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.
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| Rear: 2 x HDMI, VGA, component, 2 x Scarts, CI slot, aerial, audio outs |
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| 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:
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| [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:
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| 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
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| 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!
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… ;-)
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.
Panasonic TH-42PZ80B £738.01 + delivery (normally £50) http://www.digitaldirect.com
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?
Bought the th-46pz80 last week from Panasonic shop, £1.299 with 5 year G/tee.
Best money i have ever spent, fantastic set with brilliant picture (so good might not even bother with giving Sky an extra ten quid a month for the HD content!)
A doddle to set up, just changed from shop mode to home mode & activated ECO and that was it, run this set through a Denon sound system but even with total silence in the lounge can’t hear a thing from the set, totally satisfied, only negative thing is Analogue is not so good (but who cares) DVB is very good, and Sky (with sky box set to RGB) is excellent. Can thoroughly recommend.
I live in Ireland. I would like to know if this is the same set as :Panasonic TH42PY80EY? It retails here at EURO 1499. It certainly looks like the same TV. I am asking because I am strongly thinking about buying this set.
Thank You
Mike
I’ve just bought the TH42PZ80B based on this review and I must say I’m very impressed. I don’t have any hi-def stuff at the moment, just a Humax freeview recorder and a PS2 and both look really good (although the PS2 does show up some combing so I’ve order a component cable).
I got mine from John Lewis for £799 which includes their own 5 year warranty.
Thanks again for such a good review and comments, I’m very very pleased! :)
Help trying 2 make my mind up here went into the showroom 2 c this but picture was pure whats it like for nomal tv coming threw sky dish
sorry poor
Bought the 42PZ80 2 months ago, upgraded to Sky HD and the lip sync problems are serious, particularly on the HD channels. Panasonic and Sky have not manged to resolve it despite 3 different Thomson boxes and 2 different tvs. Anyone else has this problem or managed to resolve it?
Looking to buy either the Panasonic TH42PZ80 or the newer (I think?) TH42PZ8B. Both have a similar spec and I am therefore interested to hear from anyone who has heard good/bad reviews regarding the TH42PZ8B.
Am considering either the old TH42PZ70 or new TH42PZ80 can anyone give a brief analysis of the difference in picture quality (if any) between the different generations of screen (and in particular between the two sets). Its been impossible finding anywhere local to compare the two as PZ70 no longer on the shelf. Is it worth the extra £150 to plump for the newer set?
I have a 46pz80 and the only thing that spoils it for me is the burnt out whites on both SD and HD material. If only it was possible to bring the drives down a little, it would be so much better!
I’d like to buy a PZ80, a little puzzled by the expensive $500 extended warrenty offered by Best Buy, is it really necessary or a waste of money?
Doug
After a whole month of checking reviews and prices all over the net I bought my PZ80B from the same place and price as Manvir. (digitech electronics) I have had my set since the end of May 2008.
I must say that the quality of picture i receive with the DVB is phenomenal for a SD signal. I also have a Virgin Vbox set to RGB out in its settings but the DVB looks best! even though RGB should be a superior signal.
The PS3 with BluRay DVDs are fantastic!!! good colors, blacks are black and compared to my friends Pioneer plasma (older model) money well spent i think.
However there is one issue i have been experiencing only recently, maybe some of you can help or have the same issue…?
When i switch form using the Virgin Vbox plugged into AV1 to using the PS3 plugged into HDMI input 1, after 5 -15min the TV automatically switches its self to the AV1 input whether the Vbox is on or not. This also happens when switching to the DVB input from AV1. I have gone through all the TV settings and turned off the TV/AV preference but this doesn’t seem to solve the issue. Even more annoying is that it doesn’t do it every time, making fault finding a nightmare.
Has anybody else had this problem. Maybe you could shed some light.
Other then that a fantastic Plasma TV!
Great review! So the most important thing for me is the 24p playback, anyone have any experience to back up the review that it’s flawless? I’m thinking of the PZ80. Thanks!
Does anyone else notice when CLOSE up to screen all the green pixels mainly in the dark areas.But as i say when within 2 ft.
From my normal watching distance 10Ft every things Awsome..??????
paul you do know its a plasma not lcd ?
oh god neo yes,was just curious as its my first set.
thanks
I own a th-46pz8e, and I see some blackcrush. Specifically, I cannot get it to display my 8 or so darkest greys as anything other than black, no matter what settings I use.
I drew this conclusion from this page:
http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/black.php
Could anyone try this on pz80 or pz85? Or maybe even px80.
Antother silly review from HDTVTEST – out of scope – made for 1% of the market.
95% of the HDTV viewers watch sat or cable TV, thus in 1080i. Very few have a blu-ray machine.
So why this review using 1080p ??? – not a single word of how this TV performs with 1080i in, the test havnt even tried 1080i in ….. 1080i in is not a simple task, and not all HDTV handles this well.
I am going to buy this TV after reading this review.
I was going to buy a 6 series Samsung 37″ LCD.
But with Plasma you get more screen for your money and less lag/motion blur issues.
I do not understand why people bother with LCD.
i own the new TH-42PZ800. before that i used older Panasonics’s plasma.
i’m so satisfied i cannot desrcibe. an excellent choice and superior quality.
sd signal shows very vivid and almost natural.
best choice. i can garantie!
re
I also own the pz800 and can say anyone will be pleased with the sd output, it’s far far better than my old sony lcd. Contrast is far better and no smearing. I must add that the cable box helps alot as it upscales to 1080i.
@Jan Andresen on 25 September 2008 4:44 pm
What are you on about; I think anyone that is spending money on a TV with these specs will keep in mind that it excels at Progressive input and in a lot of cases will use 1080P (consoles, satellite-TV, BD-movies). Speak for yourself if you cannot afford a BD-drive; I bought one together with the PZ80 because both devices complete each other.
Ordered a TH42PZ80 online from Dixons on the Sunday night, TV arrived on the Thursday. Total cost, including shipping was £684.99.
Plugged it in, connected the SKY+ box (not HD!) using a standard crappy scart lead. 2 minutes to enter security details. Pressed the AV button to get Scart 1 on screen. Result – excellent picture straight out the box. I’m using the pre-set settings, on Normal mode. To me the other settings are too bright. Normal seems pretty natural. I have subsequently fiddled around with all the settings and modes, but keep resetting to orginal because it just looks better that way.
The SD slot is really useful, and photos look stunning. Only problem is that digital camera pics are not widescreen and so you get the black bars to the left and right of the pic. So I’ve been spending ages on the PC cropping all my pics to 1920 x 1080, just to see them fill the screen. To me it looks fantastic.
(BTW I had my eyes tested recently and my vision is 20:20!)
100% recommended.
looking to buy the th42pz80b or the th42pz80 is there a difference between them
if so what ?
Just configured my own th42pz80ba from Richer Sounds in Guildford today. £719.95 – can’t argue with that!
Had a hell of a job finding one and was lucky that they had one in stock.
I believe that the difference between the th42pz80 and the th42pz80b is the inclusion of the freeview (standard def.) in the latter.
Just don’t ask me what the difference is between the th42pz80b and the th420z80ba – I have no idea! :)
I have this one connected to my HTPC via VGA – picture is superb although the resolution is limited to 1360×768 at 60Hz. Grabbed a DVI to HDMI converter and it’s now full 1080p on the PC desktop and in Windows Media Centre. Very pleased :)
Now – just need to sort out getting Blu-ray – just can’t get wife to understand the advantages and that the best route to get it is by buying a PS3 ;-)
Totally recommend this plasma – awesome :)
How come as stated in the reveiws , that the TH42pz80b has 30ms more input lag than the TH42pz85b?
anyone?
It says theTH42pz80b is on a par with the samsung! -But the TH42pz85b is so many ms faster.
How come if they are similar models?
I bought my TH42PZ80 from Martin Dawes – cost £769 after haggling but came with a 5 year extended warranty from Panasonic. My previous TV was a Toshiba Picture Frame CRT that 5 years ago won loads of awards for everything – it was and still is an excellent TV.
However, this Panasonic is superb and straight from the box with factory settings it knocks the socks off my old box! I was gobsmacked at the quality of picture when I tuned into the BBC HD preview channel.
Today I bought a second HDMI cable and used it to connect my SC-PT560 Home Theater System. Wow!
So the TV is great, the theater system is great and if I can offer advise to anyone it would be to invest in good quality cables to get the best out of your system.
I’ve never owned a plasma model but recently got my hands on a TX37LZD85, how does this compare? My main use is for gaming so i wonder if there’s an advantage to having a plasma model like this for hd gaming like the PS3 or xbox 360?
This TV can be bought at Dixons for £711.55 using 2 codes: FIVETV and DELTV (codes can be used for either/or free delivery/TV set).
I’m also considering the Toshiba 42RV555D from Play.com @ £729.99 and the Samsung 46A559P from 1st AudioVisual @ £798.10. Budget is £80.00.
Problem is, I know nowt about plasma/LCD or what constitutes the best bang for my buck! Main use is Sky+, then DVD (upscaler), then Wii. We have 5.1 home theatre.
Any advice appreciated.
Purchased Panasonic TH-42PZ80BA based on the review here. Great Buy – fantastic picutres from standard definiton. XBOX 360 (first generation no HDMI). Halo looks great.
Seller was Empire Direct and their Deal TV + Panasonic stand + 5 year Guarantee at £799.00 can’t be beaten elsewhere. John Lewis couldn’t match it. I ordered around 12:00 noon thursday and the stuff arrived 5:00pm the following day (yesterday as promised early evening).
I also ordered a Panasonic Bluray player from Play.com early morning on Thursday ( don’t use them unless you really have no where else to go) and the package is lost in space. Their call centre is staffed by aliens speaking a language resembling English. They pretend to understand English but don’t… I think.
Thanks HDTV for your excellent professional reviews.
Nalin, Harrow, Middlesex.
Just bought this TV from Comet for £600! as it was the display model (only displayed for 3 weeks). Not a mark on it. I’m very very impressed with the picture quality and even with the analogue signal its very impressive. At this price its a no brainer. I saved enough to buy a Panasonic home theatre system for £165 and thats amazing as well, it even comes with an ipod dock.
I bought the near equivalent of this t.v a time ago.i am really impressed with picture quality but i am worried about pictures settings,particulary the colour wich accorind to vincent tend to show a lot of red and cartoonish greens.what can i do about this?i know how to enter the service menu but i am worried about braking the t.v.can anaybody give me the service menu settings so i can reach a more D65 picture?please?i would really apreciat that.also do i need to do anything else besides changing to cinema and warm preset?do i need to increase,decrease the brightness or contrast of this t.v other then default values?
please…i tried searching everywere but didnt find anything helpfull.please somebody could just help out….thanks
Thanks for your review. Was worried when I bought this model and read it did not have IFC Intelligent Frame Creation. Have be reassured by your report that the tv is good without this added extra. Have seen this model in lots of shops and have been very impressed by its clarity. Finally took the plunge and ordered one from Dixons.co.uk who had the best price online. It’s arriving today. Can’t wait to plug it into the Blu Ray and Sky HD box. By the way already got a Panasonic LCD 32″ in the bedroom with Sky HD and the picture is fantastic on the HD channels. Also did you know a Blu Ray player will up-scale your ordinary DVDs and make them look better than before – almost fell off the bed when put on Are you being served that great 70s show and the picture was so crisp and clear.
Not sure if any of you are interested but I’ve just found the TH42PZ80 @ Dabs for £693.99
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=506W&CategorySelectedId=11229&PageMode=1&NavigationKey=11229,50300,4294954955,390220000
Hello. My regardes to all. Can anybody tell me how to reduce green color on panasonic 42py80? Thanks. Sorry my on my english
Of course the low Dabs price does not include VAT !
Well, having just got this tele for a shade over £500 (a completely unrepeatable fluke), I’m well impressed.
I can only use this tele with my 360 at the mo, as my area is terrible for freeview signal, and my aerial is even worse.
DVD playback through the 360 is fantastic. Watching the Dark Knight (Batman) was fantastic. I feel that this tele allows me to watch DVDs as they are meant to be watched.
Games are fantasic too. Geometry Wars 2 is a game I use to test any display device. This TV laps it up. The black background is very black and the brightly coloured enemies are vivid and sharp. The particle effects are drawn beatifully and fluidly. With no motion blur at all, this TV has surpassed my expectations.
HD Video is yet to be truely played with, but the Bioshock 2 teaser trailer comes out absolutely magnificently. ;)
One thing I will say though – using this tele with enhanced colour is painfully bright in a small, dark room… :)
just purcased a panasonic th42pz80b from john lewis in sheffield for £719.00 inc 5 year warranty bargin very good by my local panasonic shop wanted £850 for same package cannot rate john lewis highly enough.
thanks for the reviews.
just about to buy one of these – John Lewis £783 with 5 years warrenty at the minute.
I think the images from this article are a fraud. I have seen this tv physically and I can tell it’s not able to give the blackest than frame blacks seen in those images, while maintaining so bright whites. Bullshit
After shelling out £720 in Currys Newport, Gwent on my special managers deal on my Panasonic Viera plasma 3mths ago, also after selling a dvd collection of 500+ titles for the latest in blu-ray entertainment, am disappointed to say the least! I got a few dead cells in the centre, screen blur in the top corners both sides!!! Not expected after 180 hrs ??? Being told it can be fixed and not replaced by currys am upset after it was THEIR recommendation on this set. It’s being sent to workshop on Sat and i’ll be without a tv for two weeks. All this talk about the digital switchover and I this is the only set I’ve had a problem with! Is it safer to spend less ££££ on a second hand set which can last longer or……a tv with all the extras that lasts 3mths! After the 12mth warranty runs out I dont think I’ll be able to afford a breakdown on this new technology as the engineer said my set would cost around £800 to fix, any feedback on my comment would maybe help me with piece of mind as i’ve lost all confidence with Panasonic and my Viera set !!! SimonKear@hotmail.co.uk,
all comments answered thanks.
Having recently purchased a 42″ 80B set I was really looking forward to watching it once at home. OK, it was a piece of cake to set up simply by plugging in the aerial lead and switching it on and waitinf a couple of minutes for it to self tune. However, as was stated by Yiannos, on 21 May 2008, the sound of the cooling fan motors is by my standards really loud! I’m sure it’s more than a standard fan should be making – a common fault maybe? As for the picture quality I’m getting Sky HD soon and hope the quality of picture is better than that of standard definition as it’s not brilliant and in darker scenes it seems like the picture freezes in places, although I reduced this a bit by increasing the brightness. I wish the salesman (at comet, where I bought it) had informed me about the fan noise as, in the store I couldn’t hear it, but at home is a different matter. I’ll make sure I do more reseach when I replace it in a few years time (when I’ll have got used to the fans by then, maybe). In retrospect, I wish I’d bought a lower spec Sony model!
@J:
“I think the images from this article are a fraud. I have seen this tv physically and I can tell it’s not able to give the blackest than frame blacks seen in those images, while maintaining so bright whites. Bullshit”
I OWN one and, I can tell you that this “Bullshit” -as you call it- gives you the best blacks you can expect.
Of course, a KURO -Pioneer- will give you even better blacks, but, being 6 times more expensive -and not being a zillionary myself…-
So, watch out your words for this little Monster!
hello
im new on this forum….
I just bought a Panasonic TH42PZ80 and all I can say is WOW! The quality is amazing esp when I watch Bluray movies or play my PS3 . This is a top quality TV – cheaper models will only give inferior quality. The only problem is my cat keeps running away when I watch nature programmes as the lions are too lifelike maybe I should get a new pet!
hello, I’m on Firmware 1.106 [1106-10100] and it seems to be the lattest -it won’t update “over the air”, but, a friend of mine told me that there’s a new firmware, but that’s just in Eng -though I live in Spain, I use everything in Eng so, no issue-.
Does anyone knows where can I get this new firmware?
Jesus how many comment has this post got!
If you can spend that much money on a TV then energy consumption is not really an issue as for the last 100yrs we have lived with CRT tv and I am sure that consumed alot of energy too.
What is coming out of that screen is the most important as it is the quality of the picture you want to see not how slim or how beautiful it looks or how much energy it uses.
The argument right now is who provided the best picture for movie, sport etc…. Plasma, LCD or LED.
Have a nice day all!