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Rick Rizner
If you're looking for an all-in-one entertainment system, consider the 42PX4D. This 42-inch TV offers bright images, a powerful sound system, and near-universal hookup options for sources and peripherals. Our judges ranked it number one overall in a side- by-side review of eight 42-inch plasmas.
It was a pleasant improvement over the last LG plasma we reviewed, the 50-inch DU-50PZ60. The 42PX4D scored third-best for overall visual performance in our tests (behind the Philips 42PF9966/ 37 and the NEC PX-42XR3A.)
The luminous screen gave this unit the top score in our overall assessment of brightness and contrast, as well as in our bright- light torture test. (In the latter test we used a combination of 5000-Kelvin and 6500-Kelvin sources intended to simulate daylight conditions--in such strong ambient light, screen images can appear washed out.) It also took third place overall with DVD movies and standard-definition TV programs. And unlike some of its competitors, the LG handled many different source formats with finesse in our informal tests, including 1080 interlaced, 720 progressive, and 480 progressive through its HDMI inputs, plus 480 progressive through its component input.
But images appeared a bit noisy, and the 42PX4D came in a...