LG 50PZ950

Audio Quality (6.00)

The 10W speakers on either side of this TV are a standard feature of flat screen televisions. Across the board, we do not see speakers with more power than this. Companies generally expect you to shell out some extra money for a quality surround sound system with a sub woofer of about 500W. It would almost be wasteful for a company to put more speaker power into something that they think you will replace anyway.

There is a 3D Surround mode built in to this television, attempting to simulate surround sound from the two speakers by bouncing waves off the walls before they get to your ears. This fake surround is not going to wow you into thinking that the Dolby 5.1 fairies magically setup surround speakers in your house, but it will enrich the sound for a more cinematic experience. This function is highly recommended for gun fights, a series of massive explosions, and all situations involving invading aliens.

Menu Interface (9.00)

We are big fans of the LG menu system. Hitting “Home” on the remote brings you to a hub where you can access the inputs, settings, internet streaming videos and LG apps. Whatever video you may have been watching at the time continues in a scaled version in the top left of the screen.

There are some traditional menus as well that you can access from the Home menu. By selecting settings from Home, you get a standard transparent overlay on a picture that now fills the screen. When you change individual settings, the menu changes into a small bar to let you see how you are affecting your picture without obscuring it.

LG is embracing the next generation of television with these menus, agreeing with the savvy public that a television is far more than just an idiot box these days. There are several layers of possible multimedia entertainment going on a television and LG has done a great job of collecting them here.

We will say that the whole system could use another round of streamlining. Having several different types of menus is at times visually confusing, but at least it’s all there and easy enough to operate.

Instruction Manual (6.50)

We have reviewed this manual before, as it is the same manual for 37 different LG televisions from a 32-inch LCD with no features to this 50-inch plasma with internet and 3D imaging. Some of the connections are not listed in the manual and it is hard to find many of the specifications for your individual model. We have run out of nasty things to say about this mass of paper that claims to be an instructional manual, so if you would like to read more, you can get a full tirade at the bottom of this page.

Other Models in the Series
For more information on other models in this series, check our Series Comparison Page.
LG 60PZ950 60 in.