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Date: 2008-12-08 This, is the tv that made me convert from LCD This is my third HDTV I had in the past year and a half. I bought a Olevia 232v lcd last summer and decided to upgrade the brand and size and got the Samsung a530 40 inch lcd tv. It was great tv but then I saw this go on sale for the same price $900 and since it was 2 inches bigger I figured I would take a look at it....WOW. Once I saw the picture it had I was surprised it was being sold below $1500 and returned my Samsung after owning it for 2 weeks (where it was calibrated). This tv has amazing black levels (mainly because its a plasma) and the colors and black levels look much better and realistic than the Samsung did. The tv tuner pics up the channels with stunning quality when compared to most tvs. Playing shooting games and Rock Band on this is amazing with no lag whatsoever and watching blu-rays on it makes me know every penny was well spent. If you want the best tv out there when it comes to picture and reliability get this tv! The only reason to not get this tv is if you cant lift 70lbs. Date: 2008-12-07 Glad I held out for Black Friday & a Plasma I like many other first time buyers of a flat panel tv, was thinking of buying something in the 32-37" size and lowest price. Then I read some reviews & settled on either Samsung, Sony Or Toshiba in this size range because of the reviews.. I checked out the stores on several trips & could not decide, except on staying with the three brands in that size. On Black Friday, I almost decided on a 32" Toshiba for $449.00, but I waited til Sat. so my sons could go with me. I had discovered that for @ $800.00 I could get a 40" 1080, or for $900.00 I could get a 42" plasma 1080. After I showed them my choices, I got a go ahead for the Panasonic plasma. I really like the on-set controls at the bottom in the front under a door like the tv I already am used to. I liked the SD slot, and the many connection options. LCD was brighter on a side by side comparason, but the great color of plasma won out. These are back up to @ $1100.00 & I am so glad I got mine that weekend. My new U-verse is hooked up & I am very happy with this set. One thing I did not know about plasma was that you could not lay it on it's side to take it home. Luckily , my son had an SUV that would carry it upright. I highly recommend this set. Date: 2008-11-28 great tv fun to watch the movie cars on with grandson i bought this tv when my husband went hunting . he had no idea and when he came home he could not believe how wonderful this set is. it had great picture sound everything. highly recommend to all Date: 2008-11-27 Excellent TV With a Stunning Picture I recently bought the 42PZ80U for $899 and I've been using it for about 2 months. I think it's an excellent buy even around $1000. 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 1920x1080 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 42PZ80U to anyone. Date: 2008-11-18 Great Picture, Trouble With Volume Control This is our first plasma tv, and we love the high def. We do not use separate speakers, just the ones built into tv. The volume varies wildly from between stations. The volume will be fine on one station, and when we switch channels the volume is just blaring. Since we switch bet channels during commercials, this is a real distraction. We have a cable box that must be used with hdtv and must use remote f/cable co, not tv remote. Don't know if this is the cause. Haven't seen many other comments here on volume control, so not sure if it is tv and other posters haven't encountered because they use separate speakers, or it has to do with remote used from cable company. Certainly would rate much higher if speakers and volume control worked better. UPDATE: I contacted Panasonic and they resolved the problem quickly and professionally over the phone. Just needed an adjustment to the audio on the tv so that tv and cable box would coincide. I've had such bad customer service for other products I almost didn't call them, but very pleased with customer service. Would increase stars to 4 or 5 now.
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