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You really don’t have to look very deeply into LG’s 50PX4D to see why we’re starting this review with a big grin on our faces. For yes, the price shown above is correct, and this really is a 50in plasma TV on sale for just £2,300.

That makes it cheaper than many 42in plasmas, and even gets it within touching distance of 50in DLP rear projection sets. So if you fancy DLP levels of screen size/value but in a flat-panel body, the 50PX4D could be the answer to your prayers.
Especially as it doesn’t only depend on its sheer flatness and price for its ‘love at first sight’ appeal. With its jazzy, high-gloss black screen surround inset within a chic and surprisingly robust silvery outer frame, it really is a sight for sore eyes.

The good first impressions continue with its connections, too, as far from the price-induced compromises we might have expected it actually proves better connected than many full-price rivals. For instance, you get three SCARTs where many flat TVs only offer two; a PC D-Sub computer input; slots for the direct playback of MP3s and JPEGs from various formats of multimedia memory cards; and, of course, HDMI and component video options for our beloved high definition sources. Admittedly there’s only one of each of these HD options, but given the set’s price and the abundance of other jacks, we’re not going to get too hung up on this.

The 50PX4D secures itself HD Ready status with a sufficiently high native pixel resolution of 1,366 x 768, and compatibility with the required 720p and 1080i HD formats. Probably the star turn among its specifications, though, is a claimed contrast ratio of 10,000:1 - easily the most impressive such figure we’ve seen so far. Of course, whether the LG really has the contrast range to justify such a huge figure or whether it’s just a result of some creative contrast measuring techniques remains to be seen.

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