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LG 60PF95 Review |
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Reviewed: 16 June 2007
Design
Which ever way LG had decided to decorate the 60PF95, this screen was always going to be described as a leviathan. The sheer physical presence will overwhelm most rooms, and we are looking at something that really needs a dedicated home cinema space or a dedicated home cinema individual to accommodate it. Saying that, the LG 60PF95 looks pleasant enough with its piano black finish.
Weighing in at a whopping 80kg, you will be pleased to know that the LG 60PF95 is perched upon a swivel stand.
Features
Most audio visual enthusiasts will be immediately impressed with the Full HD (1920 x 1080 resolution) specification, and what's more impressive is this feature is much more common on LCD TV's than on Plasma's. The 60PF95 is able to display High Definition films at the highest quality 1080p output (assuming that the DVD itself is 1080p), or the output from Sony's PS3 games console (able to output 1080p) in its full glory.
Screen: 60in 16:9 Tuner: Digital Sound System: Nicam Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Contrast Ratio: 3,000:1 Brightness: 1000cd/m2 Other Features: XD Engine Full HD, 3D Noise Reduction, 3D Digital Comb Filter. Sockets: 2 HDMI, 2 SCART, Component Video, Composite Video, PC input.
Connectivity is pretty average by today's standards with 2 HDMI inputs, 2 Scarts, Component and Composite video inputs along with S-video and PC input.
Picture processing technology on the 60PF95 comes in the shape of LG's XD engine which in its latest guise is dubbed XD Full HD, the Full HD a reference to the fact that it has been optimised for the 1920 x 1080 resolution panels. The XD engine has been designed to boost the screens contrast, brightness, colour saturation, image clarity and gradation/grayscaling capabilities.
We should also mention that the LG 60PF95 is capable of 1:1 pixel mapping, which translates to every pixel from a 1080i or 1080p source being matched perfectly to the screen without any scaling.
Impressively, the LG 60PF95 can accept a 1080p input at 24Hz which means that high definition films are able to run at their original 24 frames per second. Movies are often marginally speeded up to 25 frames per second in order to run on a PAL TV.
Additionally, the 60PF95 comes equipped with LG's Simple Link technology (HDMI-CEC) which allows you to control all LG-compatible equipment through a single remote control.
Performance
What immediately strikes us about the LG 60PF95 is the 'black level' performance. A 60in screen is inevitably going to make the good look great and the bad look terrible, and with a better than average black level, the experience in this case is astounding. Vast expanses of darkness graduating into subtle shadow detailing give the viewer a cinematic thrill that will place smaller screen viewing firmly in the shade.
If you plan to watch nothing but High Definition (HD) material on the LG 60PF95 then be prepared to lose friends family and to forget the appearance of the outside world because you will simply won't be able to tear yourself away. The HD performance is staggering, with a sharpness matched by smaller flat panels, but with a level of pure detail that is just incomparable with anything less than 60in. Add to the mix superb depth and subtlety of colour, and this is quite possibly the best home cinema experience we have witnessed to date.
Games enthusiasts will also be happy, especially if they are able to hook up Sony's 1080p capable PS3. To be fair, the XBox 360 is almost as good, with both consoles delivering a totally involving and fluid games experience. By the very nature of its size, the 60PF95 seems to block off any peripheral distractions and gives a pseudo virtual reality experience.
Inevitably, Standard Definition (SD) viewing on the LG 60PF95 is not so good. Reasonable levels of detail, sharpness and clarity are maintained with a 1080i source such as Sky, but with Freeview, the deterioration in picture quality is marked. Loss of sharpness and the shear amount of video noise become intrusive to the viewing experience. This is a reflection of the video source as much as the 60PF95, but we have seen large panels that handle Freeview with more confidence.
We weren't expecting much from the speakers, but even so, they were a little disappointing in that they were simply overawed by the screens massive presence in virtually every situation. A simple lack of power was the problem, and even though many buyers will add their own acoustic sytems, we still expected a little more from the standard offering.
Conclusion
Remove Standard Definition (SD) from the equation, and in the LG 60PF95 you have what is quite possibly the most rewarding and involving flat panel experience available. Add SD to the mix though, and prepare for a few illusions to be shattered, or for your fears to be confirmed with excessive video noise.
