Panasonic TH 42PX50U (42" plasma TV)

Pros: Great picture, excellent value, easy setup

Cons: Not a great looking set (until you turn it on!), no PIP, slow channel changing, limited customization, only 1 HDMI input

Summary: I went into Circuit City to purchase a 37" Sharp Aquos but came out with this 42" Panasonic. The store's Sharp floor model was already defective (the 37d5u model is new) and scared me away from a TV that was $600 more expensive than this 42" plasma.

The new Panasonic "budget-line" HD plasmas offer a better picture quality than the previous Panasonic HD generation. I understand that the previous Panasonic HD plasmas are currently being phased out for this line as well as an upcoming upscale HD line which will include PIP and SD card slots as well as, presumably, a greater level of customization and perhaps more input options. Besides the 37" Sharp LCD, the Pioneer 4350HD was also a contender on my HD shopping spree. According to many online posts, problems of quality have plagued both Sharp and Pioneer. While I had liked the more solid reputation of Panasonic, their offerings as of a couple months ago did not (in my opinion) compete based on my particular criteria. I was particularly scared by the CNET review of the previous Panasonic generations in which they noted the lack of 2:3 pulldown technology. Having been assured that this had been provided in the new line of HD Panasonics, I put the screen on my list.

About my experience and impressions: First impressions were not too favorable, mostly due to an overall exterior aesthetic which I think is lacking. While the Pioneer is sleek and piano black, and the Sharp has a stainless-steel like modern precision about it and seems to be high quality from the outside, the Panasonic is a little plasticy for my taste.

But at the end of the day, it's what is inside that matters most, and the Panasonic shines. The picture on the floor at Circuit City seemed a bit contrasty, but after playing with the picture, brightness, and sharpness settings I became convinced that it was an adjustable problem.

Note: the Panasonic display in Best Buy seemed to have problems with Best Buy's wire feed, and there was a persistent problem with the signal every 15 seconds or so that caused a boxing up of the digital signal. Every Panasonic in Best Buy had this problem. I don't know if this is just my local store, or if it is a systemic compatibility with Best Buy's image feed. This problem was not present at Circuit City and has not been at home.)

I ended up going with the Panasonic because of I felt it had a picture quality which is at the top of the line when viewed against the competing 42" and 37" products. Although the Pioneer's coloration is more to my liking, somehow the Panasonic's image seemed more sharp and less "screen-doorish". It also didn't hurt that it was a good deal less expensive and potentially more reliable. As previously noted, the 37" Sharp Aquos, although very impressive for an LCD set, seems to have quality issues. According to the salesman on the floor, the Aquos had been in for service already due to some sort of filter which broke and resulted in a very blurry and disconcerting image. According to him, Sharp wouldn't cover the problem under warranty, and Circuit City's service department did not/could not fix the problem. Not too confidence-building. It is of note that I purchased the set in-store as opposed to from an online vendor because I was very cautious after reading so many online postings of the potential defects that seem to exist with every set. I wanted the security of having a 30-day trial period, and being able to easily return or exchange a set if need be. The price premium, while potentially substantial, is well worth it in my mind.

Anyway, as I weighed the pros and cons of the sets I was looking at, the Panasonic became the lead contender. I was able to knock $200 off the $3,149 advertised price, and I purchased a $550 extended warranty through Circuit City, bringing the total to about $3,500, still less than either the 37" Sharp and the 43" Pioneer before warranty. I threw in two wireless controllers for my X-box, as well as an X-box component cable, and I was off home for a test drive of the new set.

The Panasonic is a versatile and well-rounded set. Setup was simple and straightforward. The stand was easy to put together, and the screen is able to be mounted and moved with two relatively competent and careful individuals. A language selection and clock-setting ritual occurs when the set is first powered on. The set is overall quiet; if there's a fan in the set, I can't hear it. The remote control is logically laid out, and the on-screen menu, while relatively spartan, is nonetheless very user friendly. I found myself able to adeptly navigate the menu, and was quickly fittering away at the picture adjustments. The set comes with three factory picture settings: Vivid, Standard, and Cinema, all of which are customizable. While vivid was too bright and cartoonish for my tastes, I found cinema to be murky and somewhat colorless. The "Standard" setting was very good, although I found bringing the sharpness down to 0 to be beneficial in bringing a little more realism to what looked like an overly digitized and overly sharp image.

The speaker which runs along the bottom of the screen is one of my biggest objections to the overall package. Firstoff, it is not detachable, which I think would be a beneficial attribute. The sound which comes from it is inadequate, but I suppose that is true of any integral speaker, and as such I do not fault it. I just like the look and utility of side-mounted and detachable speakers better, and wish that Panasonic had pursued this route with their new set. The speaker housing itself could also be improved upon, as its plasticy silver housing and screen when combined with the plasticy black display surround just seems a little... well... plasticy. But once again, this is a matter of personal taste.

I must admit that I am one of the last holdouts with cable/satellite telivision, and so I cannot speak about how it displays digital or HD cable. But I felt more than justified when I tested out the integrated HD tuner and found that, while it does not excel with analog television, the HD content offered by CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and PBS, when available, is superb. PBS documentaries are absurdly lifelike. The basketball play-offs on ABC were spectacular, with the wood grain of the basketball court rendered in detail, and every player looking like they were in the room. My only gripe with the television tuner is the slow channel changing. I'm not sure why it does this, but there's a second or two second pause while changing channels, and the channel number does not display on the screen until the new channel comes up. This makes for a slow and rather exasperating channel changing process - but perhaps there is something I am doing incorrectly?

DVD and X-box games are equally satisfying. While DVD obviously lacks the definition of HD, the Panasonic handled Spiderman 2 with pinache, with smooth rendering of Tobey Maguire swinging among the skyscrapers in NYC, and an overall crisp and satisfying picture. X-box games like Halo2 and Splinter Cell are phenomenal: bright, crisp, and faultless in motion and detail.

Overall, the Panasonic is an excellent and well-rounded 42" plasma. Setup was easy, and the picture customization options, while somewhat limited, are more than enough for my relatively straight-forwad requirements. Foregoing PIP is no great loss, and as a complete package the Panasonic shines. And while I haven't yet warmed to the overall look of the set, once it's turned on, all other aesthetic shortcomings are quickly forgiven and forgotten. For anyone looking for a quality display at a reasonable price, I would highly recommend this set.