Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Review

Price was a significant contributor to my decision to buy this TV.Conversations with tv-guys made me think that I needed to pony up for a 1080, but I just could not justify the premium over the 720p.Now that I have it, I am glad I saved my money.The picture quality is great, both in high def and for normal (low def?) viewing.Whenever I have guests and the TV is on, they are blown away by the quality and ask my questions about it.

I also like the anti-glare screen.At first I was a little concerned that the anti-glare picture would look "dull" compared to your average plasma, but that is no longer a concern - it looks great.

Another big plus for me was the appearance of the TV.Like other Panasonic models, this TV is sleek.Vizio and other manufacturers seem to incorporate larger speakers that look clunky in comparison.The size of the tv relative to the picture size is great - looks nice on the wall, and doesn't take up any more room than it needs to.

In fact, the reason why I am writing this review is because I am going to buy another one for a different room in the house.Panasonic has definitely won my repeat business with this one - I think that says it all.

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Product Description:
PRODUCT FEATURES:42" class (41.6" diagonal) widescreen VIERA Plasma 720p HDTV with anti-reflective filterDeep color technologyGame modeBuilt-in SD card slotGalleryPlayer ready to view3 HDMI inputsVIERA Link HDAVI control

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Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

This is just a heads up about pricing.

I placed my order for this television on 9/2/2008.

THE PRICE from AMAZON with FREE SHIPPING was $2,835.21.

Delivery time quoted, when I placed the order, was 1 to 2 months. UPDATE: Amazon delivered my TV on 9/30/2008 (in about a month) in perfect condition at the price I've quoted ($2,835.21).

Prices are changing day by day. In fact, the day after I placed my order, Amazon raised their price by$500.00. That is quite a price increase in one day! Over the course of the next TWO weeks the price went up to match the list price of $3700. So, in just two weeks time, there was a $900 increase in price! Finally prices are drifting lower again. Early in November, the price has dropped back down to the $2800 range.

THE BEST DEAL YET (11/18/2008). Not only has Amazon lowered its price to an all time low of $2689.00 BUT Amazon says that if you add the Panasonic BDK-35 Blu-ray player (CNET - top rated!) to your cart you will get an additional $300.00 off the combined purchase. Since this player costs $239.00 you will not only receive the player for free but also save an additional $61.00 off of the price of the TV.This deal is a no-brainer, while it lasts. This player is top-rated and, of course, plays standard DVDs too. UPDATE: Unfortunately Amazon withdrew this offer after only a week.

There were no reviews published when I purchased this set but its 50" sister - the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U - had received top reviews. In fact, the 50" version of this set is widely considered either the best HDTV ever made or second only to the much more expensive Pioneer Kuros.UPDATE: This HDTV was Awarded "Editors Choice" by CNET on 10/3/2008 (now only the 50" Pioneer Kuro Elite is rated higher). CNET even rated this Panasonic 58" a tiny bit better than Panasonic's 50" version due to slightly deeper blacks.

Don't pay too much for this set. This set is just starting to trickle into stores and only, late in September, did Amazon have this TV in stock. I can't see why any consumer would pay any more than I have ($2835.21) and I hope they will pay less.

As a general guideline: I've found that a good discount for a Panasonic Plasma will be at least 25% off of the list price.

What is interesting is how carefully the other merchants listed on Amazon.com follow Amazon's lead on price. On the day I purchased this HDTV there were other merchants that were VERY close to Amazon's total price even after including any shipping charges (one was actually a few dollars less including shipping). Once Amazon raised its price, within 24 hours, all these other merchants raised their prices to match Amazon's new price. That trend has continued with these other sellers closely following Amazon's lead.

Amazon's white glove delivery service works extremely well. I was concerned about this and wondered how Amazon's delivery service would stack up against buying this set in person? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The TV was delivered on time, it was unpacked, the stand was installed, and the TV was placed where I wanted it (the packaging was also removed). I knew how to connect the TV to all my other components but you certainly shouldn't expect the truckers to know how to do this for you!Still they waited 5 minutes for me to make all my connections and confirm the set was in perfect condition. Even if you don't know how to connect the set (prior to studying the manual) - just plugging it into a wall outlet (no other connections required) and turning it on displays a menu on the screen which confirms it was not damaged in transit.

KUDOS to AMAZON on its White Glove Service! Well Done and hassle free!!!

The picture quality exceeds my wildest expectations, assuming a few important changes are made to the set's default settings. With good high definition content the picture is absolutely stunning, better than what I recall was shown at my local movie theatre. High definition movies on HBO really do look better than when I saw them in the theatre. If there is a criticism to be found it is that the default settings are either too dim (THX mode) or too garish (custom mode). However it is easy to adjust the settings to produce a much better picture. I'd encourage everyone to use the settings listed in Greg Lavery's Amazon review (these were first published by CNET and then discussed/updated in the AVS forum). These settings are extremely important if you want the best possible picture and the improvements they yield are NOT subtle! However, having said that, this still may NOT be the best TV for a brightly lit room because it is not the brightest set available and the screen is somewhat reflective. For everyone else, you are purchasing one of the finest HDTVs ever made. The quality and naturalness of the picture is often jaw-dropping. It is hard to explain in words, exactly how good this set is--- even to those of you who have already purchased another HDTV. For example, I purchased a 26" Toshiba HDTV (2008 model) for my office. That HDTV looks pretty poor when compared to this Panasonic. It is almost impossible to overstate the quality of the picture that this set can produce.

Keep in mind this is one, very large, HDTV and it can easily dwarf everything else in a room.

One Final Comment: Know who you are buying from at Amazon. Just below the price if it says "ships from and sold by XXX company" you are NOT buying from Amazon but another company who pays a fee to Amazon to sell products on Amazon's website. While these other companies may be fine - I choose to purchase this HDTV directly from Amazon and NOT from one of these other merchants whose track record I could not as easily evaluate. The shipping policies of these other companies may also vary from Amazon's white glove delivery service.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U 58 Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Product Description:
The PZ800 series meets the THX certified display specifications, signifying the highest standards of performance and quality. The PZ800 plasma televisions feature an improved native contrast ratio of 30,000:1, game mode, VIERA link, a PC input, four HDMI connections and one sheet of glass design concept.

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Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ85U 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

If you are anything like me when trying to decide on which flat screen TV to buy, let me just say that you will not go wrong by choosing this 46" Panasonic plasma TV.I spent several days and multiple trips to electronic stores before getting this one. I have had the TV for nearly a month now and here's what I think:

Pros:
1. Fantastic contrast ratio - sometimes can even get too dark for my liking! (level of contrast can be adjusted via menu options)
2. Very handy 15 pin PC connection (I use this very often to view online movies and documentaries)
3. Very good color rendering.False contouring is minimal and typically only with weaker/lower res. signals
4. Sound is awesome!There appears to be 3 channels/speakers at the bottom of the piece. You have the ability to have surround capability (I do not have a home theater sound system connected).
5. Pixelation during fast motion very minimal (typical for the plasma)
6. Very good inbuilt tuner.I use it to get the off-the-air HD channels, great quality
7. Very good form factor - looks that will please most
8. Wide sturdy base

There are a lot of other features that I have not used as yet but overall, I am really very pleased with what I have seen so far. Note that I have not tried a blu-ray disc with the TV but seeing the quality with the 1080-i quality NCAA games this month has been phenomenal.

Cons:
1. It is my belief that the anti-reflective screen not quite as good as compared to the anti-glare coating the 2007 models had.My experience is based on comparison of bright warehouse lighting reflecting from the 2007 screens and the bright living room I currently have place the 2008 model in.With the anti-reflective screen on the 2008 model, I can see a reflection of myself when the picture is dark or dull and background lighting is moderate. For e.g. even in the nights, when I have a small average intensity lamp burning, I can see a reflection of myself in the screen.

Hard to think of other cons.

I definitely do not regret the PC input option for the $90 extra it cost me! Will add more as the weeks go by but overall a fantastic choice.

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Product Description:
PRODUCT FEATURES:46" class (46.0" diagonal) widescreen VIERA Plasma 1080p HDTV with increased native contrast ratioPC inputAnti-reflective filter, deep color technologyGame modeBuilt-in SD card slotGalleryPlayer ready to view3 HDMI inputsVIERA Link HDAVI control

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Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

UPDATE.A couple links dedicated to this set:
Owners forum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1000479
Break-in FAQ: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14472276#post14472276

Just a short review as there are so many already.

I spent approximately 3 years researching displays.No it didn't take me that long to figure things out, I was basically waiting for the technology to meet my expectations at a given price point.

After exhaustive research I narrowed things down to Plasma and then further down to either this set or the Samsung A550.The reason I picked the Panny over the Samsung, to be succinct:

- better black levels
- reliability (reportedly a bit more stable than the Samsung's, though they have gotten better)
- anti-reflective coating (the Panasonic has the Samsung thoroughly beat)
- IR (image retention) resistance, Panasonic is supposedly on the cutting edge for this

That said, I'll comment a bit on the Panasonic image specifically; it is stunning.First, the scaler (the hardware that handles different source material like standard definition broadcast, etc.) in this thing is top notch.I am truly impressed with what it has done with standard cable (and of course HD cable looks great).I was under the impression that few if any modern displays could handle SD well, frankly because I hadn't seen evidence of it.I was wrong, there have been a few times that I had to look hard to tell I was watching Standard Def (CNN puts out an especially clean broadcast in my area).Secondly, HD content; doubly stunning!I'm running both HD Cable and a PS3 Blu-ray.I figured I'd be buying many of my movies again in Blu-ray....wrong.Certainly true HD content has the edge but the upscaler combined with this set is jaw dropping, Pixar DVDs are quite amazing.

Now a few comments about Plasma vs LCD:

No doubt LCD has it's place, some people simply want a very "punchy" and extremely bright display.This is especially useful for daytime/bright room viewing.However, the drawbacks are considerable:

- motion lag/bur: if you see it (and I do) it's VERY distracting
- black levels clearly not up to par, which greatly affects the overall picture quality

On the other hand Plasma pluses:

- no motion lag
- industry standard black levels
- extremely realistic/film like experience

A few words on Image Retention & Burn in:

These are not the same thing though the terms are often used interchangeably.Image Retention is the result of a static image (any image that doesn't change for extended periods; video game displays, station identification, etc) to remain on the screen even after you've changed images.This is a temporary problem and one that is easily erased by viewing full screen for short periods where all the pixel locations on the screen will get some activity.Frankly I've not seen even one instance on my set.Burn-in is the extreme, unfixable version of this, leaving a static image on the screen for many hours (all day) or always watching all your content letterboxed will certainly lead to burn in.It's easy to avoid.The Panasonic is especially immune to this and even has many safety features built in to prevent it (pixel shifting and auto off if a screen remains unchanged for an extended period).

Finally a few quick tips for new owners, gleaned mostly from the AVS forums and partly directly from Panasonic's own website:

- Keep the Picture (contrast) and Brightness levels under 50 for the first 100 hrs.This helps the phosphors become "tempered" and in turn not so easily susceptible to bun-in and image retention.As I said, I've yet to experience either.
- Watch everything in Just mode (full screen) for the first 100 hrs for the same reasons listed above
- After the first 100 hrs you can turn things up & start watching things in letterbox, here are some recommended levels:
Picture: +70
Brightness: +48
Color: +44
Tint: -3
Sharpness: 0
Color temp: Warm
Color mgmt: Off
x.v.Color: Off
C.A.T.S.: Off

One final note for those on the fence:Don't go by what you see in the stores, what is displayed in no way exemplifies what these sets (any brand really) are capable of.My picture is light years better than anything I ever saw at Best Buy (including this very set).Delivery from Amazon/CEVA was a breeze by the way, took one week from ordering to door.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42 Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

Product Description:
PRODUCT FEATURES:42" class (41.6" diagonal) widescreen VIERA Plasma 1080p HDTV with increased native contrast ratioPC inputAnti-reflective filterDeep color technologyGame modeBuilt-in SD card slotGalleryPlayer ready to view3 HDMI inputsVIERA Link HDAVI control

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