LG 42PX4DV, cheap Plasma TV

Awarded Budget Plasma 2006 by 'What Plasma' Issue20

With an RRP of around £1700 the LG 42PX4DV Plasma is an excellent choice for the budget conscious consumer. As with many cheap plasma's (basically a bigger flatter version of traditional CRT's), this TV has a screen resolution of 852x480 (known as VGA), allowing it to show standard definition footage but not HDTV.

However, despite the LG 42PX4DV plasma not being HDTV ready there are several features that make this plasma TV a great choice.

Digital tuner, giving access to Freeview channels
Three scarts
Component video and PC hookups
BBE and SRS TruSurroundSound XT

It's main feature is the HMDI input, which mean this plasma TV is capable of carrying HDTV signals. Although you won't be able to experience TV and movies in HDTV-quality you can still watch them, an important factor if HDTV becomes the standard with digital TV.

'What Plasma & LCD TV' - Issue 20 Voted the LG 42PX4DV Budget Plasma of the year!

The LG 42PX4DV is an impressive cheap plasma with prices around £1700. LG's design has really improved recently, and the 42PX4DV is testament to this. It's definitely one of the most attractive at this cheap price, and feels sturdy and well engineered.

The LG 42PX4DV connections feature a component video input for progressive scan images from a DVD player, three Scarts a VGA PC input and most surprisingly, an HDMI input, which on a cheap screen with a resolution of 852 x 480 is very unusual. This means that, even though the LG 42PX4DV can't show TV and movies in true HD quality, it will be able to receive HD broadcasts when they start. Further more, non-HD devices are going to start using HDMI soon - the digital version of the Scart. So LG must be commended for future proofing this plasma screen. Another feature of the 42PX4DV worth mentioning is its digital TV tuner, providing access to 30 digital Freeview channels.

The LG produces quality pictures thanks to the presence of LG's XD Engine II image enhancement technology and DCDi up scaling from Faroudja - many cheap screens do not have technology. And while the picture is not truly outstanding, it is certainly improved by this processing and were bright, colourful and with good fine detail. While that sky-high quoted contrast ratio figure is definitely dubious, the 42PX4DV is undeniably capable of producing rich, deep blacks and subtle variations in dark tones.

The sound quality is good, offering good clarity, while the BBE and SRS TruSurround XT functions provide effective virtual surround sound. The LG 42PX4DV is a hugely impressive cheap plasma TV. Not everyone wants a plasma that can handle HDTV, and the 42PX4DV provides some fantastic features for just £1,700. For more information about the LG42PX4DV visit LG's website.