Following on from the thread HERE I thought I'd do a little write up for those considering this screen. I don't preffess to be an expert on AV equipment by any stretch of the imagination so I just thought I would pass on my thoughts from an average Joe#s point of view.
My current screen is a Panasonic TH-42PE30 which is over 5yrs old now and has served my family really well but due to decorating the living room I managed to talk the missus into getting an updated screen that is HD ready. The Panny suffered abuse from the missus with a Pledge polishing session which stained the screen. I have found out she did this because my then 4yr old daughter has croyoned the screen and she panicked so cleaned it with furniture polish!! Hence the ease at which she agreed to a new screen!
Anyway, I ended up going for the 50" PF590 due to the good writeups I had read and recommendations both on this forum and AV forums. The price paid was £675 but as I also got a ruck of other equipment (Samsung C5500, sky HD+, dishwasher, wallmount, stereo) I got some further discount which made the deal even sweeter. The sales guy tried convincing me I needed there £90 HDMI leads but I just lol'd and said I would be buying those online for £5 and but after a bit of haggling he threw in a 5m monster cable for £10 lol - would love to know which fools pay that much for a hdmi lead!
The box is huge and well padded and is secured by two thick plastic wraps to prevent the box from collopsing when being transported. Despite the size of the packaging, I just managed to fit it into the back of my Skoda Octavia along with the cinema system with the back seats down but anyone with a small hatch might struggle so beware.
Unpacking the beast was a simple affair with just three polystyrene blocks holding the top of the screen in place (the bottom of the screen is wedged in one long piece). Protecting the screen is the usual poly wrapper along with clear tape protecting the ultra shint black plastic screen surround. Removing the screen from the box is a two person job and while the screen weighs less than 30kg, you will need someone to hold the box while the other person lifts the screen. After a bit of juggling, the screen and packaging was removed.
First impressions are very good. I can't really tell how good/bad the picture is as I'm running everything on 50 atm (contrast/brightness etc) until the set has done 100hours, much to the wifes disgust! I'm running some test screens while I'm out to speed up the process and while I have for the most part stuck to this burn-in regime, I have had a quick look at the different settings available and my first impressions are the screen is easily adjustable to ones tastes using the simple to follow, intuitive, on screen menus. You don't need to be an AV genius to set the screen up thank goodness! That isn't to say there arn't plenty of options available, there are but for those looking for an easy setup, this screen also caters for you. There are a number of presets loaded but none looked 'just right' for my liking which include the THX presets. No doubt I will be configuring the set for everyday use by using one of the expert settings after the screen has finished it's burn in.
Like others have said, cosmetically the screen is really reflective to the point I can see my halogen lights reflected that are fitted to the ceiling and on low when the screen is turned on. More so I have table lamps lamps which are also reflected on the screen depending on my seating position. Luckily for me the screen is away from natural light so I don't get much reflection from outside so daylight viewing won't be too much of a problem. An anti glare screen the PK590 is not!
The 'Razor' frame is very nice but omg does it attract dust! I don't have the base attached as it's wall mounted but I would imagine that would be a dust magnet too! The front control panel is hidden into the frame and is touch sensor based rather than actual buttons which is a very nice feature and they are descrete enough not to detract from the gorgeous frame. In operation, there are no lights either, the only visible light being a small red led when the unit is in standby or recieving a signal from the remote.
Had a few concerns about wall mounting the screen as my exterior facing wall has the following configuration:
skim-plasterboard-thermolite block-2"insulation pads-Brick
Thus far it's stayed up (rubs wood vigorously!). I planned on going for a tilt mount as getting to the sockets behind is impossible with a fixed mount like I have but with the flimsy thermolite blocks I didn't want to add stress to an already risky mount. For those looking to wall mount this screen, I would certainly recommend a tilt or cantilever device to enable you to get to the rear of the set. Personally, I have just attached 3 HDMI cables (to the four available HDMI ports) and an optical cable in readyness for adding further equipment. That said there is a side section behind the set which is much more accessable with 2x USB ports, 1xHDMI, component and PCMCIA slot available. I love the addition of USB slots as this will allow me to stick a few AVI's etc on a pen drive instead of streaming media via the ethernet port.
'Netcast' is a feature of the LG I was intrigued by as I would have thought using the net quickly could be quite cool, however on further investigation, it's not the internet as we all know it. More it has a few 'apps' that allow use of youtube, weather and streming of paid for/subscription movies. So I didn't bother with tht feature.
In my short time of owning the set my only two gripes are both audio connected. The biggest of which is the speakers are clearly cheap models and are incapable of reproducing any deep bass notes. This isn't much of a problem for me as I've get a separate cinema system but for those who do not want extra components it is something worth considering. Secondly, and this may just be an issue with my set, but there are some lip-sync issues. The sound is ever so slightly delayed. The missus can't tell but I certainly can and thanks to my cinema system I was able to prove it wasn't just me. With the cinema system hooked up there were no such issues and with the volume on both the tv and the CS turned up a distinct echo could be heard.
I could be wrong in saying this is a fault of the set as the audio is being passed through an old sky+ box. The sky is being transmitted via scart (old sky box - no hdmi which is soon to be rectified by HD+ box). The CS sound is via optical cable. The sound from the CS to TV via sky+ is perfect with no lip-sync issues. This could be lag from the old scart connection but I had no such issues using the old panny with the sky+ box? Hopefully either the new sky box or upgraded firmware (easily done via usb or ethernet) could solve the issue. I'm still on the older firmware which has the useful timer issue allowing me to see how long I have to go before the burn-in time is completed. This 'feature' is ommitted in the newer firmware so I'll be holding off updating the firmware until 100 hours+ of use is up.
I had read about game lag from using an xbox and so I did a quick 20 minute test and thus far I am happy to report I noticed no lag whatsoever. I have also read of image retention issues but again, I have not had any such problems. That said the very subtle screen settings I'm using will obviously be a contributing factor here and I will add to this thread as my experience with the set ages.
To sum up, the LG PK590 is a vgreat piece of kit that can cater for all needs. There are a few slight niggles but nothing that cannot be overlooked for a 50" screen costing so little. I would deffo recommend this set to family and friends. One last thing I have to point out is that if, like me, you have an old screen with a thick surrounding frame, upgrading to a 'bigger' 50" screen might not give you the WOW factor you had hoped for as my new 50" plasma is little bigger than my old 42" panny when the total dimensions are taken into consideration. I can't help but feel I would be more impressed going for the 60" screen but with that costing double the price of the 50", I will just have to wait until the missus gets the pledge out again!
Pro's
- Price
- Picture
- Intuitive menu/ easy setup
- Simple but effective packaging
- HD freeview included
- Razor thin surround panel
- Weight
- Side ports
Cons
- Lip sync issues
- Slight buzzing on bright screen (vivid setting)
- Dust magnet
- Poor bass
- Main port connectivity prevents accessability when rigid wallmounting.
As stated at the beginning of the post, I'm just an average user with little knowledge of the finer points of AV equipment but I hope those who are of similar ability/knowledge find this write up usefull.
My current screen is a Panasonic TH-42PE30 which is over 5yrs old now and has served my family really well but due to decorating the living room I managed to talk the missus into getting an updated screen that is HD ready. The Panny suffered abuse from the missus with a Pledge polishing session which stained the screen. I have found out she did this because my then 4yr old daughter has croyoned the screen and she panicked so cleaned it with furniture polish!! Hence the ease at which she agreed to a new screen!
Anyway, I ended up going for the 50" PF590 due to the good writeups I had read and recommendations both on this forum and AV forums. The price paid was £675 but as I also got a ruck of other equipment (Samsung C5500, sky HD+, dishwasher, wallmount, stereo) I got some further discount which made the deal even sweeter. The sales guy tried convincing me I needed there £90 HDMI leads but I just lol'd and said I would be buying those online for £5 and but after a bit of haggling he threw in a 5m monster cable for £10 lol - would love to know which fools pay that much for a hdmi lead!
The box is huge and well padded and is secured by two thick plastic wraps to prevent the box from collopsing when being transported. Despite the size of the packaging, I just managed to fit it into the back of my Skoda Octavia along with the cinema system with the back seats down but anyone with a small hatch might struggle so beware.
Unpacking the beast was a simple affair with just three polystyrene blocks holding the top of the screen in place (the bottom of the screen is wedged in one long piece). Protecting the screen is the usual poly wrapper along with clear tape protecting the ultra shint black plastic screen surround. Removing the screen from the box is a two person job and while the screen weighs less than 30kg, you will need someone to hold the box while the other person lifts the screen. After a bit of juggling, the screen and packaging was removed.
First impressions are very good. I can't really tell how good/bad the picture is as I'm running everything on 50 atm (contrast/brightness etc) until the set has done 100hours, much to the wifes disgust! I'm running some test screens while I'm out to speed up the process and while I have for the most part stuck to this burn-in regime, I have had a quick look at the different settings available and my first impressions are the screen is easily adjustable to ones tastes using the simple to follow, intuitive, on screen menus. You don't need to be an AV genius to set the screen up thank goodness! That isn't to say there arn't plenty of options available, there are but for those looking for an easy setup, this screen also caters for you. There are a number of presets loaded but none looked 'just right' for my liking which include the THX presets. No doubt I will be configuring the set for everyday use by using one of the expert settings after the screen has finished it's burn in.
Like others have said, cosmetically the screen is really reflective to the point I can see my halogen lights reflected that are fitted to the ceiling and on low when the screen is turned on. More so I have table lamps lamps which are also reflected on the screen depending on my seating position. Luckily for me the screen is away from natural light so I don't get much reflection from outside so daylight viewing won't be too much of a problem. An anti glare screen the PK590 is not!
The 'Razor' frame is very nice but omg does it attract dust! I don't have the base attached as it's wall mounted but I would imagine that would be a dust magnet too! The front control panel is hidden into the frame and is touch sensor based rather than actual buttons which is a very nice feature and they are descrete enough not to detract from the gorgeous frame. In operation, there are no lights either, the only visible light being a small red led when the unit is in standby or recieving a signal from the remote.
Had a few concerns about wall mounting the screen as my exterior facing wall has the following configuration:
skim-plasterboard-thermolite block-2"insulation pads-Brick
Thus far it's stayed up (rubs wood vigorously!). I planned on going for a tilt mount as getting to the sockets behind is impossible with a fixed mount like I have but with the flimsy thermolite blocks I didn't want to add stress to an already risky mount. For those looking to wall mount this screen, I would certainly recommend a tilt or cantilever device to enable you to get to the rear of the set. Personally, I have just attached 3 HDMI cables (to the four available HDMI ports) and an optical cable in readyness for adding further equipment. That said there is a side section behind the set which is much more accessable with 2x USB ports, 1xHDMI, component and PCMCIA slot available. I love the addition of USB slots as this will allow me to stick a few AVI's etc on a pen drive instead of streaming media via the ethernet port.
'Netcast' is a feature of the LG I was intrigued by as I would have thought using the net quickly could be quite cool, however on further investigation, it's not the internet as we all know it. More it has a few 'apps' that allow use of youtube, weather and streming of paid for/subscription movies. So I didn't bother with tht feature.
In my short time of owning the set my only two gripes are both audio connected. The biggest of which is the speakers are clearly cheap models and are incapable of reproducing any deep bass notes. This isn't much of a problem for me as I've get a separate cinema system but for those who do not want extra components it is something worth considering. Secondly, and this may just be an issue with my set, but there are some lip-sync issues. The sound is ever so slightly delayed. The missus can't tell but I certainly can and thanks to my cinema system I was able to prove it wasn't just me. With the cinema system hooked up there were no such issues and with the volume on both the tv and the CS turned up a distinct echo could be heard.
I could be wrong in saying this is a fault of the set as the audio is being passed through an old sky+ box. The sky is being transmitted via scart (old sky box - no hdmi which is soon to be rectified by HD+ box). The CS sound is via optical cable. The sound from the CS to TV via sky+ is perfect with no lip-sync issues. This could be lag from the old scart connection but I had no such issues using the old panny with the sky+ box? Hopefully either the new sky box or upgraded firmware (easily done via usb or ethernet) could solve the issue. I'm still on the older firmware which has the useful timer issue allowing me to see how long I have to go before the burn-in time is completed. This 'feature' is ommitted in the newer firmware so I'll be holding off updating the firmware until 100 hours+ of use is up.
I had read about game lag from using an xbox and so I did a quick 20 minute test and thus far I am happy to report I noticed no lag whatsoever. I have also read of image retention issues but again, I have not had any such problems. That said the very subtle screen settings I'm using will obviously be a contributing factor here and I will add to this thread as my experience with the set ages.
To sum up, the LG PK590 is a vgreat piece of kit that can cater for all needs. There are a few slight niggles but nothing that cannot be overlooked for a 50" screen costing so little. I would deffo recommend this set to family and friends. One last thing I have to point out is that if, like me, you have an old screen with a thick surrounding frame, upgrading to a 'bigger' 50" screen might not give you the WOW factor you had hoped for as my new 50" plasma is little bigger than my old 42" panny when the total dimensions are taken into consideration. I can't help but feel I would be more impressed going for the 60" screen but with that costing double the price of the 50", I will just have to wait until the missus gets the pledge out again!
Pro's
- Price
- Picture
- Intuitive menu/ easy setup
- Simple but effective packaging
- HD freeview included
- Razor thin surround panel
- Weight
- Side ports
Cons
- Lip sync issues
- Slight buzzing on bright screen (vivid setting)
- Dust magnet
- Poor bass
- Main port connectivity prevents accessability when rigid wallmounting.
As stated at the beginning of the post, I'm just an average user with little knowledge of the finer points of AV equipment but I hope those who are of similar ability/knowledge find this write up usefull.
.
