Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ80U 42 1080p Plasma HDTV |

Jan 04 2010

Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ80U 42 1080p Plasma HDTV

Posted by joe in HDTV 42 inch Reviews, tags: 1080p, hdtv, panasonic, plasma, th42pz80u, viera

Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ80U 42" 1080p Plasma HDTV

Manufacturer: Panasonic
Customer Rating:
List Price: $1,299.99
Sale Price: View Sale Price
Availibility: View Product Availability

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Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description--March 10, 2008 With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings anastonishing 1,000,000:1 contrast ration to the table. advanced pixel resolution and image-processing technology with the plasma TV's natural ability to beautifully reproduce fast moving images, so every detail is rendered with amazing clarity, and all the action is delivered with a high degree of fluidity.

What's New This Year?

Super Contrast--native contrast ratios on the PZ85, PZ800 and PX 850 series are 30,000:1, double last year's 15,000:1.
Dynamic contrast ratios are up to 1,000,000:1.
new anti-reflective filter; lead-free "Tough Under Force" panel is resistant to impacts and scratches
x.v. Color and Deep Color (HDMI 1.3 features)
Game Mode auto-adjusts image quality suitable to games and includes anti-image retention
Viera Link is now compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems
At least 3 HDMI inputs on all models (4 on PZ800 and PZ850 series)
THX Certification on PZ800 and PZ850 series

Which Viera is Right For You?

Click here to see a comparison of step up features on each Viera series.

Amazing color reproduction

The incredible black reproduction of a Panasonic High-Definition Plasma TV results in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. So you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. For color that's as rich and bold as life itself, look to a Panasonic Plasma TV.

Consistent brightness from any angle

A Panasonic Plasma combines anti-glare and anti-reflection technology with the natural light-emitting properties of plasma, to give you a super-wide viewing range with a crisp, beautiful image from almost any angle.

Smooth, graceful motion

When you're watching sports or movies with fast-motion graphics, you want a TV that can keep up with the action. With over 900 lines of moving picture, self-illuminating plasma displays eliminate afterimages in fast-action scenes. So whether you're watching a sporting event or an action-packed movie, you'll always get the most impressive viewing experience possible.

1,000,000:1 Contrast

The Panasonic's Real Black system (a pre-discharge suppression system) and improved panel production processes combine to reproduce outstanding blacks with superb contrast. Each image is richly expressive, from bright scense, like scorching desert landscapes, to dark cave scenes. Compare the image produced by conventional HDTV on the left to the Real Black image produced on the right

More Colors

Viera HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize.

Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals
Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately
Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors

Deep Color

Where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color.

Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors
Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors
Enables increased contrast ratio
Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white.

Connectivity

Viera flat panel HDTVs interact with an array of high-definition devices and services, making it easy for consumers to access and enjoy content as never before. As of 2008, Viera Link is compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems.

Videos and stills recorded on SD cards can easily be viewed via the SD slots on Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc players and Viera HDTVs.	Viera Link means easy connectivity via HDMI cables. Finally, consumers can easily operate their Blu-Ray Disc players, DVD recorders and home theater systems with a single remote control device.


4 HDMI inputs to connect all of your devices directly to your television.

Long Life

Panasonic plasma panels are rated to last 100,000 hours, which is about 30 years of regular or 11 years of non-stop usage before the brightness of the display is halved.

Get Full HD with Blu-Ray Disc Players

A Panasonic 1080p plasma television is able to render 1920x1080 pixels, but standard DVDs have a resolution of just 720x480. Blu-ray discs output true 1080p High-Definition resolution and have a storage capacity ten times greater than standard DVDs, so no pixel gos to waste.

Which is the Right Viera for You?

	Screen Size Measured Diagonally	1080p Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels	Native Contrast Ratio	PC Input	THX Cert	24p	Speakers	HDMI Inputs	One Sheet of Glass Design	Swivel Base	Shades of Gradation	H.264 Codec	Digital Cinema Color	Studio Reference Mode	Pro Setting Menu	Serial Port	Standard Features
TH-42PX80U	42 inches		15,000:1				2	3			4,096						480 Hz Sub-field Drive Technology Anti-Reflective Filter Viera Link HDAVI Control Built-in SD Card Slot w/Photo Viewer Deep Color Technology x.v. Color 3D Color Mangement Sub-Pixel Controller Motion Pattern Noise Reduction Anti-Image Retention Mode Game Mode Scratch and Impact Rsistant Panel 100,000 Hours to Panel Half-Brightness (>30 years @ 8 hours/day) Lead-free Panel
TH-50PX80U	50 inches		15,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-42PZ80U	42 inches		20,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-46PZ80U	46 inches		20,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-50PZ80U	50 inches		20,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-42PZ85U	42 inches		30,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-46PZ85U	46 inches		30,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-50PZ85U	50 inches		30,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-42PZ800U	42 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-46PZ800U	46 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-50PZ800U	50 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-58PZ800U	58 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-46PZ850U	46 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120
TH-50PZ850U	50 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120
TH-58PZ850U	58 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120
TH-65PZ850U	65 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120

Product Details

1920 x 1080 Resolution
1000000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio for the Brightest whites and darkest blacks
4096 Shades of Gradation for spectacular Color Reproduction
Viera LinK™ HDAVI Control lets you operate all of your home theater components by pressing a single button on your TV's remote control
GalleryPlayer® allows you to enjoy the world's finest high definition art and photography on your Panasonic HD plasma TV

Video Reviews

No video reviews found for this product.

Customer Reviews

Stunning HDTV, great value, low power consumption

Review Date: June 14, 2008

Reviewer: M. Hadeishi,

We bought this as an upgrade from a Sharp Aquos 32" LCD HDTV --- an excellent television, but a bit too small for our new, larger living space. I first looked at 46" and 50" sets, but they use a lot more power, and after looking at units in the store decided the 42" was quite large enough (70% more viewing area than our old TV). For environmental reasons we wanted low power consumption --- usually plasmas lose out there, but Panasonic comes through --- only 170 watts, as measured by an independent test, which is less even than some of the similar-sized LCD TVs tested by that same outfit!

The picture is stunning --- though our old Aquos looks great, this Panasonic blows it away in terms of contrast, black levels, and overall picture quality. Properly adjusted, the DirecTV HD channels look fantastic --- much better than they do on the Sharp or most other TVs I have seen. (DirecTV tends to compress its HD channels quite a bit --- yet on this Panasonic, after adjusting it, the image looks very clean and cinematic.)

Blu-Ray discs are unbelievable --- Planet Earth on this set is tremendous. Another thing I really like about the set is it passes through Dolby 5.1 sound from the HDMI connector to the optical digital out --- which I then pass into my Logitech Z-5500 THX speakers (an inexpensive way to get surprisingly good home theater sound) --- the Sharp didn't pass through the signal from our PS3 Blu-Ray player.

As others have noted burn-in and ghosting are mostly non-issues with the new plasma sets --- some basic precautions will prevent any problems, and this Panasonic set comes with some display "reset" patterns to cure any burn-in issues you might face.

The number of connections is extremely handy --- with 3 HDMI connectors I have enough for my DirecTV box, my PS3, and a front connector for the occasional times when I hook up my MacBook Pro via a DVI-HDMI cable.

There's not much to say about the built-in speakers --- serviceable but not great --- but who uses the built-in speakers on their HDTV? I certainly don't...

The picture out of the box definitely needs adjustment for optimal results --- I set the black levels to dark, turned up the Picture (contrast) and brightness, lowered the color and sharpness, in Standard mode. Fiddle with it a bit and you can get a stunning picture.

This set is cheaper than most LCD sets of the same size, and the picture quality is better. Definitely recommended.

great tv so far

Review Date: July 7, 2008

Reviewer: al, petersburg va

This is my fourth HDTV that I kept since they came out ( I have returned more than you would believe) so I've had a chance to evaluate a few sets and I know what is and is not acceptable. I have hdtv in most of my house now and have utilized technologies which are better for different applications and locations. The quest for a 40-42 inch den tv began last year in the summer. I bought a top brand 42" lcd from a local retailer. The tv did not perform as it was susposed to- it had terrible vertical and horizontal banding. I took it back and got another tv of another brand which was worse. After a few rounds of this nonsense and arguing with the store manager who was not nice at all I got my money back and decided to wait a while. I simply could not understand why I got multiple bum sets in a row and was very nervous about buying any tv again. We are talking serious mura defects (uneven brightness caused from unequal dispersion of the liquid crystal or uneven pressure when pressing glass layers together during manufacturing) and one even would only make green snow on the screen. These tv's were either abused in transit or should have gone to the trash heap and never left the factory. I only wanted a decent tv.

A friend recently told me plasma HDTV was much better now than in the past. I had previously stayed away from plasma because of the short lifespan and the horror stories about image burn in. I researched and he was very right. This tv is rated for 100,000 hrs they say 8 hrs a day for 30 years right on the box and burn in is not much of a problem anymore on this brand of plasma as long as you use common sense and allow a reasonable break in period at moderate settings- and don't be stupid and pause a game for hours and leave it on the tv screen. I honestly don't expect to use it 30 years before getting whatever is newer at the time but if it lasts me 10- 15 years I would be thrilled.

So I went to a different local store and bought one of these after looking at everything they had. Everything about this tv is better than lcd. The viewing angles are very good on this. The picture quality is not often matched- especially in this price range. The specs on this tv are almost too good to be true, especially at this price point.

I play ps3 on this and have no problems. If burn in was such a risk you could not game do you really think they would give the tv a game mode?

I found I had to tweak the factory settings quite a bit to get the ideal picture out of this, I know how so if you don't get a pro or a guide of some type.

I would highly reccomend this tv to anyone else who is very picky about their electronics. I took back many tv's to the store and sold a couple to friends before I found this wonderful tv. BB told me to go shop somewhere else since I brought back one too many I guess last year. I'm glad I did listen to them. This tv was the real deal on the first try. Consistent picture from corner to corner. And it just works like it is susposed to.

Lcd is ok if you play nothing but games or have a super bright room. However if you watch movies some nights, game others, watch broadcasts on others, or just want the best all around picture this plasma is it. The picture really is very good. All colors,even blacks just are so real. Never will I look at tv the same way I used to. Now that I have stepped up to this level I simply must stay here. I thought lcd had a good picture in the past now I find them inferior.
As long as it continues to work as good as it does now I will be very happy. At least I can just sit back and enjoy finally!!

Best Bang for your Buck! Awesome HDTV

Review Date: October 21, 2008

Reviewer: T. Stalcar,

I bought the TV as an upgrade from my 26" Sharp Aquos. I did a lot of research and came to one conclusion; Panasonic will be my best bang for my buck and it had a series of consistent great reviews from a range of models (80O, 80OU, 85O, 85OU, etc) on various websites like amazon and cnet. Lets just say the Pani blew the Sharp out of the water. This TV is comparable to, and maybe even better in picture quality than my parents 42" Fujitsu Plasma that is 3-4yrs old that cost them way more. I use the TV predominantly for watching sports and playing video games. The black levels and HD quality is immaculate. It's almost as if I'm receiving a new signal from Direct TV, that's how noticeably better the picture is. I have the color's turned down below 50 as recommended for the first 80-100 hours, and the picture is still amazing.

Sports in HD are flawless with no motion lag as I experienced with my LCD, and video game play is smooth with crisp colors. I have a Wii and Xbox 360, both look stunning. The TV has now drawn me towards a Blue Ray player purchase which will probably a PS3. Another great feature of the TV is the 3 HDMI and 3 Component inputs. My 3 will be full: Xbox 360, Direct TV box, and a soon to be PS3. The Wii only has Component which worked out great.

The TV itself looks great too. The solid black frame, and very sturdy stand. Although, the only downfall is that the stand is not a swivel like on most LCD's, but I plan for a wall mount anyways. The built in speakers are decent... I had the TV temporarily in my bed room, and the they were more than sufficient. But realistically, any kind of speaker system would be better. Couple great features; 1) TV is compatible with Yamaha or Onkyo theater systems. 2) As a review here has already mentioned, the set comes with some display "reset" patterns to cure most burn-in issues you might face.

A final recommendation from a review I read here on Amazon and from what I've read at the Panasonic website is to break in your TV correctly. I'm a big fan of treating electronic's with.... lets say respect. A few quick tips for new plasma owners and to increase longevity and picture quality:

- Keep the Picture (contrast) and Brightness levels under 50 for the first 100 hrs. This helps the phosphors become "tempered" and in turn not so easily susceptible to bun-in and image retention. As I said, I've yet to experience either.
- Watch everything in Just mode (full screen) for the first 100 hrs for the same reasons listed above
- After the first 100 hrs you can turn things up & start watching things in letterbox, here are some recommended levels someone on amazon posted:
Picture: +70
Brightness: +48
Color: +44
Tint: -3
Sharpness: 0
Color temp: Warm
Color mgmt: Off
x.v.Color: Off
C.A.T.S.: Off

*I know this sounds a bit ridiculous or a bit much, but it will be worth it in the end.

My final comment is that, I highly recommend using Amazon. This was my first purchase from here after hearing nothing but great things from friends and family. The purchase was flawless, I knew what I was getting, since I researched and even went to stores like Bestbuy to see the TV. They use a distribution company for delivery, and they call you with a 4-hour time window before they deliver the TV. They also unpack it so that you can inspect for damage and also turn it on to verify that it works - if anything is wrong they take it right back. None the less, I am thoroughly satisfied with the product, service, and purchase from amazon.

Excellent TV With a Stunning Picture

Review Date: November 27, 2008

Reviewer: Drew McDowell,

I recently bought the 42PZ80U for $899 and I've been using it for about 2 months. I think it's an excellent buy even around $1000.

Picture:
I was a little skeptical of the virtue of plasma's over LCD's because, in those white-washed, warehouse stores, the difference in contrast looks to be negligable. I was wrong. This set produces outstanding blacks. I have another LCD in the house and I didn't know what I was missing. Contrast ratio on this set is very, very good. Blu-Rays on my PS3 look amazing. I just watched "The Incredible Hulk" and I was SHOCKED at how good it looked. It is unbelievable what this 1080p set can do with the right content. There is far more detail in 1080p than there is in 720p. In the short amount of time I've had the Viera, I've viewed almost everything I could: sports, news, sit-coms, dramas, HD, SD, Blu-rays, DVD's, video games, computer games, PC use. It crushes almost everything you throw at it with ease. (I say almost because of problems using it as a computer monitor, see below) Also, the screen itself is glossy, not matte like some LCD's. Personally, I've always prefered the deeper color and slightly more glarey picture of glossy screens over the more-washed out, less reflective matte screens. The Viera has an anti-reflictive coating (aparently) and it does help with glare a lot, at least compared to glossy laptop screens, and TV's I've seen. I have a window behind my seat and I really can't say I've been bothered by reflections at all.

Sound:
First of all, I didn't expect much of anything from a flat-screen. I have a (rather modest) home theater system and I know better than to expect built-in speakers to compete with a sound system. That said... the speakers are terrific! The sound is full (plenty of bass) and it gets LOUD without distorting. In "Hulk" explosions were booming, ricocheting bullets were crystal clear, and it wasn't even at half-volume. I won't be giving up my dedicated surround system for movies and parties and such, but most of the time I'll be comfortably relying on the Panasonic's speakers.

Features:
Well, the on screen menu is very good. Not exceptionally pretty or groundbreaking, but it's better than any of the TV's I've had in the past (except that the useless "Vierra Link" is first up on the menu). The remote, functionally, is not bad, but it is pretty ugly, and a TV at this level should have a universal remote. I would have liked picture-in-picture, but no-one in this class has PIP, so I won't fault it there. SD card slot is a nice feature, but it doesn't pan or fade or anything, so I'll stick to Windows Media Center if I want a slide-show. I also give points for including an input button on the front of the TV with the standard CH, VOL, so you don't have to find the remote every time you want to switch between cable and Playstation. Also, a front HDMI input is nice but I have major problems with the back inputs (again, see below).

Other:
I bought this TV partially for use as a computer monitor, since I'm paying for a 1920x1080 screen. It doesn't have a VGA input, which is a bummer for most people who want to use it with their laptop. I don't mind since my desktop will work with a DVI-HDMI cable. Kinda. First of all, this set isn't exactly pixel-perfect. I assume this is an issue generic to plasmas of any brand, but small text is slightly blurred and difficult to read. It's not that big of a deal since color is more accurate than an LCD for programs like Photoshop. The bigger and more unforgivable problem is with the inputs. The second day I had the TV, it wouldn't turn on and the power LED kept blinking. I thought it was broken. A little internet research told me that the back two HDMI ports don't work with computers: if you try to power-on the TV while the computer is already on and plugged in, something in the TV keeps it from turning on. You have to a: plug it in the front port (obnoxious and unsightly) or b: buy an HDMI repeater/extender. (This information was gathered from an internet forum). I'm probably going to buy the repeater, as I currently have it plugged in on the front of the TV and I hate it. This is absurd and inexcusable. Just be warned about these issues if you want to use it as a monitor.

Also, plasmas are generally more power hungry than LCD's. I don't have a wattage meter or anything but according to tests I've read, this set is on par with most 42" LCD's and has a very low standby power rating. Excellent work, Panasonic.

I know I went into great detail over the flaws, but overall, I'm extremely happy with my purchase and continually impressed by the picture I get. Excluding those really needing a computer monitor, I would recommend the Panasonic 42PZ80U to anyone.

Awesome HDTV!

Review Date: May 20, 2008

Reviewer: Benjamin S. Bowden, Colorado Springs, CO

This is a great product. Since picking up the set at Best Buy (and using the Amazon price to knock quite a bit off their retail price) I have enjoyed every minute of watching this TV. The picture quality is stunning, and the set is built well. The menus are intuitive and well laid-out.

Don't worry about the common plasma myths. Google "plasma buying guide" for information on modern plasma displays. In my opinion, they are currently the best HD technology.

Note: if you want to connect to your PC, consider the Viera TH-42PZ85U, as the 80U does not have a PC input.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 10:54 am and is filed under HDTV 42 inch Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.