LG 50PG7000 review

A 50in plasma for £1100 is a good deal by any standards, but can this LG deliver a credible sound and vision performance for the money? Tested at £1100.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

At this price – and we've seen it cheaper – we find it hard to find much fault with such a well-specified, solid performer

Pros

  • +

    Big picture at a little price

  • +

    looks great

  • +

    exhaustive specification

  • +

    detailed, colourful image

  • +

    solid sound and off-air pictures

Cons

  • -

    Black levels could be better

  • -

    hints of noise at times

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

There's never a dull moment in the television world – provided you're excited by a never-ending succession of shiny black screens, that is. All the main players in the market get through an inordinate number of model changes in the average year, jostling for supremacy as they do.

LG is on a good run right now, majoring on high-spec, solid performers – and the 50PG7000 hopes to continue this good work.

Sporting LG's 'Take It To The Edge' frameless design, the screen is truly flat, with a smooth, seamless glass frontage. That sleek-looking front covers a wealth of connectivity.

An abundance of connections
There are four HDMI inputs, Bluetooth connectivity for connecting a mobile or headset, a USB connection for sending music and pictures, a digital optical out, and the all-important 1080p resolution screen.

We fire up some 1080p/24fps Blu-ray content, with the predictably poor You Don't Mess With The Zohan disc and admire the LG's decent detail levels and natural colour balance.

However, black levels aren't as confident as the class-leaders, struggling to deliver blocks of black with the necessary strength and solidity, but bright scenes are vivid and colourful.

Switch to a DVD, with bizarre but watchable flick The Fall, and the hints of noise in expansive, hard to render shots and occasional issues with motion – it's a 100Hz screen – are more noticeable, but it's still nothing too worrying for a screen of this size and price.

Sound tuned by Mr Mark Levinson
The invisible speaker system – 'personally tuned by [respected audio engineer] Mr. Mark Levinson' – does a fine job. Given time to run-in, a clear, solid, full-bodied delivery to shame most TVs is all yours.

The digital Freeview tuner is good, too. Pictures may not be as sharp round the edges or as spotlessly clean as you'll see on smaller sets, but the quality's not to be sniffed at compared to other 50in offerings that we've seen.

If you're after an easy on the eye, big-screen experience, complete with solid sound and off-air images, this LG could be for you.

What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

Read more about how we test