LG 50PK950 (Black)
50" Infinia series 1080p plasma HDTV
463605685
The INFINIA PK950 series: Elite plasma . . . Elite LG
Sure, all LG HDTVs are designed and constructed to set industry standards for video-reproduction performance and exhilarating home entertainment. But not all LG panels are created equal . . . There's an elite series of plasma displays from this celebrated manufacturer, and it has but one name: INFINIA. While all LG panels deliver stunning video images, the INFINIA series concerns itself equally with the TV's physical aesthetic. In other words, all INFINIA panels are lavished with sleek, innovative bezel designs that add modern sophistication to any viewing area. First, compact plasma display technology endows the 50PK950 with an incredibly thin 2.1" panel depth. Once wall-mounted, this LG plasma display will seamlessly integrate with your living room or home theater area's look. Second, LG takes the elegance of the 50PK950's panel one step further by unifying the entire front of the panel into a single, smooth plane. By laying the super-thin bezel flush with the video screen and covering the entire surface with a single sheet of glass, LG allows the plasma display to reign unencumbered by the thick, blocky bezels found on most other HDTVs. Further, thanks to innovative TruBlack Filter technology, the 50PK950's panel dramatically reduces glare for improved viewing even in rooms with ambient light. Finally, optimizing your ability to integrate this advanced plasma HDTV into your home theater setup, LG includes a Wi-Fi adapter with purchase, allowing you to explore online content with a wired or wireless connection (Internet service required, see "The next leap in home entertainment", bleow.) With the INFINIA series 50PK950 from LG, you're adding more than a TV to your living room.
Coming to a home theater near you . . . THX
You sit down, popcorn bowl tucked into your elbow, and comfortably recline. Then, the lights begin to dim, and everyone else in the room tapers off their conversations. The screen in front of you glimmers to life and three iridescent letters appear&ensp— THX. This may sound like what you'd expect to experience at the local movie theater, but the truth is, with the THX-certified 50PK950 plasma HDTV in your living room, you can expect the same visual magic of the theater right in your home. Originally developed as a standard for exceptional, reference-quality audio reproduction in movie theaters, THX certification has been expanded not only to home theater audio, but to video as well. As an industry benchmark in video-image quality, THX Display Certification assures you that the 50PK950 is capable of delivering exceptional images, frame after frame, bringing you immersive movie, broadcast, and gaming experiences from Full HD video sources, right in your living room. Now all you need are some dimmable lights and red velvet curtains.
The next leap in home entertainment — NetCast
There's a difference between being greedy and simply wanting plenty of options. Sure, you have oodles of DVD and Blu-ray Disc movies, all of which you love to watch in your home theater. But by no means is your home video experience limited to these two types of discs. You also have access to a little something known as "the internet." The only problem is, in order to watch online video sources, you have to abandon your time-molded recliner in the living room and plop yourself down at the desk chair in the home office. And then you have to watch video on a measly 20" or so computer monitor. You've just about had it . . . you demand more viewing options in your home theater . . . you demand online access in your living room . . . in other words, you require the Infinia 50PK950 HDTV from LG, sporting NetCast Entertainment Access technology. Simply connect this 50" plasma HDTV to your pre-existing internet service using the panel's built-in ethernet port, and you're poised to discover a wide range of online viewing features. Stream video and television episodes from Netflix. Catch the latest rave on YouTube. Check out your friend's photo album on Picasa. Enjoy HD movies streamed from Vudu. You can even access everything from news to stocks to weather via a variety of Yahoo! TV Widgets. Further, the 50PK950 is Skype compatible, ready for you to engage in online video and voice calling across the globe (separate headset and camera required). Take the leap with the 50PK950.
Smooth, fluid . . . 600Hz
Here's a quick "Illusion of Motion 101": The effect of motion used in movies and on TV is achieved by flashing a series of still images on the screen in fast succession. Think back to the flip books you played with when you were a kid — the same principle is at work. Now, while a flip book might only flash five or six images every second, making the moving image a little choppy, film and TV programming uses frame rates between 24 frames-per-second (fps) and 60fps, respectively. (Frames per second are also expressed in Hertz (Hz)). This accelerated frame rate makes it possible to reproduce motion that looks smooth and natural. Nevertheless, during some fast-action sequences in sports or movie programming, you still might find that you're seeing some of that flip book judder. Delivering moving images that are smoother and more lifelike, no matter what you're watching, LG's 50PK950 plasma panel sports 600Hz Max Sub-Field Drive technology. By flashing the panel's pixels 10 times for each frame — up to 600 times per second for 60Hz content — 600Hz technology enhances the continuity between frames, thereby reproducing moving images with heightened realism.
The panel itself
There are ordinary plasma HDTV panels, and then there's the PK950-series panel from LG. Since their appearance, plasma panels have never failed to deliver exceptionally sharp and crisp detail, and with its combination of a Full HD 1920 x 1080p panel resolution and 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, the 50PK950 is no exception. However, plasma panels have historically suffered poor performance in well-lit rooms. Here, the 50PK950 is the exception. Sporting a 1500cd/m² brightness level, this plasma panel is easily able to display fully lit, vivid images even in rooms with high levels of ambient lighting. And then, amping up the image-reproduction performance, LG includes Dual XD Engines. Using advanced video processing, the Dual XD Engines optimize black levels and panel brightness, enhance color, and reduce image noise and artifacts. Additionally, XD Engine technology provides de-interlacing of analog signals, making these compatible with the performance level of modern flat panel technologies. Finally, three Image Sticking Minimization modes ensure uniform panel performance throughout this plasma HDTV's impressive 100,000-hour panel life. (In case you're wondering, 100,000 hours is about 55 years at 5 hours of viewing per day.)
Efficiency and performance . . . customized
Certainly, a new HDTV should satisfy all of your home viewing tastes and preferences. At the same time, however, a flat panel HDTV ought also to meet both the demands of your viewing area and your energy-use goals. True to form, the LG 50PK950 delivers. First, the 50PK950's Intelligent Sensor employs a sophisticated algorithm that uses 4,096 sensing steps to evaluate the panel's surroundings, ultimately optimizing the panel's brightness, contrast, color, sharpness, and white balance to the needs of your home viewing area. Second, not only does the Intelligent Sensor customize panel performance to changing conditions in your living room, but by doing so it also minimizes overall energy consumption. Paired with LG's Smart Energy Saving technology, the Intelligent Sensor helps to achieve unprecedented energy efficiency for a large-screen plasma HDTV.
Co-nec-ti-vi-ty and In-ter-ac-ti-vi-ty
One of the most important items on an HDTV's spec sheet is one of the most over-looked. We're talking about connections, here. You see, a panel's connectivity options communicate a great deal about the HDTV's potential — will the TV work with your existing equipment? what kind of video sources can you watch? what kind of room is there for system growth? With the answers to these questions in mind, the folks at LG have equipped the 50PK950 with an impressive repertoire of audio and video connections. First off, four total HDMI inputs offer optimal, single-cable connectivity to Full HD 1080p sources, and the side HDMI input is great for connecting a friend's HD gaming console. Second, multiple component- and composite-video inputs are great for connecting to non-HD video sources. Third, two USB ports let you hook up to digital cameras and portable audio/video players, and even support DivX video from online sources. And for the final connection, a PC input with audio makes it possible to convert the 50PK950 into a 50" computer monitor, while a digital optical audio output is great for sending audio to your system's A/V receiver. To make it all these connections easier to use, LG has introduced a new way to move with your remote by simplifying the design down to the bare essentials, and using a motion sensitive graphic user interface to allow you select inputs, channels and customize your display. It's a new way to interact with your television — and one we think you'll love!
Bring on the sound
The advanced HD video performance offered by the 50PK950's panel is only half of the story when it comes to the complete home-theater experience. "What's the other half", you might ask? Audio. Not only does the 50PK950 LED HDTV sport a two-speaker, 20W built-in audio system, but it reinforces it with a variety of audio-enhancing technologies. First, an Infinite Sound system teams up with built-in Dolby Digital decoding to deliver a virtual surround sound experience. Second, an Auto Volume Leveler II ensures that volume levels remain stable — i.e. no loud spikes in volume when TV programming cuts to commercial. Finally, the 50PK950's Clear Voice II technology automatically enhances and amplifies the sound of the human voice's frequency range during scenes when background noise swells, assuring that you catch every last syllable of crucial dialogue.
Your HD lifeline
High Definition Multimedia Interface, or HDMI, is the only home A/V connection that allows for both Full HD 1080p video and 7.1-channel studio-quality audio to be passed along a single cable. In other words, in order to take full advantage of your home theater's high definition potential, you need to HDMI cabling to link HD-capable components. It's only natural that you might have questions regarding how best to outfit your personal HD system. Vann's sales representatives are here to explain all of your options. Call the 800 number at the top of this page for expert advice.
NOTE
LG Design and Life's Good are trademarks of LG Electronics, Inc.
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Comparison Specifications
- Screen size: 50" (measured diagonally) Full HD 1920 x 1080p plasma display / TruBlack Filter
- Aspect ratio: Widescreen 16:9
- Progressive features: 600Hz Max Sub Field Driving
- Best video inputs: 4 HDMI v1.3 inputs (3 rear, 1 side) / Deep Color and HDCP compatible
- Other inputs: 1 rear LAN ethernet port / 2 side USB v2.0 ports / 2 component video+audio ( rear) / 2 composite video+audio (1 rear, 1 side) / 1 RF
- Audio enhancements: Dolby Digital decoder / Infinite Sound surround system / Clear Voice II / 5 EZ Sound modes / Auto Volume Leveler II
- Built-in speakers: 10W x 2 speakers
- Mounting options: ±20° table-top swivel stand included / VESA 600mm x 400mm wall-mount compatible
- Remote control: 1 Magic Motion and 1 unified remote control included
Additional Specifications
- NetCast Entertainment Access: Netflix streaming ready / Skype ready / Yahoo! TV Widgets / Vudu streaming / YouTube / Picasa Web Albums / DLNA certified
- Wi-Fi adapter included
- THX-certified display
- Intelligent Sensor ambient light adjustment
- 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
- Efficiency: Smart Energy Saving technology / Backlight control
- Panel features: 1500cd/m² brightness / 100,000-hr lifespan / Protective skin glass / 3 Image Sticking Minimization modes
- Additional connectivity: 1 digital optical audio out / 1 PC (D-Sub, 15-pin)+ audio input / 1 service RS-232c
- USB format support: JPEG / MPEG-4 / DivX, DivX HD
- Built-in tuners: ATSC / NTSC / Clear QAM
Manufacturer Specifications
- Video features: Dual XD Engine / 6 aspect-ratio correction modes / Just Scan 1:1 pixel matching / 3 color-temperature control modes / 24p Real Cinema
- Video features (continued): 3:2 pulldown / Picture reset / 8 Picture modes / ISFccc ready / x.v.Color / DTV signal strength indicator
- Wireless readiness: Wireless 1080p (WHDI) ready / Wi-Fi ready (separate components required)
- 1080p source input: HDMI: 60p/30p/24p / Component video: 60p/30p/24p / RGB: 60p WXGA
- Special features: Picture Wizard II / A/V input navigation / Input labeling / Quick View / Key lock
- Parental control with V-Chip / Closed Captioning compatible
- SIMPLINK (HDMI-CEC)
- On-screen languages: English / Spanish / French / Korean
- Convenience features: Auto tuning/programming / Channel add/delete / Favorite channel programming / Sleep timer
- Convenience features (continued): Auto/manual clock / On/off timer / Auto Off/auto sleep
Dimensional Specifications
- Dimensions: 46.9" W x 29.0" H x 2.1" D, without stand / 46.9" W x 31.5" H x 11.6" D, with stand
- Weight: 66.6 lbs, without stand / 76.7 lbs, with stand
LG 50PK950 Warranty Details
1-year limited parts and labor warranty / 2-year limited panel warranty
