Our Panasonic TH42PX80 review is now complete, many thanks to every one who contributed to the fundraising that allowed me to purchase it to review. In my opinion, this plasma television’s most significant improvement over its predecessor the PX70 range is its capability to correctly handle 1080p/24 video signal without telecine judder.
I’m going to hold on to this plasma panel for a couple of days more before offloading it, so if you have any query not covered in our review, let us know as soon as possible. Calibrated settings will be posted shortly.
Warmest regards
Vincent
I’m the first post. :)
Thankyou Vincent, I hope this TV lives up to expectations.
Now for the read. :)
Thanks Vincent. An excellent read – and your decision not to break into the service menu and calibrate is, IMHO, an excellent one as most if not all of us will simply not be doing this. The only worry is the image retention. You don’t mention this often in your recent reviews so, as a gamer, it worries me a bit. Is the image retention worse than the 2007 pannies?
best wishes.
hope this tv is good
we have 5 of these in work now getting pre-burn done
as you know yourself most people dont run in screens they are quick enough to take them back though ,
ill be setting 2 of them myself , fingers crossed their decent .
what about pioneer hey gonna use panny panels soon
so they must be good ,
Thanks a lot, I was really waiting for this review.
I’m also concerned about how this tv handles ps3 games, so if you could please elaborate a little more on this subject it would be great. A video of COD4 running on it would be more than welcomed.
Do you have some thoughts to share on the 37″ model? I was planning on buying it rather than the 42″ because I’m not that far from the tv.
Best wishes
according to the specs of panasonic th42px80 at the panasonic.com site there is a pixel shifter for preventing image retention but in your review you say that there isn’t such an option but only the side panel option.Can you clarify this important detail please?
Excellent review yet again!
I am proud to have the 37PX80 and I love it !
I waited for more than two years before dropping my Sony Trinitron Tube. Every week I was in the shops and I was looking for a good quality TV, but was disappointed, while nearly accepting that quality had to be expensive.
The quality of the 37PX80 plasma is excellent: Colours and contrast are really great, much better than on LCDs. The images look very natural and sharp. Compared to the 42PX71, the PX80 is a big improvement (24p, flicker-free, high contrast, user friendly, SD cards, etc.).
You can’t get anything better for the price! Even for twice this price you will not get a visual pleasure as good as with this Plasma.
Thanks for the Review! I think that the many “cons” listed might make it difficult for people to understand the “highly recommended”. For my day-to-day TV watching, the “cons” listed are not really important and relevant.
Therefore, I fully agree to the final verdict: “highly recommendation”.
Thanks Vincent!
before I’ll read, I think I’m also ready for a TH-50PZ85U review.
best regards,
Ido.
Christian G, do you use your tv for gaming? If so, are you happy with it?
Thx
I game on my 37 inch PX70 all the time with no problems at all apart from the odd phosphur trail on very high contrast scenes.
Other than that I prefer it to LCD for gaming as it retains far more detail during fast motion, important if you play fast paced/scrolling games. Its still not as good as my CRT’s with fast motion but noticeably better than LCD’s.
I was careful not to run contrast above 50% early on in CINEMA mode to prevent retention, but to be honest 50% contrast is plenty in a dim viewing environment, which it should be. No real problems with retention/burn, I just switch to a snow screen on the unused analogue RF input and its gone in a second.
What is the mounting hole spacing used. thanks.
You say that switching off 100Hz is not possible. I have a 37PX80E and you can switch between 50Hz and 100Hz in the setup menu. Switching between 100HZ and 50Hz makes the flicker quite noticeable. On 50 Hz the image is darker and and probably because of this seems a tiny bit sharper, but I always have it on 100HZ because of the flicker. It says “double scan” so I think it’s quite obvious that it’s the old CRT type 100Hz ie. no motion interpolation.
The manual (English on the CD) is the same for the 37″ and 42″ and on page 23 and 25 it shows the 50Hz/100Hz setting in the setup menu. This could be because I’ve got en “E” (european) model and you have a B, but have a look in the pdf manual.
Other than that a great review, this tv really is worth “highly recommended” especially because most of us still watch SD and it gives a fantastic picture even on analogue cable tv and the sound is also surprisingly good especially with the surround setting.
Hoe do you rate the Freeview performance against the PX70 models (37″/42″)??
Are the HDMI at level 1.3??
Thank you every one who put in a kind word.
@regular joe: image retention on the px80 is no worse than on the px70.
@nico: for ps3 games, the TH-42PX80B exhibits less motion blur than the average LCD TV (just like what Greg said in comment #10), although viewers with high retinal persistence may witness phosphor trails/ plasma rainbows instead. Depending on your viewing distance, true HD 1080p games may not look as sharp on the TH-42PX80 as those displayed on LCDs/ plasmas with 1920 x 1080 native resolution.
Unless Panasonic sends me a review sample, I have no plans to review the Panasonic TH37PX80 at the moment.
@thanasis: there isn’t any pixel shifter function in the user menu of the UK model, TH42PX80B, that I tested.
@Ido: the TH50PZ85 is not available to buy in the UK yet, but I’ll keep an eye out.
@Graham Culleton: the manual recommends using TY-WK42PV3W, TY-WK42PV4W, TY-WK42PR3W or TY-WK42PR4W wall brackets. I measured roughly 660mm horizontal and 320mm vertical spacing (non-VESA standard) between the mounting points.
@Keith D: I’ve doubled checked, and there is no option to change refresh rate on the TH42PX80B (UK model) that I reviewed. You Europeans who own the TH42PX80E are lucky in this respect. :)
@Pete B: For SD Freeview performance, scaling quality is similar but jaggies reduction is better on the 42PX80 than the 42PX70.
As for whether the HDMI inputs are 1.3, I’m not sure as I do not have any Deep Colour source (which is not that widely available anyway) to test it. The general rule of thumb is, if the manufacturer’s spec sheet doesn’t specifically mention HDMI 1.3 (let’s face it they will advertise this fact if it’s true), then it’s HDMI 1.2 until proven otherwise.
Warmest regards
Vincent
Hi, thanks for the review. Actually I’m waiting for the PZ85 models to become available, but I think this one gives a good idea of what to expect.
I’m interested to know what rate the screen refreshes at with 24 fps content. I hope it’s 96 Hz, because I can’t stand the flickering. I’ve still yet to buy my first flat panel and I’ve never seriously considered plasmas because every one I have seen so far has flickered just like those old 50/60 Hz CRTs. From what I’ve read, the PZ85s could make me take the plunge if it really works flicker-free, though phosphor trails worry me since I have such oversensitive eyes. :(
The PZ85 and better models are supposed to have optional motion interpolation, too, I wonder if that will work at the same time with 4:4 pulldown and 96 Hz refresh (assuming the panels work this way).
Hi guys for all those asking about the 37PX70 and 37PX80 the sd picture quality from testin gboth in situ is identical, i actually slightly prefer the pic quality on the PX70 because as Vincent points out it is a touch darker than the PX80 maybe because of 100hz. However there is no flicker on the PX80 and unfortunately no swivel stand which is a major loss imo. Overall considering there pro’s and cons i’d rate them the same.
Hi.
Thanks for a great Review! I will probably be buying this TV.
But i was wondering if you are going to post the pre-calibrated settings of this TV as you did with the PX70.
Thanks.
-Lasse
Lasse: I suppose standard movie settings with brightness and contrast two clicks to the left should be fine (like all panasonic sets).
Very nice review. Wanted to buy a pz70 next week, but now I am probably saving my money for pz80.
A review of any pz8x plasma would be awesome! Hope they will be available before end of May here in Sweden, but I guess I shouldn’t really get my hopes up.
Vincent, a very comprehensive review as usual. I’ll be getting this TV tomorrow, and I have visited a few shop stores and tried to change the display setting to get a nice picture. As ‘Lasse’ asked would be so kind as to post your display settings.
Keep up the good work,
Nil
Hello Vincent,
I would also appreciate the settings you used to tweak this TV.
The ‘PX80 range isn’t available quite yet in my country (pretty soon now) but I nearly bought one of the ‘PX70 TVs because It looked really good at 3.0 metres away.
However, if the 42PX80 is even just slightly improved over the 42PX70, then that’s good enough for me and I’ll grab one in time for the Olympics.
cheers.
Hi Vincent,
Great review keep up the good work, getting this T.V. next week for my brother any chance you could post the calibrated settings,
Many Thanks.
Paul
I am torn between the 37″ and the 42″. What would the difference between the both be like on SD. For instance would SD on the 42 look better than the Samsung LE40M87? I will mainly be looking for SD Sky+ and PS3 so wanted to guage the opinion of you experts on what the best size would be.
Thanks guys what a great site this is.
Sorry guys for the delay… I’ve just posted the post-calibration settings at:
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-TH42PX80/Settings
Warmest regards
Vincent
Hi Vincent.
You did an excellent job with this review. Panasonic should give you a cut from sales because due to your review I bought 42PX80 and I thing many others did also.
My question is do I have to make a BREAK IN time for my panel?
If yes, for how much time?
Many regards and keep doing this fabulous job, reviewing!!
yes you do have to break in screen ,
but ill let the part timer tell you
yo loannis
your query wont get an answer here mate as the knowledge is not there ,
google. av science.com
you ll get proper advice from real people who get paid for a living and not , someone with a hobby and a net connection ,
you ll also find the break in burn in call it what you want there for free download , get the video ts format one
Hi Vincent,
a very good review as always. I’m currently looking at the PX80 and PZ70, both 42″. The price difference is quite small here in Sweden (about £200), with the PZ70 being a bit more expensive.
I’ve even seen the PZ700 drop to about £50 more than the PZ70 at some retailers.
I saw the PX80 handles 1080/24p better, but the PZ use a full 1080p panel.
What would be the major pros/cons between the new generation 1024×768 vs. last generation 1920×1080?
Recommendation? :)
I am hoping to get the PX80 to replace a 32LXD700 with backlight bleed.
Could someone please let me know what the sound quality is like on the PX80?
The sound is excellent on the LCD and hoping the Plasma will be the same?
Thanks!
Start fundraising for a 46PZ85 review already! :)
^ what he said!
where can I donate for the 46PZ85 review? ;)
Damn i wish i wasn’t so impatient, i bought a Sony LCD.
Reading your review i think i’d have been better waiting for this new set of Panny plasmas.
wow i just today bought a px80b from my local electical retailer… rushed home and read up on it, must be a lucky boy as it reads up pretty good! sure i’ll enjoy many hrs in front of it with my xbox!! thanks for the review, shame you dont get a cut off panasonic :(
rob ,
enjoy your screen burn ,
ooopppsss ,
this panel burns more easily than model px70 it replaces
you have been warned
burn it in properly or you ll be sorry
we have had a few complaints in work and our sets were run-in properly ………..
kuro , seems to resist burn far more ,
but what do i know hey
hi vincent seems a very intresting review.
i currently got a smasung ps42q96hd i have had it for about 3 months and at the moment not happy with it when i am whatching football matches you can see the football starting to drag across the screen really slow and the picture changes from one sort of view like dynamic to another doing my head in.also a right pain to keep clean
anyway before i had this one i had a panisonic TH42PX70
42″ HD Ready Digital Plasma tv untill my youngest daughter stuck her bottle in the side and BLEW IT UP. i was really chuffed with this tv as the picture sound and enjoyment of the easy viera link was brilliant and i could enjoy my gaming and football aswell!!
so after reading this review i think back to pansonic i wiill go also will you be doing a review on the sammmy to see if you can see the problems as i am getting?
cheers dean
Neil,
Why do you think it is a good idea to compare this set to a Kuro, which is at least twice the price?
of course the Kuro is going to be better.
I have had this set now for about a week, it has been on 7-8 hours a day and not had any retention, let alone screen burn. This includes watching DVD and BluRay with the black border and no retention on those, playing COD4 and other games with HUDs.
TV is perfect in every way, only fault is with ITV football, but that is poor everywhere. (noticed an aura type field around every player on my JVC 32″ CRT, but this Panny even has got rid of that!!!)
Quality TV. Looks amazing when turned off or turned on. The price is incredible (£680 price matched through JL).
if your happy then its fine ,
but kuro s are now available for 1100-1200 now ,
performance is ten times the panny ive seen them running along side each other
but in the end YOUR EYES like your choice but dare to pull me over a comment
when you ve not seen them running next to one another with same source cables the lot ,
Neil,
DId you read my post? I said it is probably going to be a better TV, I haven’t argued that point.
I did also say, what is the point in comparing 2 tv’s when one is almost double the price of the other?
42PX80 – £675
Kuro – £1,200
I would bloody well hope the Kuro is better for that price. Anything under a grand though and I don’t think you can go wrong with the PX80.
double ,
panny px80 799 0r 879 with 5 year deal .
you got a rare deal but kuro 1300 with same 5 year deal
5 ton more but its so much better you ll never understand , i install panels for a living im no pioneer fan boy ,
but the pdp 42 428xd has a PROPER ISF set up menu ……………………….
panny is good …… so is a ford mondeo ,,,,,,,,,but kuro is like a merc
im not gonna argue with you honestly but dont blow the sun off panny when its only older model with extra hdmi and face lift ,,,,,,,,,
The deal i got is with John Lewis. There are 4 stores they will price match who have this for £675-£700 and they throw in the 5 yr warranty, so not that rare.
Your comparison isn’t applicable because like you say you are comparing a Mondeo to a Merc and saying the Merc is a better car (well, DUH!).
You would be taken more seriously if you tried to compare 2 things which cost the same price,
i.e Samsung 40M87 and Panasonic 42PX80. They are £100 off in price for instance, that will be a better comparison.
and samsung is also much better , panny s are poor ,
silly boy ,
John Lewis are a rip off, just do a price comparison and you will see what I mean even forgetting the 5 year warranty, TV’s in 5 years will be much different.
Bob Evergreen
i agree totally with you bob
my mum got a panny px70 in richer with 5 year warranty and when tv died it could not be fixed so they gave her like for like a 42 inch plasma and they gave her a pioneer pdp 4270 last years model for no extra charge and a new 5 year deal now that blows john lewis out of water ,
you see they say 5 years on tv but they dont say what is covered
Well going purely of this review Ive just ordered one John Lewis price matched Sound and Vision £677 with free delivery AND 5years Warrenty!!
Bliss
NEIL MUST SLEEP WITH A KURO!!
if only you could afford one hey ste ,
second best is nowhere
Can afford one mate, It wouldn’t’ touch the way I live. The reason Iv’e got money (and quite a bit) is beacause I dont spend double on a piece of hardware thats not double the quality. You obviously know a thing or 2 about this subject, you tell me your choice! Quick brief.. Me wife 3 daughters, Me wife movies at night, Me footy whenever it’s on, Kids Wii 3-4 hours a week. 42″ min about £750ish no daytime shit. Just downloaded Breakin dvd TS What you think?? Obi won u,nobi :)
its not double the quality as you quite rightly say ,
it 5 times better in every way
Im waitin !!
i am looking to hang this from a pole from the ceiling is that possible.ie can the wall hanging bracket be used for this.
Mikey on 19th July 08 at 00.25 hrs.
Can someone please explain burn in, and how does one go about it?
get a copy of dvd essentials and play the white screen chapter on repeat for a 4 hours or so then turn off tv for about 4 hours repeat for 5-6 times .
make sure your picture settings are all on half way then away you go ,
remember retention is not burn
Hi, is this a good TV to get? im looking for a plasma 42″ with great picture quality for about £630 TOPS, I use Movies, Wii, Xbox 360 (soon will), TV on any ideas or is this one good?
great for the cash , richer 659 with 5 year warranty ,
dont go near a xbox 360 ,
ps3 or nothing
Just got one from Binns believe it or not – £550 inc Panasonic 5 year warranty
looks the business. now what do I need to put all my equip in a cupboard out the way.
Janz, is “Binns” a website? I’m looking to get hold of this TV and would like the 5-year warranty without the hefty price!!
Alex, most places have sold out as Panasonic is in dire straits and is planning to raise prices this month. I got mine from electrical123 for £ 574 incl delivery with the standard 1 year warranty. Its around £ 600 in most other places now. So be quick and get yours while electricals123 still got some left..
Don`t be fooled by the 5 year warranty business as it does not cover most things like screen burn etc. You’d be better off getting a 2 year Allianz cover from Amazon once the 1 year manu warranty runs out, as it covers everything including accidental damage..
Hi please could you tell me if my Panasonic TH42PX80B’s SD card reader will read a SDHC card from my panasonic SDRS26SD Camcorder and play the video?
Thanks
John
Hi
Great review Vincent
When will you review the new Panasonic TX-P42X10B?
Please help… My screen is green when i play a dvd on my panasonic 42 plasma? Any ideas anybody…. Cheers kev