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| Date Reviewed: 11/05/2004 |
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Strengths: Nice styling, looks great on the wall
Weaknesses: Sound is not the greatest but running it through a Bose system and it sounds as good as it looks
Summary: I have been researching for about 2 months and finally took the plunge. Consumers reports actually had a great write up in there October and November edition. The comparisons that they did actually had a much higher price then I paid. ED is very good running through digital cable. I was able to get price that was about 800 below the national retailers, the TV has been back ordered so expect to wait a few weeks but well worth the wait. Also I found the retailer was able to deeply discount the extended in home protection plan. Final price with shipping and 5 year warranty was $2612.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/09/2004 |
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Strengths: Great picture, great price.
Weaknesses: Does not have memory to associate different settings with each input.
Summary: 2004-09-30 14:57:53 This ED unit does some things better than the more expensive HD models. Blacks are better. Colors are slightly richer. There is no noticable "screen door" effect. DVDs also look sig better because there is no scaling of the DVD output that has to be done with the HD units. The HD version of this product currently costs $1500 (about 75%) more. Untill HD truely becomes the standard (including high def DVD's) save your money and get this set. You will get a better picture for all non HD sources and you only give up a little sharpness on HD material compared to the true HD sets. Three to five years from now (or longer) when HD is truely the standard, you can take that $1500 you saved and buy a new HD set that will be better than any current technology.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/15/2004 |
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Strengths: Price, picture clarity and sharpness, ease of purchase from Butterflyphoto.com, ease of setup and instalation.
Weaknesses: None found as of yet. Very straight forward plasma with the best picture I have seen yet.
Summary: I researched this and other plasma screens for more than a month before purchasing. I read all the reviews and positive comments and wondered if it could really be that great. Then I was fortunate enough to get to see the real thing at a friends house and judge first hand for myself. I had almost made up my mind anyway, but seeing it in person with my own eyes sealed the deal. Take my word for it, if you are on the fence about commiting to a plasma screen, rest asured that this one will not disapoint you. I'm not even all that sore that in the week since I bought mine the price dropped another $200. I purchased mine from butterflyphoto.com and was pleased with the service and speed of the transaction. If you dont opt for the express shipping, expect to wait approx 3 to 4 weeks for delivery. Was no big deal for me but I did start getting anxious towards the final week. You will have to sign for the plasma at time of delivery so that you can verify that no dammage occured. Won't be a problem, mine came in great shape looking as if it came directly from the Pannasonic showroom floor. The ease of setup on this plasma in just as easy as any newer TV I have bought or played with in the past few years. Easy to understand instruction, plenty of inputs both on the front and back of the set make any wiring scenario a possibility. I'm hooked into my cable set top box and stereo amplifier usin the available digital input. Easy as hooking up speaker wire. One point I'd like to make, If you dont run pure digital cable or you don't have great signal strength from your satelite decoder, the lines and fuzzyness are amplified on the screen. This is of course not the fault or a problem with the plasma. It is only because the screens incredible clarity that it just points out the inequity of some cable servers. I know I will be calling my service provider and asking why I have fuzzy reception on about 1/3 of my "digital" cable.....$50 a month not well spent if the problem can't be rectified. The plasma passes the "Finding Nemo" DVD test with blazing color! You have to see it to believe it.
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| Date Reviewed: 01/24/2005 |
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Strengths: Complete and up to date in every respect out of the box, with built-in HDTV tuner, cable card, HDMI interface, etc. Critically acclaimed picture quality.
Weaknesses: Speakers are not detachable, default picture settings too high.
Summary: I researched HDTV’s for more than a year before taking the plunge. There are pros and cons to all available formats, but I decided I liked plasma best.
Plasma TV’s are like puppies: If you like them, they are all good. Nonetheless, Panasonic leads the market and this model is the most universally well-reviewed plasma available, at least at its price (Consumer Reports to the contrary).
The picture on this ED set is slightly less detailed than on the HD model, but the difference is subtle and not worth $1500 to me.
I might have preferred the simpler styling and narrower width of the speakerless commercial version (TH-42PWD7UY), but after adding a tuner, table stand and HDMI, the commercial model would have cost considerably more than the consumer TH-42PD25U, which also has a better warranty and local dealer support.
It’s a mystery to me why all manufacturers don’t make speakers removable, as at this still early stage of acceptance, the vast majority of buyers must have separate sound systems to go with their expensive monitors. Sony, at least, provides for using their built-in speakers for the center channel, a big help with wall-mounted installations.
Choosing a TV set on a sales floor is difficult and frustrating. Too much depends on the picture settings and even the quality of the feeds. I compared my two finalists, this Panasonic to the Sony KE42M1 in several locations, preferring the Panasonic in some stores and the Sony in others. It was a close call, but in the end, I chose the Panasonic as a better value, with its built-in HDTV tuner and lower price as well as amenities such as PIP and greater connectivity.
I was impressed with the natural color I saw on the Panasonic in some stores, but had a hard time achieving it at home. The factory presets turn the picture control to its maximum in several settings, possibly a recipe for shortened panel life. The factory’s color balance was too green for my taste as well.
After several days of experimentation and fine-tuning, I finally achieved the look I had admired. Broadcast program quality is inconsistent, but the best over the air HDTV pictures are stunning, and well-mastered DVD’s are theatre clear.
Standard DirecTV picture quality varies greatly by channel and even program. Some are mediocre, but others, especially movies, look very good. Mostly, I watch local HD broadcasts, though. Once you get used to HD, it's hard to go back.
A pleasant surprise was that the ATSC tuner pulled in perfect pictures from my 40-year-old rooftop antenna. In my location, several analog channels are unviewable due to ghosting caused by Chicago’s tall buildings. I only watch them via satellite, so was uncertain what would happen when I tried the digital tuner. It was also fun to discover more than two dozen digital channels are broadcasting, albeit not all in HD.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/30/2004 |
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Strengths: Clear pictures compare to HDTV plasma, has ATSC tuner for viewing HD, just add the HD antenna and have a viewing pleasure. I could not tell differences from 10 feet away from Pioneer 43 HDTV plasma
Weaknesses: On screen menu, remote. I used to Sony products for the last 15 years
Summary: 2004-11-30 09:49:34 I bought it at BestBuy for $2429 after 10% of $2799, it is local and has cheaper extended warranties ($349 for 4 years). Circuit City, Sears, Tweeter, CompUSA are about $500 or more for 4 years.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/19/2004 |
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Strengths: Comes with everything you need. Great Picture Quality.
Weaknesses: Still expensive compared to Rear projection and CRT TV's.
Summary: I debated between the ED and the HD version of this TV for awhile. Until i found out that Standard Tv looks worse the higher the resolution of TV you have. My main purpose was watching Standard definition tv (maybe digital) and DVD's. The deciding factor was that the DVD's do not have a resolution past the ED TV's. I beleive the resolution of a DVD is 720x480, might not be exact. So I decided to save $1200 over the HD model and have the same or better picture Quality.
The silver around the black tv is a little odd, i would rather have total black.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/02/2004 |
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Strengths: A plasma TV with every option you need. Amazingly sharp pictures. Hard to differtiate from a HDTV.
Weaknesses: None so far
Summary: 2004-11-02 19:16:51 It gives amazingly great pictures with my Progressive Scan DVD player and component video cables. I compared this TV with a HD kept next to it at Bestbuy and I could not find any difference in picture. Its the best Plasma to buy. Even the speaker placements on the either sides gives the TV a better theater screen appearance.
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| Date Reviewed: 01/13/2005 |
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Strengths: Built-in HDTV tuner, Excellent contrast ratio, best value in its class
Weaknesses: Long delay when changing channels or video inputs, built in speakers have poor-sound
Summary: All the other reviews say it all. I got this TV for $2350 shipped and I personally think it blows all others away - even HDTV sets that are twice the price. Contrast ratio is probably best in its class. Built in HDTV tuner is really handy unless of course you subscribe to HDTV via cable, then its pretty pointless. However I personally like receiving all of the local channels in HDTV. Unit also has a ton of inputs...including a vga input conveniently located in the front.
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| Date Reviewed: 09/19/2004 |
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Strengths: Great picture, nice design, numerous inputs, univeral remote.
Weaknesses: Built in speakers.
Summary: This plasma is great out of the box. Easy to setup and watch. I have analog cable without a digital box and the picture is quite good. Football and baseball games look amazing. I've seen this set with HDMI setup and it has the same clarity as a HD set. DVD's look even better. The fiber optic digital output works great and the pre-programmed universal remote is an added bonus.
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| Date Reviewed: 07/22/2004 |
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Strengths: Setup and installation. EDTV picture as good as HDTV. PIP features are excellent. Number inputs.
Weaknesses: Difficult to jump channels from available set.
Summary: If you must have HDTV, get a 50". If all you want is a 42" plasma, get this model. The picture quaility is excellent and I can't tell the diffence between the HDTV version (42PX24U) and this model.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/11/2004 |
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Strengths: Known name brand; relatively cheap price
Weaknesses: EDTV, not HDTV
Summary: At less than $2500, this is a pretty good deal. For $2700, I got the TV shipped and a four year warranty from Big Deal TV. The lack of HDTV is a negative, but unless you have the extra $1800 to shell out for the HDTV version of this model, this is your best bet. Make sure you buy component or a DVI cable to ensure the best signal quality from your DVD player.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/06/2004 |
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Strengths: Very light and easy to move. Handles to move the plasma is at the ideal locations.
Weaknesses: I haven't seen any weaknesses on the product. Great reputable company.
Summary: The Panasonic Plasma is the best price in the market. I have shopped around and found nothing close. The only downside with owning a plasma is getting the extra parts for it, wall mount, warranty, and wires.
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| Date Reviewed: 10/12/2004 |
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Strengths: excellent picture, sleek/modern design, great value, and many features
Weaknesses: speakers and video (analog) inputs are poor.
Summary: This is a great Plasma for the price. I did a lot of research and finally settle on this model. It has all the features for what you want in a TV. Even though it is EDTV, you can not tell the difference when you hook it up to an HD receiver. The few HD channels that I do get, the picture is awesome. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is still in the process of shopping.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/03/2004 |
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Strengths: Fantastice picture and outsanding price
Weaknesses: Slow on changing channels with black in-between channels. Really not that big of a deal.
Summary: Like this Plasma so much I bought two, the 37 and 42
Picture is great in analog and outstanding in digital. DVD's playing in RGB is clean and crisp. I had done a fair amount of research on this model and others, and for the price there is none better on the market. Would not pay the extra amount to purchase a HDTV with the quality of this picture.
70% of People (7/10) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 09/24/2004 |
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Strengths: Nice Looking, Great Pictures and more....
Weaknesses: Can't find it now
Summary: This is easy set up TV on TV stand. But you need 2 strong men to hold TV. I mean strong men; that is heavy TV.
We perfer someone to set up for us. Other than that; this is very nice plasma TV with great price. If we want LCD or plasma TV on the future; we like Panasonic.
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