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  • Introduction

  • Design

  • Smart TV Features

  • Picture Quality

  • Conclusion

  • Science Introduction

  • Resolution

  • Contrast Ratio

  • Other Tests

  • Introduction
  • Design
  • Smart TV Features
  • Picture Quality
  • Conclusion
  • Science Introduction
  • Resolution
  • Contrast Ratio
  • Other Tests

Introduction

Design

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The PT350 is decent-looking for an entry-level plasma.

By modern TV standards, the LG PT350 is as normal as they come. A thick bezel surrounds all four sides. Along the bottom there’s a reflective strip with a screen tone pattern. It’s questionable gilding on a rather drab lily, but we suppose it’s nice that they’re trying. Sometimes it's the effort that counts.

By modern TV standards, the LG PT350 is as normal as they come.

The LG 42PT350 has a number of ports located on the back of the TV. The whole jack pack feels a little loose in the TV’s cavity—whenever you plug something in, the entire circuit board tucks back into the panel like it’s trying to avoid a poke. If you're brave enough to deal with that then you'll find a grand total of three HDMI ports, two sets of component ports, two sets of composite ports, VGA, USB, an RS-232C port, and a wired remote jack. The last two are aimed strictly at enthusiast users, so they are somewhat out of place on an entry-level display.

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Smart TV Features

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Cheap-looking menus tarnish the PT350's interface.

Having just wrapped up the review for LG’s entry-level LCD television, the LK330, we assumed things would be similar with the entry-level plasma. We really liked the LK330’s menu, which was mostly identical to the top-of-the-line LG LCD. What we actually got on the PT350 was something very close, yet uncannily removed.

It was almost like someone had copied the menus from the LCD line, but made them look cheap. All the sub-menus were the same and arranged in roughly the same way, but all the graphics were a little off—they were stripped of the finishing touches like color gradients and nicer fonts.

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Picture Quality

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Average performance dragged down by a very narrow contrast ratio.

If convincing blacks and whites are a deal breaker for you, steer clear of this entry-level LG.

The LG 42PT350 tested with decent color accuracy, though not without some expected flaws. Its viewing angle and motion performance were likewise acceptable. What we'd really like to complain about is how terrible its contrast ratio scored: well below average, even for a TV in this price range and especially for a plasma. If convincing blacks and whites are a deal breaker for you, steer clear of this entry-level LG.

Conclusion

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While not wholly terrible in any way, there's something about the PT350 that left a sour taste behind.

The LG 42PT350 ($599 MSRP) is a better entry-level TV than some others we have seen. This plasma TV has a reasonable price matched with a reasonable performance in many areas. The color scores were good and there are a number of useful connectivity options to satisfy all types of users, even high-end enthusiasts.

However, we cannot overlook a number of shortcomings that seriously dampen our good feelings towards the TV. The most significant issue is the 1024 × 768 native resolution. As it does not match any standard TV broadcast, everything must be re-sized to fit the screen, which created a number of sharpness problems. The motion performance, too, is inadequate. Even the black level, something that plasmas should have no trouble excelling at, was far less impressive than entry-level plasmas from Samsung and Panasonic.

Overall, the LG 42PT350 is only a bargain if you’re not too picky about image quality or you're looking for a plasma screen for a PC monitor.

Science Introduction

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The LG 42PT350 tested with decent color accuracy and good motion scores. We didn't find any fault with the picture it produced, only how it was forced to constrain and display it in terms of clarity. Its resolution problems (due to being a 1024x768 native resolution display) cause a lot of sharpness errors, which are further confounded by its low contrast ratio.

Resolution

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The LG 42PT350 has a native resolution of 1024 × 768.

The problem is not the resolution itself, but the expected resolutions set forth by most broadcast and video content. The smaller native resolution offered by the PT350 causes most content to be shrunk down to fit its dimensions, which results in some resolution and scaling problems. While the TV can definitely handle NTSC signals, everything being shrunk down will make content that relies on displaying words and numbers—such as sports broadcasts or news channels—much harder to watch.

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Contrast Ratio

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The LG 42PT350 is neither very dark nor very bright, resulting in a below average contrast ratio.

A 774:1 contrast ratio is unimpressive, and that’s exactly what the LG 42PT350 delivered. Throwing money at a better LG won’t solve the problem because LG’s PV450 series scored the same. What does this mean for you, the TV viewer? A shallow contrast ratio doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad picture.

However, if you put it next to a better TV, you would notice how shallow the shadows are and how dim the brights are. The human eye is very sensitive to contrast. If you’re used to watching a TV with decent contrast ratio, the LG 42PT350 will probably come as a disappointment.

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Other Tests

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Meet the tester

David Kender

David Kender

Editor in Chief

@davekender

David Kender oversees content at Reviewed as the Editor in Chief. He served as managing editor and editor in chief of Reviewed's ancestor, CamcorderInfo.com, helping to grow the company from a tiny staff to one of the most influential online review resources. In his time at Reviewed, David has helped to launch over 100 product categories and written too many articles to count.

See all of David Kender's reviews

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