LG 42" Plasma Television

Two weeks ago I had to buy a new television as the one that was currently in my apartment my boyfriend took with him when we broke up, as it was his.  I knew I wanted about a 42", but I wasn't sure on what brand or if I wanted an LCD or a plasma.  So off I went to Best Buy to pick out a new television.  After being overwhelmed by the dozens upon dozens of TV's there I finally decided on the LG 42" plasma.

I'm not quite sure if there are any technical reasons why I chose this television over any other one.  I am a girl and not really into all of the specifications so as long as the TV looks good on the wall, the picture is clear, and it is at a decent price; that's really all that matters to me.  I did do a little research on this TV in particular and it got really good reviews, at least a hundred of them.  So reading those gave me some extra confidence in purchasing this model.

The exact television I purchased was the LG 42" 720p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV television.  I never knew this but when there are numbers followed by a p, for example like in my TV 720p, that means how many vertical scanning lines there are on the television which determine the ability of the tv to produce a detailed image.  The higher the number of scan lines, the better the picture.  Best Buy also had a LG 42" that had 1080p.  After observing both TV's for quite awhile in the store, I could not tell all that much of a difference between the two.  There was about a $300 price difference but since I did not see all that much of a difference I could not really justify spending $300 more.  Instead I took that $300 and put it towards a new DVD player and a TV stand.

My only complaint is that apparently, and this is according to the TV guys at Best Buy, you can not lay the TV on it's side for transport; as in getting it home.  This created a problem as I drive a Mazda 3, there is not enough room in the backseat or in the trunk to set the box upright.  And in case you haven't seen the size boxes these tv's come in?  They are huge!  So I had to call one of my friends who has a truck come and meet me and then we ended up standing the box upright in the bed of his truck.  It was looking cloudy outside too so I was on pins and needles on the way home praying it would not start raining.  Thankfully it didn't and we got the TV to my apartment safely and dry.  The TV and box only weighed about 60 lbs so with two people it was really easy to lift.  However I live in a 3rd floor apartment so by the last few steps we were both getting a little tired.

After we got the TV inside my apartment we began taking off the box and getting ready to set it up.  According to the directions, and I found this really funny, in order to pop out the stand that comes with the TV you have to lay the TV on it's side.  Did Best Buy not just tell me at no time whatsoever was I supposed to lay the TV on it's side?  Very interesting.  So I've pretty much come to the conclusion that one of these TV's would be fine on their side for a few minutes for a drive home and Best Buy is just using that excuse so people that do not have access to a van or truck are forced to use their VERY expensive delivery service.

Once we got the TV set up and hooked up to my digital cable we turned it on and crossed our fingers hoping it would work without any problems; and it did!  It was so easy to set up too.  You just had to flip it's stand out and set it on the other TV stand and then plug the TV into the outlet and then plug my cable cord into the TV and voila!  It honestly couldn't get any easier then if it set itself up on it's own while I watched.

Once I started flipping through the channels and observing the picture I was so amazed!  The picture was exceptional, and that was on regular digital cable too.  I haven't made the switch to HDTV digital cable, even though my Brighthouse offers it.  I will probably do that in the near future though.  But honestly, if the TV's picture looks this great on regular cable, it just has to be breathtaking when it's show in HD!  I do not have any kind of surround sound stereo system so I was hoping just the regular speakers in the television would be suitable enough, and they were.  The sound is very crisp and clear, just how it should be on a television, however I am sure it would be 10 times better if I had a surround sound system, but i think every TV would benefit from the addition of that.

I feel that for the overall quality of the TV and the unbeatable price for a plasma television this would be a great addition to anyones home.  When I checked reviews on this TV before making a purchase a lot of them advised this was a great entry level starter TV for someone getting their first plasma and I have to say I agree.  I am not a picky person at all when it comes to TV's as I already mentioned so even though someone who is a big TV junky might not think this is the greatest TV, I do!  To me this is the best TV I have ever watched televsion on, let alone own.  So if you are looking for a plasma hdtv at a good value, I would definitely recommend the LG!