LG 50PK550R Owner's Discussion Thread

[dotMac]

So is the tv really that troublesome or can i go ahead and take it tomorrow??:sad:

If you go through Owner's thread of any TV, you get to see the issues discussed. including the Panasonic V10 or Samsung C550.

So read between the lines and see whether the shortcomings effects you. If your friend has this set, go and get a home demo.

I showed the green-pixel to one of my friend, he said what the heck and bought one.
Owners thread tends to discuss about every minute issues we observe.

So you are the best person to answer your question.

I would again stress, if possible get a home demo

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

...but the thing is i would rather opt for a hassle-free less worthy tv than be troubled and strained with an awesome tv..

Aaaaayee!

--

3 steps - Get it. Check it. Correct it.

If any of the above steps fail then Replace it. If you are not game then Forget it.

 

[nishant80]

Got my 50PK550 replaced yesterday. The old set had scratches on the frame and there were 2 stuck pixels. The scratches were because of LG's mishandling during wall mounting of the set. One bummer for me was that the old set had a manufacturing date of Aug'10 but the new one is from Jun'10.

I had concerns with a June manufactured set since it was 'supposed' to not have the latest PCB/firmware that was 'supposed' to have fixed the green pixel problem to a large extent. However, I found the new set exactly same as the old one in terms of PQ, IR and green pixels. I am now wondering if the PCB/firmware upgrade news was a farce from LG to just play a mind game with customers without actually solving the issue.

- I love this TV for its price/performance ratio. In fact the dancing green pixels were not an issue for me since they are not noticeable from more than 2 feet. IR is also not much of an issue since the burnt-in images go away with color-wash. Does anyone think otherwise?
- Has anyone actually experienced a improvement in PQ with PCB/Firmware upgrade?

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Got my 50PK550 replaced yesterday. The old set had scratches on the frame and there were 2 stuck pixels. The scratches were because of LG's mishandling during wall mounting of the set. One bummer for me was that the old set had a manufacturing date of Aug'10 but the new one is from Jun'10.

Did you not ask why you are getting such an old set? LG was short of supply and still managed to give you a Jun '10 is quite questionable.

I had concerns with a June manufactured set since it was 'supposed' to not have the latest PCB/firmware that was 'supposed' to have fixed the green pixel problem to a large extent. However, I found the new set exactly same as the old one in terms of PQ, IR and green pixels. I am now wondering if the PCB/firmware upgrade news was a farce from LG to just play a mind game with customers without actually solving the issue.

There is no PCB upgrade just some firmware AFAIK. From my experience the latest firmware and minor service menu change improves the overall picture quality and also tones down the green pixels. Whether the firmware upgrade is a farce only LG can tell.

- I love this TV for its price/performance ratio. In fact the dancing green pixels were not an issue for me since they are not noticeable from more than 2 feet. IR is also not much of an issue since the burnt-in images go away with color-wash. Does anyone think otherwise?

All seems well. If you are not too bothered then better not to stress over it.

- Has anyone actually experienced a improvement in PQ with PCB/Firmware upgrade?

Service menu changes are required. You can call LG and ask for it.

 

[bnsbhat]

The TV is meant for enthusiasts, a little bit of a labor of love. somewhat like a Nascar car. Wont be perfect out of the box, but with a little patience and care, she will deliver.

---

You meant BV? :yahoo:

 

[nishant80]

Did you not ask why you are getting such an old set? LG was short of supply and still managed to give you a Jun '10 is quite questionable.

I had specifically asked for a Sep/Oct set but they said that they can only deliver whatever they have. When they came for the replacement, I was thinking about whether I should let them take back my Aug manufactured set. So I told them I would let them pack the old set only after I am satisfied with the new one:
- All accessories were in sealed and new condition inside the box.
- The TV was in mint condition (frame was protected with laminate, front glass was clean).
- PQ was as good as the Aug set (I used the break-in slides and some HD pics). No dead/stuck pixels at all.

So, I accepted the replacement.

Service menu changes are required. You can call LG and ask for it.

Do these changes open up the full advanced picture calibration control or they just provide enough controls to reduce the green pixels?

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

If you are happy with the replacement then there's no worry. A good set is all we need, right?

Service menu change does 2 things
- reduce the green pixels
- shows better blacks; both brightness and contrast

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Off topic. Got the latest delivery of 4 BRs including The Dark Knight. The IMAX scenes look superb. Next installment of Batman is rumored to be fully shot in IMAX HD. Wow!

Next on order is this -> Amazon.com: 127 Hours: Music from the Motion Picture: Various Artists: Music: Reviews, Prices & more

 

[shreeps]

After a lot of thought, discussion and poring over the forum and specially this thread, finally took the plunge and booked a 50PK550.
LG doesnt seem to be very aggressive in selling its plasma since it only has 320 gig free external hard drive offer for the plasma range whereas the LCDs and LCD-LEDs get a good range of goodies. Sigh.

Prices in Pune seem to be a lot higher then Mumbai. Most places are charging around 65-68k and the lowest offer I got was for 62K without the hard drive.

Thanks are due to a lot of people on this forum including but not limited to Shaiju, DotMac, Nishant, Heynownow, Kittu1977, Illusion_heart, VSG12777 etc. for helping me make up my mind.

I know its there in this thread, but can someone post the link to the break in slides?

Thanks and wish me best of luck. Here's hoping I dont get a piece with stuck pixel problem.

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Wishing you luck. Alert/warn the dealer that you are looking for a fresh set with no any physical harm whatsoever.

Break-in slides:

Plasma TV Break-In Images

 

[nishant80]

After a lot of thought, discussion and poring over the forum and specially this thread, finally took the plunge and booked a 50PK550.

Congratulations and welcome to the ever growing club! You can download 1080P demo videos from here to check out the full power of your new TV -
High Definition Trailers (HD) - Demo World (the 'part' column is the video link)

 

[shreeps]

Wishing you luck. Alert/warn the dealer that you are looking for a fresh set with any physical harm whatsoever.

Break-in slides:

Plasma TV Break-In Images

Thanks Shaiju. Its definitely a new piece since the dealer didnt have it in stock and ordered it from the LG ASM in front of me. I have instructed the dealer to make sure the transportation happens properly and I will not take delivery of there any physical harm.
Thanks for the breakin slides.

Congratulations and welcome to the ever growing club! You can download 1080P demo videos from here to check out the full power of your new TV -
High Definition Trailers (HD) - Demo World (the 'part' column is the video link)

Thanks Nishant for the wishes and also for the link to the HD clips. Just what I was looking for!!!

Update: The dealer mentioned that the set has arrived and I need to make payment today so he can deliver tomorrow.
Lets see if I can inspect the set at the dealership itself.

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

shreeps,

Wishing it's a good one.

A note - don't have a cardiac with the dull picture looks or the temp IR - it evens out after 5-6 hours of usage.

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Happy Diwali to all HFVians and your loved ones.

Enjoy your weekend.

PS: Am looking to purchase a full-fledged HT kit - AVR, speakers, CD player and the rest. Budget 70K-100K. Will need serious help!

 

[shreeps]

Took delivery of the 50PK550 on Wednesday. Have got it stand mounted for now. Thinking of getting it wall mounted. How difficult is it to access the ports on the rear of the TV once it is wall mounted?
Have been playing the break in slides for a an hour or 2 every day. Also have reduced the contrast and brightness to 46. I am playing some DVD rips for an hour or so and havent observed any TIR.
Yet to get a cable connection so its acting more as a tinted mirror as of now.
Tried the colour wash and white wash for a few minutes just to see what they look like and ... it looks like I may have a dead pixel. I can just about make it out when the white wash is running. Debating what to do.

The picture quality is awesome and I am sure glad I got this model.
The only downside (other than the dead pixel and of course the lack of tweaking options) is the sound quality. I guess I will need to spend for a decent quality home theater system. Currently looking at Onkyo HTS 3300. Can gurus suggest any other alternatives (budget < Rs. 25k).

 

[nishant80]

Took delivery of the 50PK550 on Wednesday. Have got it stand mounted for now. Thinking of getting it wall mounted. How difficult is it to access the ports on the rear of the TV once it is wall mounted?

I would say its impossible to access the ports on rear once the TV is wall-mounted (you can always unmount and access them but this is a heavy set and unmounting would require 2-3 people). Have your wires ready and connect them before it is mounted.

Tried the colour wash and white wash for a few minutes just to see what they look like and ... it looks like I may have a dead pixel. I can just about make it out when the white wash is running. Debating what to do.

I wouldn't worry too much if its just one dead pixel besides I came to know that LG has a policy of at least 6 dead pixels for replacement (source of info - LG service branch manager b'lore).

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Took delivery of the 50PK550 on Wednesday.

Congrats!

You don't need to worry about the brightness during break-in. Keep it at whatever level that comfort your eyes. Contrast should be 50-60 during normal viewing. For break-in slides keep contrast at 100 and the change it back to 50-60 level.

The sound did bother me at start but now it's fine - ears got used to it.

 

[guptam]

I'm considering between this TV and the Samsung C550 in Gurgaon. Can anyone recommend a good dealer and the latest price for the LG in Gurgaon?

I've been quoted 59k for the LG and 68k for the Samsung so far at a couple of shops in Jacobpura (Old Gurgaon).

For now I can't decide whether I should leave the couple of extras the Samsung offers i.e. dlna, Ethernet connectivity, VGA etc. or save a few thousands and go for LG!

 

[heynownow]

My first experience of image burn-in

I was out of my house on work for the past 3 weeks. Had asked the wifey to take the basic precautions while watching TataSky on my PK550. However, I was shell shocked to notice the stupid the yellow mail notification (icon of a yellow envolope with "Press <yellow dot>" which stupid TataSky flashes from time to time to bring to the notice of the user about their promotions. Unless u read those damn mails or delete them, the icon persists. The wife, being the typical woman (non-tech-savvy) , had taken care not to keep the epg screen for too long, and had flipped channels during ad breaks, as per my instructions but it did not occur to her that the static icon on the top of the screen for over a fortnight in the same position could be a problem. Since my box is a HD one, the size of the notification icon (envelope and text) is considerable smaller than the sd version, and on a 50" screen it is relatively tiny and hence she didnt pay it too much attention.

So I was dismayed to see that I could make out the prominent outline of the vile envelope when I switched off the notification and the ghost image was vividly visible in the "no signal mode" Over the last 2 days I have been running the breakin-in slides, running full screen movies, and whitewashing, and there's been a considerable reduction in the stuck image, but a faint outline still persists. I will carry on god's work of IR banishment, as long as that postage-sized ghost plagues my beloved screen.

Anyone here has any experience in eradicating temporary burn-in on their plasmas?

 

[shaiju_o_thomas]

Do you see the mail notification icon if you switch to a different source other than TataSky? I did see a faint one on mine but on switching the source the icon seem to vanish - I know that's weird.

Try running white wash at full contrast for 30 mins followed by Color Wash.