Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ80U 42″ 1080p Plasma HDTV Review!
I recently bought the Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ80U 42″ 1080p Plasma HDTV and I’ve been using it for about 2 months.
Picture:
I was a little skeptical of the virtue of plasma’s over LCD’s because, in those white-washed, warehouse stores, the difference in contrast looks to be negligable. I was wrong. This set produces outstanding blacks. I have another LCD in the house and I didn’t know what I was missing. Contrast ratio on this set is very, very good. Blu-Rays on my PS3 look amazing. I just watched “The Incredible Hulk” and I was SHOCKED at how good it looked. It is unbelievable what this 1080p set can do with the right content. There is far more detail in 1080p than there is in 720p. In the short amount of time I’ve had the Viera, I’ve viewed almost everything I could: sports, news, sit-coms, dramas, HD, SD, Blu-rays, DVD’s, video games, computer games, PC use.
It crushes almost everything you throw at it with ease. (I say almost because of problems using it as a computer monitor, see below) Also, the screen itself is glossy, not matte like some LCD’s. Personally, I’ve always prefered the deeper color and slightly more glarey picture of glossy screens over the more-washed out, less reflective matte screens. The Viera has an anti-reflictive coating (aparently) and it does help with glare a lot, at least compared to glossy laptop screens, and TV’s I’ve seen. I have a window behind my seat and I really can’t say I’ve been bothered by reflections at all.
Sound:
First of all, I didn’t expect much of anything from a flat-screen. I have a (rather modest) home theater system and I know better than to expect built-in speakers to compete with a sound system. That said… the speakers are terrific! The sound is full (plenty of bass) and it gets LOUD without distorting. In “Hulk” explosions were booming, ricocheting bullets were crystal clear, and it wasn’t even at half-volume. I won’t be giving up my dedicated surround system for movies and parties and such, but most of the time I’ll be comfortably relying on the Panasonic’s speakers.
Features:
Well, the on screen menu is very good. Not exceptionally pretty or groundbreaking, but it’s better than any of the TV’s I’ve had in the past (except that the useless “Vierra Link” is first up on the menu). The remote, functionally, is not bad, but it is pretty ugly, and a TV at this level should have a universal remote. I would have liked picture-in-picture, but no-one in this class has PIP, so I won’t fault it there.
SD card slot is a nice feature, but it doesn’t pan or fade or anything, so I’ll stick to Windows Media Center if I want a slide-show. I also give points for including an input button on the front of the TV with the standard CH, VOL, so you don’t have to find the remote every time you want to switch between cable and Playstation. Also, a front HDMI input is nice but I have major problems with the back inputs (again, see below).
Other:
I bought this TV partially for use as a computer monitor, since I’m paying for a 1920×1080 screen. It doesn’t have a VGA input, which is a bummer for most people who want to use it with their laptop. I don’t mind since my desktop will work with a DVI-HDMI cable. Kinda. First of all, this set isn’t exactly pixel-perfect. I assume this is an issue generic to plasmas of any brand, but small text is slightly blurred and difficult to read. It’s not that big of a deal since color is more accurate than an LCD for programs like Photoshop. The bigger and more unforgivable problem is with the inputs.
The second day I had the TV, it wouldn’t turn on and the power LED kept blinking. I thought it was broken. A little internet research told me that the back two HDMI ports don’t work with computers: if you try to power-on the TV while the computer is already on and plugged in, something in the TV keeps it from turning on. You have to a: plug it in the front port (obnoxious and unsightly) or b: buy an HDMI repeater/extender. (This information was gathered from an internet forum). I’m probably going to buy the repeater, as I currently have it plugged in on the front of the TV and I hate it. This is absurd and inexcusable. Just be warned about these issues if you want to use it as a monitor.
Also, plasmas are generally more power hungry than LCD’s. I don’t have a wattage meter or anything but according to tests I’ve read, this set is on par with most 42″ LCD’s and has a very low standby power rating. Excellent work, Panasonic.
I know I went into great detail over the flaws, but overall, I’m extremely happy with my purchase and continually impressed by the picture I get. Excluding those really needing a computer monitor, I would recommend the Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ80U 42″ 1080p Plasma HDTV to anyone.