LG 50PK990 Infinia 50in plasma TV

The menus on the 50PK990 are beautifully presented with large icons and generous use of colour. The sensible layout also makes them easy to navigate and there are some neat features including a picture set up wizard that includes test cards to help you calibrate the set. That said, unlike a lot of its rivals, the picture presets on the PK990 are actually very good and include a THX Cinema mode that tweaks the set’s contrast and colours for movie viewing.

With icon styling akin to LG mobiles, the menus are beautifully presented

LG has followed Samsung’s lead by providing two remotes. The main remote is quite long (and a little bit awkward to hold), but also has nice big buttons and includes a switchable backlight that can come in handy when you’re watching a movie with the lights turned down. The second remote is a much smaller, stripped down affair with just the basic buttons for changing channel and controlling the volume level.

The main remote is a tad long, but has a handy backlight

To make the most of the 1080p resolution, the set has a Freeview HD tuner so it can pick up the HD services from ITV, Channel 4 and BBC, as long as HD signal are being broadcast in your area. These channels are tuned alongside the usual standard definition Freeview stations and also appear alongside them in the easy to use eight-day EPG. Be warned though, the LG tuner isn’t particularly sensitive, so if you live in a marginal signal area you may have problems with reception.

The EPG is fast and easy to find your way around

Some LG’s plasmas have appeared to struggle to deliver really deep blacks, but the 50PK990 is noticeably better in this department. The screen has LG’s TruBlack filter which, as well as reducing some screen glare, also helps to deepen the apparent black level. What’s also impressive is that it manages to work its magic without any apparent loss of shadow detail or brightness.