Panasonic TH42PZ80 / TH42PZ80B Review
Wednesday, 14 May 2008, 12:10 pm GMT
Panasonic TH42PZ80 is the third plasma HDTV from the world’s largest plasma flat screen manufacturer we’ve reviewed in as many months. The Panasonic TH42PZ80 offers true high definition 1920 x 1080 screen resolution over the HD-ready PX80 range, but lacks the “Intelligent Frame Creation” and “24p Real Cinema” motion compensated frame interpolation (MCFI) technologies found on the TH42PZ85B. Let’s see if this plasma television can help Panasonic complete a hat trick of “Highly Recommended” awards from HDTVTest in first-half of 2008.
Note: The specific model we tested was the Panasonic TH42PZ80B (which denotes the 3-pin-plug British version), but the terms TH42PZ80 and TH42PZ80B will be used interchangeably throughout this review.
Design
While sporting the same glossy black bezel with inscriptions of “Viera” on the top left and “Panasonic” at the bottom centre, what distinguishes the Panasonic TH42PZ80 from the PX80 and PZ85 series is a silver protrusion resembling an upper lip that spans the entire width of the frame at the bottom of the panel. Sandwiched between this and the bottom border of the bezel are a pair of TV speakers, an LED indicator and some infrared/ light sensors. On the protrusion itself you can find a central flap that flips up to reveal some control buttons and connection ports (including a HDMI input and an SD card slot).
Otherwise, the Panasonic TH42PZ80 shares similar design characteristics to the TH42PZ85: a wedge-shaped pedestal stand; some cooling fans (though 1 less than the PZ85) and a pair of recessed handgrips at the back of the panel; and high overall build quality.
Connections
Unfortunately one of the three HDMI inputs is located at the front (under the central flap) of the Panasonic TH42PZ80, which may well mean the inevitable presence of an unsightly cable should you need to use all three HDMI ports.
 |
| Rear: 2 x HDMI, VGA, component, 2 x Scarts, CI slot, aerial, audio outs |
 |
| Front: control buttons, headphone, Svideo, composite, HDMI, SD card slot |
Operation
Except for the understandable omission of [Intelligent Frame Creation] in the user menu, the on-screen menu, EPG and infrared remote control that comes with the Panasonic TH42PZ80 plasma television are essentially the same as those found on the TH42PZ85B. Viewers with sensitive ears may pick up the slight whir of the cooling fans, or power/brightness-related plasma buzzing, but assuming you sit more than 6 feet away from the screen, these background noise should be adequately drowned by normal TV volume.
Calibration
Greyscale
Although post-calibration settings may vary from unit to unit, our Panasonic TH42PZ80 review sample needed no further adjustment (not that there were many picture controls available inside the user menu to start with) other than changing [Viewing Mode] to “Cinema” and [Colour Balance] to “Warm” to achieve the following greyscale results:
 |
 |
| [Colour Balance] “Warm” CCT | [Colour Balance] “Warm” RGB tracking |
Both red and blue values were higher than ideal, but they sort of neutralised each other to give a 6500k-ish correlated colour temperature (CCT). Make no mistake though, delta errors (dEs) remained around 8. Most people probably can’t see the difference in real-life viewing, but if you wish to reduce the dEs below the 4 threshold, you’ll have to venture into the service menu (and risk voiding your warranty) to adjust the RGB cuts and gains.
Gamma
Following our recent “What Is Gamma” article, we thought it’d be enlightening to include the gamma graphs of the Panasonic TH42PZ80:
 |
 |
| Luminance vs input signal | Gamma vs input signal |
Overall gamma on the Panasonic TH42PZ80 after calibration was just a touch below 2.0, which means that the picture would exhibit brighter (perhaps too bright) shadow detail and slightly reduced punchiness/ “pop” compared to the 2.2 ideal. We would have appreciated the inclusion of a gamma control in the user menu to deal with this issue, but to be fair a gamma of 2.0 will probably irk only the staunchest of videophiles.
Colour
 |
| Panasonic TH42PZ80 CIE chart with reference to HD Rec. 709 |
No surprises here… the colour gamut of the Panasonic TH42PZ80 was almost identical to those on the PX80 and PZ85, with an oversaturated and bluish green primary point and slightly oversaturated reds. The [Colour] control in the [Picture] submenu was of little use as it affected both colour saturation and intensity in no uncertain terms, whereas [Tint] was greyed out unless presented with an NTSC video signal (the UK uses PAL system).
Benchmark Test Results
| Dead pixels | None |
| Screen uniformity | Perfect |
| Overscanning on HDMI | 0% with [Picture Overscan] set to “Off“ |
| Blacker than black | Passed |
| Black level | Excellent |
| Black level retention | Stable |
| Primary chromaticity | Average; green oversaturated and bluish |
| Scaling | Soft |
| Video mode deinterlacing | Good; effective jaggies reduction |
| Film mode deinterlacing | Failed 3:2/ 2:2 cadence in all resolutions |
| Viewing angle | Excellent (> 150°) |
| Motion resolution | 1080 |
| Digital noise reduction | Good at baseline |
| Sharpness | Defeatable edge enhancement |
| Image retention | Mild during the first 200 hours |
| Posterization | Mild, though worse with poor source |
| Phosphor trails | Yes; severity depends on individual susceptibility |
| 1080p/24 capability (PS3) | Accepts 1080p/24 video signal; no telecine judder |
| Input lag | On par with Samsung F96 |
Picture Quality
High Definition (Blu-Ray)
Any comments on the image quality of a Panasonic plasma HDTV (high definition television) must surely begin with praise of its black-level performance and shadow detail revelation. Although still marginally lighter than those found on Pioneer Kuros, the inky blacks on the Panasonic TH42PZ80 left us in absolute enthrallment while watching The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford on Blu-ray. The cinematographically stunning nighttime train robbery scene could have quite easily murdered any lesser flat screen panel, yet the Panasonic TH42PZ80 effortlessly depicted the contrast between light and dark (e.g. the train light flickering past the dark woods, and Jesse Jame’s silhouette against the blinding illumination) and nuances in the deep shadows with commanding finesse and authority.
The colours inside the movie itself are intentionally attenuated at source in keeping with the historical period, and so the Panasonic TH42PZ80 was not to be blamed for the picture’s lack of depth and dimensionality. Flesh tones appeared natural enough, but the mild green inaccuracies could be picked up by perceptive viewers during numerous shots of the wheat fields.
Unleashed by setting [Picture Overscan] to “Off“, the true HD 1920×1080 native screen resolution on the Panasonic TH42PZ80 lent incredible detail to certain camera shots in the film, for example facial close-ups of Jesse James (Brad Pitt) where we can appreciate his jawline stubble, and the crow’s feet around his perpetually anguished and penetrating blue eyes. The Panasonic TH42PZ80 flat screen plasma also handled 1080p/24 video signal from the PS3 flawlessly, betraying no sign of telecine judder in sweeping pans of the breathtaking Missouri landscape.
Standard Definition (Freeview Digital TV)
Without the aid of edge enhancement, the scaling quality on the Panasonic TH42PZ80 plasma HDTV was mediocre at best, so perhaps there is a case for sprinkling in a touch of overenhancement (by increasing [Sharpness] a couple of notches) for standard-definition content. We were also disappointed by no improvement in posterization in spite of the full HD native screen resolution, although these usually only reared their ugly heads with poor source (low bit-rate, highly compressed broadcast material) and during fade-in/ fade-to-black.
Given the lack of any meaningful film mode deinterlacing on the Panasonic TH42PZ80, it is advisable to feed the television with progressive video signals (i.e. let your external device perform the relevant pulldown) when watching film-based material (movies, American dramas like CSI) if you want to avoid seeing various deinterlacing artefacts (line twitter, moire, etc.)
PS3 Console Gaming
The combination of LCD-trouncing blacks, LCD-equalling brightness, almost blur-free motion handling and full high definition screen resolution brought Gran Turismo 5: Prologue to gloriously photorealistic 1080p fruition on the Panasonic TH42PZ80 plasma television. Input lag was non-existent, either measured objectively or assessed subjectively as we hugged the racing lines on the tracks.
As with all plasmas, there remained the risk of permanent screenburn, but this could be minimised by taking appropriate precautions and avoiding lengthy non-stop gaming sessions. Phosphor trails/ green flashes might pose a problem for susceptible viewers with high retinal persistence; we did not witness any.
Conclusion
Delivering excellent black level, revealing shadow detail, fluid motion, detailed resolution and natural colours, performance-wise the Panasonic TH42PZ80 is fundamentally a PZ85 minus the [Intelligent Frame Creation] technology which–truth be told–we’re not too keen on for various reasons. If you’re not overly bothered about the aesthetics of the television itself (the PZ85 probably edges the PZ80 in this regard) or the intrusive positioning of the third HDMI input, then the Panasonic TH42PZ80 would almost certainly represent a better bang for your buck than the PZ85 series.
Thanx! Great Review! I’ve been waiting for this for quite some time. I was just wondering, do you think it is worth the price difference from the 42PX80, given that this also has good black levels? Does the Full HD make a great difference in The Assassination?
Thanks again!
Once again power consumption is left out.
It does matter on 450-500 watt sets.
Get a £10 wattmeter and improve your reviews (and help the planet), PLEASE!
Who cares about the planet, all I want is great HDTV reviews.
Excellent work yet again.
Thank you for your review. Since I’m considering buying a 42PZ85 / 80 (Full HD) or DPD-4280 (HD Ready) I appreciate your review very much. That brings me to a question? On the main page there is a listing “Best HDTVs”. Why are those HD Ready Pioneers you tested missing? Are they not that good that they will even beat a Sony KDL32D3000?! This suggests that Full HD TVs are superior to HD Ready devices.
Thats exactly my problem. I can’t decide between the Pioneer (very good Picture Quality but only HD Ready) and the Panasonic (Full HD but color and Picture Quality issues). From my point of view they are equal. Since many people on the BBS report of noticable phosphor lag at the PZ85 (”Sin City”) I would favor the Pioneer but I’ asking myself if I would miss something because of the lower resolution. Especially since the PS3 and BDs offer a great deal of details the Kuro had to scale down. If I had the money I would wait for the G9 Pios but thats not an option.
Thanks again for your reviews. A lot of people wait for them. Me too!
[...] Panasonic TH42PZ80 / TH42PZ80B Review: 42″ Viera Plasma HDTV THE REAL FLAG [...]
Thanks for your reviews. Great idea to include the gamma curves. Would like to see it as a standard item in your reviews!
DunklerStreiter >> You basicly answered your own question: “very good Picture Quality vs Picture Quality issues”… That is all you need do know, atleast if plan to use your tv for WATCHING pictures instead of looking at numbers in the specification.
Yeah, I hope the gamma-curves becomes a standard item on this already EXCELLENT site. Keep up the good work guys.
btw: How does the Panna measure in Normal Mode in terms of gamma? I have only seen it in Movie mode and I suspected it would measure something like you just have showed us. Way to flat and low in contrast, doesnt work well in a light-controlled environment, imho, and this is one of the reasons why Pioneer gives a better PQ.
As I have already mentioned in the comments relating to the PZ85, the exterior
housing of the PZ80 is (predictably) cheaper and nastier than the PZ85.
The picture quality of these sets certainly leaves something to be desired, and
several well known and prestigious dealers have confirmed my opinion.
The Pioneer 42in produces a better picture, but is “pixel challenged”.
Pioneer are experiencing some financial problems and prefer to concentrate on
the American market where 50/60 in screens are more easily accomodated in the larger properties over there (btw the Pioneer 50 in- 1080p only costs $3,100
plus tax in the USA).
The fact that Pioneer do not intend to make a 42in- 1080p set is causing much
adverse comment and resentment on various internet blogs, including those on
Pioneer’s own website.
Pioneer is pulling out of the TV market altogether.
The main issue which stops me from buying Panasonic is the damn adverts of Gemplus in the EPG they have added in their new range - including DVD recorders. They don’t even have analogue tuners anymore where Gemplus would be some use; Freeview/Freesat/Sky have their own anyway, Tivo box does too.
There should be an option to choose between this and normal Freeview EPG - which has no adverts (yet) - like Sony does.
Would you buy a £1K TV and see adverts in the EPG with a special button no less to cycle through them??? Sorry, not for me.
Just purchased TH42PZ80B from Richer Sounds in Maidstone after shopping around.
Fantastic picture, easy to set up and great price £814.00 including Panasonic 5 year warranty. (Using Richer Sounds price beat promise)
Awesome review. Im waiting for my 46PZ80 to come in this week
First, I would like to thank you for your awesome reviews!!
My first question is with regard to the lack of a Gamma control on the Panasonic Plasma HDTVs. Given the grip that neither the PZ80 or PZ85 have adjustable gamma settings would it not be possible for Panasonic to add this functionality through a Firmware update at a later time?
Secondly, give the slightly different contrast ratios (20,000 to 1 vs. 30,000 to 1) between the two televisions did you notice any “real” differences during your tests?
Thanks again!
Andy Hunter, I visited Richer sounds but best price they would give was £999 and their price match requires that a 5year waranty is included. Where did you get a price so low with a 5 year waranty that they would match that price?
Dave
DunklerStreiter said : “a 42PZ85 / 80 (Full HD) or DPD-4280 (HD Ready)” ?
How far from your plasma will you seat ?
At 10.5 ft, you can barely see the difference (with 20/15 vision) between HDReady and FullHD. You need to be at 7.5ft to see every single FullHD pixel.
What source are you using ?
If you are watching exclusively some of the 591 released BluRay movies or if you are playing one of the 3 truly 1080p XBox360 games or one of the 26 truly 1080p PS3 games, then FullHD might be interesting
In all other conditions (almost all video games (720p at best), millions of DVDs (576p), Cable/IPTV (720p/1080i), …), HDReady will be plenty enough.
Hello again!
Just got one myself. The picture quality on blu-ray and standard DVDs using the PS3 is excellent. Regular TV is OK, but given that most of my channels are 4:3 I don’t think I’m going to be using it too much for that.
I do have two negative comments:
1) I couldn’t get it to display 1920×1080 via the VGA input (signal coming from PC XBOX 360). Same thing with 1080p from the Component input from the 360. 1080p only seems to work via HDMI (both for PS3 and 360).
2) It makes an irritating noise, like a buzz when it is on. It doesn’t sound like it’s coming from the colling fans (like mentioned in the review), it’s a bit louder than that and it sounds like its coming from the upper right corner on the back. Anyone else noticed that?
Yiannos
Just bought one today from Digitech Electronics for £880 with 5 year gaurantee, lets hope it lives up to the review once its all set up and ready to go!!
xXx said>> “At 10.5 ft, you can barely see the difference (with 20/15 vision) between HDReady and FullHD.”
Maybe, maybe not. Thats really not an important thing to consider when buying a tv.
The point a lot of people are missing is that you CAN see the difference between a PZ80 and a 4280 at almost any distance and basicly regardless of source (be it DTV, DVD, BD or whatever).
Thats because the picture we see depends on ALOT MORE parameters than resolution. Still people tend to ask for resoultion and then stop. What they are doing then is that they are, litterly, missing like 90% of the picture.
People should stop ask themself “HDReady or FullHD” and instead focus on “what display gives me the best overal picture quality”. Thats whats matters at the end of the day.
Properly setup, I’m quite sure most people would prefer the 4280 over the Pannys, regardless of source material. But everyone should decide for themself by looking at the pictures - not the numbers.
@Pacman; but the 4280 does not even match the normal ‘HD Ready’ resolution
of just over 1Million pixels, having only 786,432 pixels.
This deficiency is really obvious on a 42in screen.
A test recenlty conducted by one of the TV mags. (I cannot recollect which one),
showed that the difference between ‘HD Ready’ and ‘Full HD’ is apparent to a
discerning viewer from a normal viewing distance.
Hi - this is probably a boring question, but does the stand swivel? I noticed in store that the PZ85 ones do but the PX80’s don’t….
Thanks for the review, Very nice.
I still hesitate between the 46PZ85 and the Sony 46W4000. I would prefer the Plasma, but i want to use the TV mainly with my PC and a PS3.
Is there some known issues connecting this PZ85 with a PC ? Thank you for advice.
@Peter>> ANYONE can, by looking at the picture instead of the specification, see the difference between ANY tv regardless of their resolution. We don´t need a tv mag for that…
[...] a magnificent beast as the Panasonic TH-42PZ80B - that’s a 42-inch 1080p plasma, reviewed here - sat at the end of my [...]
Just received the PZ80B from Dixons on line for £849 delivered. Has the irritating buzz I am not happy with. Response was sit 12 feet away and turn up the volume ! Not happy with that, as the frame has small mark on it have asked for a replacement. Quiet passages in movies - it stands out for me though wife hadn’t noticed it. We’ll see.
Hi, you do very nice reviews, made me make up my mind and buy the pz80
I have looked for TVs for about 3-4 month now and was first aiming for px80 but changed my mind at the last secound when I read this review. And the fact that I got it for about 1000£ made the choice even more easy! (its a good price for being in sweden)
Got a small question tho, does Phosphor trails you talk about.. I can see them everywhere, the TV is good and all but the trails buggers me so much I dont know what to do. Its like that even in movies / tv shows when someone with a white t-shirt moves fast across the room or something, and it shows very clearly in yellow/greenish
Should it be like this on regular TV watching aswell? I thought it was only in games and hoped I was resistant against it because i couldnt see it in the shop.
oh and to answer Rocco; Its not 20.000 contrast, its 30.000 on the pz80 aswell… Native.. Just read it of my TV atm
Thanks Nilolaj … I’m confused because the panasonic.com website lists it at 20,000.
Ok, I finaly bought this one!!! I have the TV now for 3 days and can post some of my impressions.
power consumtion
I was able to meassure it and that what it says after 24 hours of usage.
high: 449 W
avrg: 292 W
low: 17,0 W
Using the TV for about 24 hours consumes 7 KW. It’s typical usage. I played console games a lot of hours on ECO mode that increases power consumtion. Played Wiiware FFCC about 11 hours and the game is bright.
If you switch the TV off, then it doesn’t turn on standby immediately. It consumes 17 - 18 W in this mode. After a couple of minutes it switches to true standby and then it shows 0,000 W !!! I think thats because I activated power safe mode.
Picture
I switched mode to Cinema and Warm but its hard to feel comfortable with this option. In bright daylight the image looks dark and the white seems to be no white at all. It looks more like a very bright red gray. The colors look dull and the black is more of a grey.
In a dark room the image looks much better. Cinema and Warm still limits the picture quality but the difference to ECO is not that drastic anymore. The image looks bright. Unfortunateley white is still not white.
I think the presets suffer from a think Vincent calls black crush. Maybe its only to dark but in dark areas you loose all details. The image drops to black very fast. You should increase brightness some clicks to increase the shadow details. Thats a little bit tricky since you don’t want to spoil the blacks.
Image quality depends on channel and source. Analog looks ok but you have to sit 2 m away with my 42′. Digital looks better but you see mpg artefacts and poor image editions (bars, logos) easily. On the other hand the image of newer series looks great. I watched CSI and could clearly see how the actor playing the corpse winked. You could even notice his stomach moving when he breathed. The dead don’t breath! Thats somethink I would have never noticed with my old CRT!
The image of games (PS2, Wii) looks very stable. You can see some white sparkling on Wii but I think it’s my (great) RGB scart cable. When playing GTA Liberty City you see a lot of pixels. The dark image is hard to take here. I compared the image with my old CRT and it is obvious that the image paint all dark areas black. No good! Since there are no final settings at the review I can’t say if Vincent noticed this matter.
I have to stop but maybe I will post more later.
In doubt between this Panasonic TH42PZ80 and the Sony KDL-40W4000. Any opinions on what sets these apart or can help me decide?
Thanks in advance!
Manvir how come you got the 42PZ80B so cheap from Digitech? Is this in Hounslow? I thought they were charging about £900.
Thanks
Oops I mean I thought the 42PZ80B at Digitech was £1100.
[...] hdtvtest.co.uk/news/panas…0080514109.htm [...]
Panasonic TH-42PZ80B £738.01 + delivery (normally £50) http://www.digitaldirect.com
Direct link to the Panasonic TH-42PZ80B page at digital direct
http://www.digitaldirect.co.uk/products_moreinfo3/index.asp?product_id=16022
Hi I was wondering if the Panasonic TH-42PZ80 is the same as the Panasonic TH-42PV80 or if they have similar features. I’m here in the Philippines and the TH-42PV80 is the newest panasonic plasma I can find. Any Info will be appreciated. Thank you.
I got a TH42PZ80B a month ago from sound&vision (£800) and it’s a great product. I just needed to know if anyone knows what’s the best cable to get to link a Laptop or desktop to this TV?