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Gratifyingly for such an affordable 50in plasma, the 50PX4D carries a built-in digital tuner. And this comes complete with support for the 7-day Freeview electronic programme guide. The only pity is that this EPG support is slightly limited, in that you can’t set reminders or timer recording events simply by selecting programmes from the EPG listings.

Regular readers will know that most manufacturers these days include on their LCD or plasma TVs some sort of fancily-monikered picture-boosting system. And LG is no different, managing to put its XD Engine II system even on such a price-conscious product as the 50PX4D.

XD Engine II, as with similar systems, incorporates a whole bunch of more or less significant picture processing sub-systems. And it would seem someone in the LG branding department must have had a slow weekend, for every one of the XD Engine’s sub-systems also has its very own catchy name: OptiGrade, VistaBright, PurePalette, ContrastPRO, CrystalVue and Real Cinema.

Covering each in order, we’ve got a system for boosting the subtlety of colour gradations; a brightness booster; a system for making colours look richer; a contrast range expander; a sharpness enhancer; and a system for making movement look more natural when watching films as opposed to TV shows. So now you know.

You’re probably already thinking that the 50PX4D carries more features than you’d expect of such an amazingly affordable 50in TV – but we’re not done yet. Also ramping up the 50PX4D’s value appeal are a picture in picture system, various noise reduction systems, multiple techniques for avoiding plasma’s ‘screenburn’ troubles, and even separate adjustments for the skin-, green- and blue-tones.

Surely all this fancy feature posturing must be a ruse to hide the fact that the budget 50PX4D’s pictures aren’t up to much, right? Wrong.

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