD

3) The Panasonic offers Freesat HD, if that appeals

4) The LG excels with bright whites and vibrant colours; the Panasonic handles blacks better (but not by as much margin as you'd imagine).

Over to you!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I know that all wisdom suggest that for a light/bright room an LCD might be more appropriate. And this was born out by my last plasma which suffered in bright light. However, my relatively new Panasonic TX-P42G10 has a dedicated 'Eco' setting available on all watching formats which compensates more than adequately. Really a BIG advance on the previous gen model I had.

:0

C

 

[Clare Newsome]

Agreed re light/bright room to a point, but if direct light - eg from a window - is going to fall on a screen, then typically glass-fronted plasmas can have big issues re reflections that the best LCDs don't have

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Charlotte, and Clare, useful. The bigger Pana G10s in the showroom do have a really "glassy" reflection but the 42G10 is better, side by side wth th 5000 is not much worse, think it has a more anti reflective finish, but at an angle you do get a faint second reflection from the plasma bottle surface or back of glass. Partner prefers the picture on the LG but I am a big football fan so I favour the plasma, I judge from the reviews that the G10 is better on motion, and the freesat tuner is a plus. Another box and two more connections is bound to make for a worse signal to noise ratio.

The LG7700 wth freesat tuner ( and £100 cheaper) is not as good a picture as the 5000, is that right?

O for days of old when a retailer would let you have a set on 7 days trial!

 

[ear]

one thing i noticed yesterday on several new lg's...black detail is almost unexistent,compared to samsung's and sonys lcds

 

[Clare Newsome]

That's too much of a generalisation, in our experience - you can't judge a brand by the performance of just one of its models. This is especially true of LG, where we've seen both five-star stunners and three-star disappointments (even a two-star, I think!)

 

[Anonymous]

What is a bit strange to me,is that the Pana 42"G10 gets 5 stars and the 50" gets only 4!?

 

[Clare Newsome]

We've said it many times before - and will say it many times again, i'm sure! - different-sized sets should be judged separately.

For starters, they are based on a different panel - one that could come from a different factory, even a different supplier!

Then you have issues of the supporting electronics/processing, including scaling. A system that works well on a smaller set may show weaknesses when asked to do its thing on a larger scale.

Finally, you have different competition at different price points. A screen may be amazing value within its size/price class, but have more competitively priced rivals at a different size.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi there, assuming I can buy both of these plasmas for similar price, which would you recommend? It's for Sky HD viewing, some SD, mostly in the evening viewing, mostly viewing directly. It probably won't be used without some ambient lighting on though (not in total darkness)... but will rarely be on during the daytime. Although in Summer I guess there's a lot of light in the evening!

Is the Panasonic a lot bulkier than the LG?

Viewing from 10ft.

I am really struggling to decide here!

 

[strapped for cash]

The general view of the G10 is that it is a bit bulky compared with some of the more svelte LCD screens available -- my sister and brother-in-law's new Samsung LED is certainly a lot prettier than my 42" G10! That said, the G10 isn't a hulking behemoth, though the 'new' curved Panasonic stand could perhaps be nicer. It's a bit of a shame that Panasonic couldn't put a bit more effort into the design of the TV, but it really isn't that ugly...

Quite frankly, I couldn't care less whether a TV is 3cm deep or 10 cm deep. Does it really make any difference when you're viewing it from the front? So long as the TV doesn't intrude into the room the way that an old CRT set does, I don't really see what all the fuss is about.

I'd go back to Clare's comments about viewing conditions. The G10 doesn't cause me any real problems in bright conditions, but that may be because of where it's positioned in the living room (i.e. no direct sunlight falls on the screen). I would heartily endorse the G10. It's surprising how little feedback there is from members of this forum on the LG. Despite the WHF 'best budget 42 inch' tag, very few people seem to own one. Any owners of the LG out there care to comment?

 

[Anonymous]

I don't have the LGH5000, but a guy in my office does! He bought it a couple of weeks ago and he seems delighted with it. I was with him when he was looking at them. I thought the motion on them was pretty click, picture in one of the ISF modes looked really natural. Sound was OK. User interface really straighforward and fast. Pretty much a thumbs up all round. I didn't notice any shadow areas or darkening around the edges as some people have mentioned with LG screens. The 47" was also there. I didn't see any problems with that one either, and I think it's an even bigger bargain at the price.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that! The room it's going is a weird long room with the tv lounge at the end, it's not too narrow and viewing distance is about 11ft. It means that when you're not in the tv 'area' in the room you can always see the set from the side, and sometimes will be able to see behind it a fair bit. It's for my parents and they won't wall hang. I know what you're saying, we've got a kuro plasma and you never see the sides as only approach from front unless you're having a look around the back. It's beautiful in my eyes! But my Mum likes slinky so LG is probs the one, though... wouldn't the Panasonic make getting them a surround sound system easier? They are not good with tech and remotes!!!

I did find Clare's summaries v. useful but usual story of unique circumstances and not really having light problems but not planning to view in total darkness (being parents they like a lamp or two on!)

Which would have a longer life span though?

I did read a couple of people saying about LGs blowing up but dissatisfied people may post more than happy ones?

Finally, what max screen size could I go for at 11ft, viewing HD & SD

 

[Deleted member 2457]

You get what you pay for Tinydancer

 

[strapped for cash]

tinydancer:
Thanks for that! The room it's going is a weird long room with the tv lounge at the end, it's not too narrow and viewing distance is about 11ft. It means that when you're not in the tv 'area' in the room you can always see the set from the side, and sometimes will be able to see behind it a fair bit.

So would viewing angles also be an important factor? In which case I would think the G10 would outperform the LG at more acute viewing angles... I wouldn't worry about the lifespan of either. I'm sure both would last a good decade, assuming there are no malfunctions, that is.