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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 163 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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3 out of 13 people found this review helpful
1.0 stars
"Eyes wide shut. Open them up."
Pros: Cheaper then last year model
Cons: Terrible picture
Summary: I gave this set only TERRIBLE rating due to the fact that it is inexcusable for any manufacturer to produce a new set with a picture that is absolutely worse then older Panasonic models not to mention it?s closest competitors (Samsung, Pioneer). I cannot imagine how they going to justify this new model to consumers. You don?t have to be technical wiz to see that displayed side by side Panasonics produce worse picture then Pioneer and even Samsung.
I am not going to comment on all of these review from LCD fans a la LCD is better then Plasma?Nor am I going to compare DLP TV sets to this Panasonic due to the fact that neither technology could be compared to plasma in 42? screen size. Plasma is hands down better picture. But returning to this TV set I have to point out that not only it looks and feels cheap, it has awful skin tone reproduction. All flesh tones especially when people?s faces are in close-up, look plastic like digital cartoon.
I would recommend anyone to take a longer and more objective look at Panasonic picture and definitely compare it to other sets available in the same diagonal size/resolution.
I am not going to endorse any company ,but just say that Panasonic current model produce one of the worst HD picture. For $2400.00 one can have much better TV.Updated
Ok if you are getting hot over 720p 1080p and other mambo-jumbo then go and spend your money. Just remember that 720p 1080I and 1080p signals are not coming to your TV from anywhere.
1. 99% of broadcasts are not HDTV therefore your HDTV will show worse picture then analog sets.
2. Progressive-Scan DVD signal is 480p, therefore HDTV with 1080p resolution will have exactly the same quality picture as EDTV.
3. HDMI or Up-converting DVD players do not make 480p signal into HDTV (1080p or 720p) they simulate higher resolution by line doubling. The result is better picture in professional tests. Almost undetectable difference for your eyes.
4. But, but what about those 6-7 channels that supposedly broadcast HDTV? If you are getting them through cable or dish they come to you compressed 40 to 65 times, so much for HDTV. Networks cannot afford so much bandwidth on their cables to stream uncompressed signal.
So there you have it folks. Good luck with you high resolution sets they will be obsolete in 3 years when TV finally converts to 100% digital and may be 50% HDTV. But even then only fiber-optic cables could potentially provide actual HDTV signals and that is of course if cable company decides not to compress the heck out of them to fit more channels. Meanwhile continue to spend thousands of dollars on TVs resolution of which is useless due to lack of actual signal.
- 11 replies to this review
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Apparently you have something against Panasonic, or HDTV. The color issue you mention doesn't address what you did to do to attempt to fix the problem. The Panasonic has color adjustment features which should resolve this issue.
You sound like you need to learn read the instruction manual.
It almost sounds like you work for a store that doesn't sell Panasonic and you are on a vendetta to say they're baaaad. -
It's obvious this person just wants to argue. Why else would someone respond to almost every comment made? They haven't done their homework and I'm sure they feel a little humiliated at the fact they jumped the gun and returned a beatiful plasma. I bought this television after reading only about 30 reviews. I didnt even make it this far. I was reading them all for sh#$s and giggles. I saw the same things people were complaining about and took the advise of many people posting and changed it from "Vivid" to "Normal" and it was amazing. I guarantee you wont find a better plasma for $1200. I GUARANTEE IT!!!
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It's obvious this person just wants to argue. Why else would someone respond to almost every comment made? They haven't done their homework and I'm sure they feel a little humiliated at the fact they jumped the gun and returned a beatiful plasma. I bought this television after reading only about 30 reviews. I didnt even make it this far. I was reading them all for sh#$s and giggles. I saw the same things people were complaining about and took the advise of many people posting and changed it from "Vivid" to "Normal" and it was amazing. I guarantee you wont find a better plasma for $1200. I GUARANTEE IT!!!
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You really dont know much about HDTV do you ?
I am sitting here watching a calibrated Panny fed via an HD-DVD player.
Best.HDTV.picture for the value.
No HD material available?....I guess I better throw my DirecTV HD sat system in the trash... Oh did I mention it has a TIVO HD recorder built-in, I can watch HD at any time I want.
I also own the Sony SXRD 60" RPTV. (rated as one of the best HDTVs ever)..the Panny is very close in picture. -
It sounds to me like someone is too poor to afford an HDTV therefore is taking his frustrations out on all of us that can afford one!
Enjoy your 4:3 NTSC with Rabbit Ears moron! -
The fact is, everyone sees things differently.
Fact - Panasonic had both the #1 and #2 plasma last year according to consumer reports. This years model is roughly three times the TV. They've increased the contrast from 3000:1 to 10000:1, and increaded colors from 8 billion to 29 billion.
Fact - Panasonic constantly gets reviewed high for excellent picture quality.
Fact - 99% of people do see a difference with an HDMI DVD player (as long as the idiot who hooked it up used the HDMI cable).
Fact - Because video compression is occurring now, that doesn't mean your TV won't work in a few years.
And on and on and on...
The fact that your eyes suck to the point where you can't tell the difference between pictures does not mean this TV is horrible. I would also advise not reviewing TV's based off of looking at the TV for five minutes. When I first saw this Panasonic, I thought it was worse too. The problem was, I was too close, and I wasn't used to such deep contrast in a set. It's like getting glasses for the first time. You think things are too sharp and vivid for a while since you're used to the blur.
So go ahead. Whine all you want. The fact is 99% of people disagree with you.
And I'd never trust someone who buys Samsung. Sure they do a nice picture. Too band their durability is only slightly better than an RCA. -
Please refrain from making more incoherrent, inarticulate comments here. Just return the 42PX60U and move mommy's Magnavox back in from the garage.
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Although I agree that this years 60U produces a less picture than last years 50U in the Vivid mode, the TV still gives a BIG bang for the dollar. I don't understand your rant on compression. Even the new HD-DVD's use mpeg4 compression. I keep my eyes wide open and can clearly see a difference in a HD feed from my Directv HD STB over progressive scan DVD's. Yes, some SD content looks worse on a HD TV than a SD TV, but thats life. Move forward to modern tecnology and enjoy what a HDTV can offer.
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I think this new Panny is on par with the new Samsungs. And I agree with the other two responders - this person's review makes ZERO sense! Glad he's not part of my family, I'd be embarassed!!
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This review is TERRIBLE. Say something intelligent or shut up.
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Some "brilliant" marketing guru at Panasonic determined that the brighter the display is, the more it will catch consumers' eyes. So they ship their plasma screens in a "Vivid" mode which makes the display really bright. Unfortunately, it also distorts the colors and creates a "clay face" effect. Put the unit in "Standard" or "Cinema" modes and you will see that this plasma is one of the best plasmas available.
