LG 50PZ950

Value Comparison

This is a hard choice. Each television in this comparison lacks something essential. The LG really couldn’t cut it in the color category, an almost inexcusable detriment at the price consumers are expected to pay. The Panasonic gets no brighter than 70 cd/m², when we usually look for something at 200 or above. You will have a hard time watching this TV in any situation other than a pitch black room. For hundreds of dollars less, the LG is the better choice, but we were disappointed with both of these high-enders.

Core Attributes Comparison
	LG 50PZ950	Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30
Size	50 in.	55 in.
General Type	Plasma	Plasma
Format	1080p	1080p

Blacks & Whites

This Panasonic had a black level so deep it was almost unmeasurable. Conversely, its peak brightness is poor. At just under 70 cd/m², it would be hard to watch this television with any other light sources in the same room. The LG here has a better contrast ratio, with a less impressive black level, but a peak brightness that allows for watching in medium levels of light. You will be happier with the LG for its environmental versatility, that is unless you live in a bomb shelter.

Color Accuracy

Color was a drag on the LG. All of the comparison models are high-end, and from the money they expect out of us, we expect a certain level of performance. In the color category, the Panasonic is at or above that level, with really smooth RGB curves and a set of colors that is, if not wholly accurate, slightly oversaturated in blues and reds, the way people claim to like. The LG by comparison just can’t shoot out a well-colored picture. The colors are inaccurate and the curves do not transition well. Where LG has succeeded so strongly throughout the year in color performance, they fall flat with their top-of-the-line model.

Color Temperature Comparison
LG 50PZ950 (Score: 8.97)
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 (Score: 9.68)

RGB Comparison
LG 50PZ950 (Score: 7.4)
Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30 (Score: 7.83)

Motion

The LG was such a performer in motion that it would be hard to beat with all the motion processing features in the modern world. The Panasonic was strong in this category, but what is strong compared to unyieldingly powerful?

Motion Scores
	LG 50PZ950	Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30
Motion Score

Viewing Effects

We saw one of the widest viewing angles on the LG as we did anywhere. The Panasonic is great in this category as well, but right around 70º off center, it falls short of the LG.

Viewing Angle Comparison
LG 50PZ950: 9.02	Panasonic Viera TC-P55VT30: 7.94

Connectivity

The Panasonic has fewer analog connections, only one component and one composite, but it ads an SD card slot reader to put photos directly from a camera onto this large screen. If you are a photog, this could be just the feature you want. Otherwise, the LG has a larger breadth and great accessibility to the ports.

Connectivity Comparison
	LG 50PZ950	Samsung PN59D8000	Panasonic TC-P55VT30	Sony KDL-55HX820
HDMI	4	4	4	4
Component	2	2	1	1
Composite	2	2	1	1
S-Video	0	0	0	0
VGA	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio In	5	2	2	3
Digital Audio Out	1	1	1	1
Analog Audio Out	0	0	0	3
Ethernet	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes (Included)	Yes (Included)	Yes (Included)
USB	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Memory Card Types	None	None	SD/SDHC/SDXC	None
DLNA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes