Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
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
With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings an astonishing 1,000,000:1 contrast ration to the table. advanced pixel resolution and image-processing technology with the plasma TV's natural ability to beautifully reproduce fast moving images, so every detail is rendered with amazing clarity, and all the action is delivered with a high degree of fluidity.
What is a Plasma TV? A plasma TV is a thin, high-resolution flat panel screen that uses a matrix of tiny cells that are charged by precise electrical voltages to create a picture. Plasma displays are bright, have a wide color range, produce deep, true blacks, have a wide viewing angle, and are light enough to be wall-mounted or placed on a stand. Plasmas come in a range of sizes.
What's New This Year?
- Super Contrast--native contrast ratios on the PZ85, PZ800 and PX 850 series are 30,000:1, double last year's 15,000:1. Dynamic contrast ratios are up to 1,000,000:1.
- new anti-reflective filter; lead-free "Tough Under Force" panel is resistant to impacts and scratches
- Built-in SD card slot with Photo Viewer/Gallery Player software
- x.v. Color and Deep Color (HDMI 1.3 features)
- 24p native reproduction
- Game Mode auto-adjusts image quality suitable to games and includes anti-image retention
- Viera Link is now compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems
- At least 3 HDMI inputs on all models (4 on PZ800 and PZ850 series)
- THX Certification on PZ800 and PZ850 series
Which Viera is Right For You?
Click here to see a comparison of step up features on each Viera series.
| Amazing color reproduction The incredible black reproduction of a Panasonic High-Definition Plasma TV results in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. So you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. For color that's as rich and bold as life itself, look to a Panasonic Plasma TV. |
| Consistent brightness from any angle A Panasonic Plasma combines anti-glare and anti-reflection technology with the natural light-emitting properties of plasma, to give you a super-wide viewing range with a crisp, beautiful image from almost any angle. |
 | Smooth, graceful motion When you're watching sports or movies with fast-motion graphics, you want a TV that can keep up with the action. With over 900 lines of moving picture, self-illuminating plasma displays eliminate afterimages in fast-action scenes. So whether you're watching a sporting event or an action-packed movie, you'll always get the most impressive viewing experience possible. |
 | 1,000,000:1 Contrast The Panasonic's Real Black system (a pre-discharge suppression system) and improved panel production processes combine to reproduce outstanding blacks with superb contrast. Each image is richly expressive, from bright scense, like scorching desert landscapes, to dark cave scenes. Compare the image produced by conventional HDTV on the left to the Real Black image produced on the right |
More Colors Viera HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. - Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals
- Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately
- Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors
|  |
 | Deep Color Where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color.
- Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors
- Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors
- Enables increased contrast ratio
- Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white.
|
Connectivity Viera flat panel HDTVs interact with an array of high-definition devices and services, making it easy for consumers to access and enjoy content as never before. As of 2008, Viera Link is compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems.
 | Videos and stills recorded on SD cards can easily be viewed via the SD slots on Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc players and Viera HDTVs. |  | Viera Link means easy connectivity via HDMI cables. Finally, consumers can easily operate their Blu-Ray Disc players, DVD recorders and home theater systems with a single remote control device. |
Long Life Panasonic plasma panels are rated to last 100,000 hours, which is about 30 years of regular or 11 years of non-stop usage before the brightness of the display is halved. | 
|
 | Panasonic High Definition (HD) Image Gallery -- powered by GalleryPlayer GalleryPlayer allows you to enjoy the world's finest high definition (HD) art and photography on your Panasonic high definition TV. Use the free GalleryPlayer software to purchase and download the images you like, then play them on your Panasonic HDTV right from your PC. Sign-up is easy and free. Plus, you get a free collection of high definition images to enjoy right away in your home or office.
Download GalleryPlayer absolutely FREE and get a collection of ten high definition images to enjoy immediately. Buy additional images for as little as $0.99 each.
Examples of some of the many images available through the Panasonic HD Image Gallery
 |
Get Full HD with Blu-Ray Disc Players A Panasonic 1080p plasma television is able to render 1920x1080 pixels, but standard DVDs have a resolution of just 720x480. Blu-ray discs output true 1080p High-Definition resolution and have a storage capacity ten times greater than standard DVDs, so no pixel gos to waste. |  |
| Screen Size
Measured
Diagonally
| 1080p
Full HD
1920 x 1080 pixels
| Native
Contrast
Ratio
| PC Input
| THX
Certification
| 24p
Native
Reproduction
| Speakers
| HDMI
Inputs
| One Sheet
of Glass
Design
| Swivel
Base
| Shades
of
Gradation
| H.624
Codec
| Digital
Cinema Color
| Studio
Reference
Mode
| Pro
Setting
Menu
| Serial
Port
| Standard Features | TH-42PX80U
| 42 inches
|
| 15,000:1
|
|
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096
|
|
|
|
|
| - 480 Hz Sub-field Drive Technology
- Anti-Reflective Filter
- Viera Link HDAVI Control
- Built-in SD Card Slot w/Photo Viewer and Gallery Player
- Deep Color Technology
- x.v. Color
- 3D Color Mangement
- Sub-Pixel Controller
- Motion Pattern Noise Reduction
- Anti-Image Retention Mode
- Game Mode
- Scratch and Impact Rsistant Panel
- 100,000 Hours to Panel Half-Brightness (>30 years @ 8 hours/day)
- Lead-free Panel
| TH-50PX80U
| 50 inches
|
| 15,000:1 |
|
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096 |
|
|
|
|
| TH-42PZ80U
| 42 inches |  | 20,000:1
|
|
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096 |
|
|
|
|
| TH-46PZ80U
| 46 inches | | 20,000:1 |
|
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096 |
|
|
|
|
| TH-50PZ80U
| 50 inches | | 20,000:1 |
|
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096 |
|
|
|
|
| TH-42PZ85U
| 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | |
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096 |
|
|
|
|
| TH-46PZ85U
| 46 inches | | 30,000:1
| |
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096 |
|
|
|
|
| TH-50PZ85U
| 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | |
|
| 2
| 3
|
|
| 4,096 |
|
|
|
|
| TH-42PZ800U
| 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120
|
|
|
|
|
| | TH-46PZ800U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 |
|
|
|
|
| | TH-50PZ800U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 |
|
|
|
|
| | TH-58PZ800U | 58 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 |
|
|
|
|
| | TH-46PZ850U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | | | TH-50PZ850U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | | | TH-58PZ850U | 58 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | | | TH-65PZ850U | 65 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | |
Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Accessories
 Cables To Go - 40315 - 2M (6.5ft) Velocity HDMI Digital Video Cable (Blue)
HDMI Cable 2M (6 Feet)
Peerless ST650P Tilting Wall Mount for 32" to 50" Flat Panel Displays (Black)
Sony DVP-NS700H/B 1080p Upscaling DVD Player, Black
Philips DVP5982 1080p Upscaling DVD Player
Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel
Playstation 3 40GB
Panasonic Viera TH-50PX80U 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
Peerless SF660 Flat Wall Mount for 32-60IN Flat Panel Screens
Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV Reviews
For those who are picky - the remote looks ugly but it works. Plasma has deeper blacks and more natural colors. The one HD station I received broadcaseted in Dolby digital. Don't waste your money paying the store $300 to "callibrate" your tv.
HD signal over the air looks sharper. Whereas the manufacturer recommends about 100hrs break-in period, I have seen a huge improvement in picture quality since just in the last 24hrs. It looks just fine from the store and you can either use preset picture modes or play around with the 'custom' until you're satisfied. Of course, I put the TV on a channel that doesn't constantly show their logo and left it on the whole day while I was at work. And an added advantage is that 720p looks nicer if you have standard signal for your tv. It upconverts automatically to 1080p. This TV has an optical out so you can get the best digital TV sound to your receiver.
I matched it with a sony upconverting DVD player hooked via HDMI and the sound and image quality is superb. Regular standard signal looks very clean for an HD TV set. Great value - got mine at Best Buy for $999. I've had it for only 1 day so far. Plasma is the best choice. At the store, brighter isn't always better - when comparing plasma vs LCD. Its not too grainy at all.
I picked this set after weeks of research from which I concluded that for a 42 inch TV, you really won't see a difference between 720p vs 1080p.
It seems that below 46" it's not worth investing in a Full HD TV, which was my only concern about a HD-ready investment. I also own a Wii and the games have a great definition on it. However, only HD channels look good, others look worse, so you end up with less channels, although I can't do without PBS, Thirteen and the NYC channel, so I watch them anyway, and it's OK. BTW the delivery man told me it seemed to him every TV he delivered were Panasonic. And it looks good as an object too, although not as good as a Samsung maybe. This TV is wonderful, it's a visual pleasure every moment you watch a high-def program. great blacks, great colors, great definition, all the time.
After buying the TV their price dropped by a lot. Color Temp: Warm. Off topic, Amazon rocks too. You'll find a ton of other settings there too so just do a google search.
You really can't go wrong purchasing this TV. MPEG NR: off. You can also call or chat online with a rep if you've got any questions. There's no need for an expensive calibration or messing with service menu's. x.v.Color: off.
Brightness: 40. All of which are very positive and explain why CNet's review isn't too reliable. You'll find a 80+ page thread with numerous reviews done by experts in the field. You can schedule service calls online and you'll be contacted within 24 hours.
Sharpness: 50. (All of which were promptly replaced/repaired) Panasonic also has a really cool warranty service called "Panasonic Concierge". I requested a refund for the difference and they did it no questions asked. Tint: -2. Another great thing about them is that if your TV fails and they have to take it away for repair they give you a loaner TV. Don't base your decision directly on the Cnet review and instead head over to AVSForum.
I've found my favorite settings, thanks to someone on AVSForum, is:. I sure wish I had that option with my old Philips. This TV also seems very reliable. After adjusting the settings on both TV's the Samsung had a very unnatural and bright image while the Panasonic looked as if you were looking out the window. I couldn't be happier with not only the TV, but also Amazon.
Picture Mode: Cinema. Picture: 84. While this sort of thing boils down to what type of picture you prefer I personally was sold on the Panasonic. I was first considering purchasing a Samsung LCD but decided to see both first hand in the store.
Color mgmt: off. I got the money back within 3 days. Out of over 3000+ posts I only saw maybe three that were returned due to a serious failure. Black Level: light.
Video NR: off. Unlike Panasonic's earlier model, the 77U, this TV has an excellent picture right out of the box.
I was a little reluctant to purchase a TV this way but depended on previous reviews and everything worked out perfectly. The quality of the TV itself met all expectations. Delivered without problems and setup was easy.
Poor customer service on this purchase. Very happy with the television, however I should not have purchased it through Amazon.
|
