Review: LG 42PC1D - Can LG's entry-level plasma fight back against the LCD onslaught?
The propaganda
The 42" TV size is now the hardest fought area between rivalling LCD and plasma technologies. This itself makes little difference to consumers, except for the fact that so much healthy competition is sending prices spiralling downwards. Case in point - the LG 42PC1D, a 42" plasma screen now available for well under a grand.
What's more it doesn't skimp on features either. It sports two HDMI inputs, which is rapidly becoming the expected standard, a PCMCIA card slot and an optical digital audio output. Plus there are component video jacks, three SCARTs, and a D-Sub PC interface.
The technology inside is impressive too: the 42PC1D uses a Clear Filter screen which replaces the ordinary thick glass filter found on other plasmas. Handily, this makes the screen much lighter so it is a lot easier to more around. More importantly, it removes the double imaging problem that you used to get when viewing plasma screens at an angle. LG's XD Engine is in there as well, which performs its usual job of reducing digital noise, increasing brightness and boosting contrast (which is claimed at a whopping 10,000:1) and detail levels.
The good
A low price tag, impressive specs, an attractive yet low-key design - the picture quality must be the weakness right? Well, er, no - this doesn't seem to be the case at all. Colour reproduction is one of the TV's greatest strengths, with bright scenes appearing vibrant yet not too in-your-face and offering realistic tones and subtle textures.
Although we were suspicious of the bold 10,000:1 contrast claim, it doesn't appear to be wide of the mark as blacks prove satisfyingly deep with a little of that icky low-contrast greyness spoiling things. This proves the 42PC1D's proficiency in handling bold, bright movies and atmospheric, dark ones.
Other than on Standard Definition sources, the XD engine does a better-than-expected job of cutting out noise and eliminating motion blur. The up shot of all these factors is a TV offers a robust performance. It's not going to blow you away, but it is a lot better than we had hoped for from a sub-£1000 plasma.
The bad
It has become the norm in budget priced HD TVs to let SD performance slip in favour of more impressive HD processing. That's not really surprising because although you may well end up watching more SD content from terrestrial sources than you will HD content, when you do pop in an HD movie or fire up a PS3 you're going to want the set to really shine. This is certainly the case with the LG's 42PC1D. Noise rapidly creeps into standard definition broadcasts even with MPEG noise reduction set to its highest. Grain is also a bit of a problem and this can cross over into HD images too, but it is far more noticeable at SD level.
The integrated speakers are a little disappointing too. Specifically it lacks enough punchy bass to complement the treble, but other than that the soundstage is detailed enough and the treble is crisp. Nonetheless, this is one of those sets that would do better from being paired up with a home cinema speaker system.
Geek Sheet
Resolution: 1024 x 768
Tuner: Digital and analogue
Sound system: Nicam with SRS TSXT
Contrast ratio: 10000:1
Brightness: 1200cd/m2
Dimensions: 1129 x 695 x 103.7mm
Weight: 25.4kg
7-day EPG support with timer memory
Overview
There are better plasmas out there (notably the Panasonic TH-42PX600) and there are better LCDs. But that's not to say that the LG 42PC1D's performance isn't admirable. As an entry level unit, it will provide you with a picture quality to be proud of. Of course, its greatest strength is the price tag - a quick look around reveals that you can pick one up for as little £800 and probably less if you look really hard. At that kind of price you're getting a stunning deal, which should be a great incentive not just to choose this plasma over its 42" LCD rivals, but over many smaller LCD screens. The battle of the screen technologies is far from over it seems.
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