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LG RT-42PX10 review: LG RT-42PX10

This entry-level plasma is perfect for video camera enthusiasts, as it has easily accessible video inputs.

Steve Turvey
2 min read
Style
The stand supplied with the LG is a simple but sturdy unit and wall mounting is also an option. It has arguably the darkest phosphor of the four units tested.

Remote
The long and slim LG remote control can directly control many of the displays features without the need to access the on screen menu system. The down side is that the control buttons are quite small and closely spaced and it is not able to control other devices such as DVD players.

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LG RT-42PX10

The Good

Simple but sturdy unit. Wall mounting option. Extensive, easy to use menu system.

The Bad

Remote buttons are quite small and closely spaced. Unable to control other devices such as DVD players.

The Bottom Line

This entry-level plasma is perfect for video camera enthusiasts, as it has easily accessible video inputs.

Menu system
The LG menu system is surprisingly extensive; even so it is very easy to use. For some, the Picture menu options may be a tad bewildering, although you could just stick with the presets: Dynamic, Standard, Mild and User. If you want to delve deeper, the colour, tint, sharpness, flesh tone, colour temperature and even RGB are all adjustable. There is also a reasonable swag of audio settings to play with and the surround sound has presets for flat, music, movie and speech.

Connectivity
Connectivity is quite good although the Hitachi and Samsung are better in this regard. One very useful feature is the location of a set of video inputs on the side bezel, so a video camera, for example, can quickly be connected to the display rather than trying to poke around at the rear of the unit as you are forced to do with some displays.

Picture quality
On specifications alone, the LG appears a little behind the eight ball when compared to the other units tested. Its display resolution of just 852 x 480 pixels is up against Fujitsu and Hitachi's resolution of 1024x1024 and Samsung's 1024x768. Analog free-to-air looks crisp and clear on the LG but some of the high resolution digital free-to-air signals had noticeable artefacts, as did some of the DVD images. Admittedly these are generally not discernable at a comfortable viewing distance from the display, but the Fujitsu, for example, definitely produced a sharper image under most circumstances.The colours are strong and vivid, perhaps a little too strong at the default settings but this can easily be remedied.

Audio quality
LG's speakers are integrated in the side bezels of the display and appear to occupy a similar area to Hitachi's "bolt-on" speakers. And, while the LG speakers are certainly superior to many high end CRT TVs, when compared to the Hitachi speakers they sound a little thin, particularly in regard to their bass response.