Panasonic Viera TH-42PX80U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV |  | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
Buy New: $1,300.00
as of 7/30/2010 13:37 MDT details
New (1) Used (4) from $629.00
Seller: Royal Palm Electronics
Rating:  178 reviews
Sales Rank: 21241
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 42
Shipping Weight (lbs): 61.8
Dimensions (in): 15.2 x 40.2 x 28.6
MPN: TH-42PX80U
Model: TH-42PX80U
UPC: 037988241804
EAN: 0037988241804
ASIN: B00142HLV4
Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | 1024 x 768 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 |
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Panasonic VIERA TH42PX80U 42" 720p Plasma HDTV
Amazon.com Product Description--March 10, 2008
Amazon.com Product Description--March 10, 2008 Panasonic's 720p plasma sets offer incredible value in an HDTV with theunbeatable contrast ratios and fluid motion of plasma technology. 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?
- 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
- Built-in SD card slot with Photo Viewer/Gallery Player software
- x.v. Color and Deep Color (HDMI 1.3 features)
- 24p native reproduction
- 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. |
 | 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. |
| Screen Size
Measured
Diagonally
| 1080p
Full HD
1920 x 1080 pixels
| Native
Contrast
Ratio
| PC Input
| THX
Certification
| 24p
Native
Reproduction
| Speakers
| HDMI
Inputs
| One Sheet
of Glass
Design
| Swivel
Base
| Shades
of
Gradation
| H.624
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 and Gallery Player
- 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
| | | 5,120
|
|
|
|
|
| | TH-46PZ800U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 |
|
|
|
|
| | TH-50PZ800U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 |
|
|
|
|
| | TH-58PZ800U | 58 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 |
|
|
|
|
| | 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 | | | | | |
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 178
 Great picture quality for the price May 20, 2008
S. Dator (Charlotte NC)
67 out of 67 found this review helpful
Price was a significant contributor to my decision to buy this TV. Conversations with tv-guys made me think that I needed to pony up for a 1080, but I just could not justify the premium over the 720p. Now that I have it, I am glad I saved my money. The picture quality is great, both in high def and for normal (low def?) viewing. Whenever I have guests and the TV is on, they are blown away by the quality and ask my questions about it.
I also like the anti-glare screen. At first I was a little concerned that the anti-glare picture would look "dull" compared to your average plasma, but that is no longer a concern - it looks great.
Another big plus for me was the appearance of the TV. Like other Panasonic models, this TV is sleek. Vizio and other manufacturers seem to incorporate larger speakers that look clunky in comparison. The size of the tv relative to the picture size is great - looks nice on the wall, and doesn't take up any more room than it needs to.
In fact, the reason why I am writing this review is because I am going to buy another one for a different room in the house. Panasonic has definitely won my repeat business with this one - I think that says it all.
Best value for the money June 22, 2008
Steve R (Baltimore, MD)
39 out of 39 found this review helpful
You really can't go wrong purchasing this TV. Don't base your decision directly on the Cnet review and instead head over to AVSForum. You'll find a 80+ page thread with numerous reviews done by experts in the field. All of which are very positive and explain why CNet's review isn't too reliable.
Unlike Panasonic's earlier model, the 77U, this TV has an excellent picture right out of the box. There's no need for an expensive calibration or messing with service menu's. I've found my favorite settings, thanks to someone on AVSForum, is:
Picture Mode: Cinema
Picture: 84
Brightness: 40
Tint: -2
Sharpness: 50
Color Temp: Warm
Color mgmt: off
x.v.Color: off
Video NR: off
MPEG NR: off
Black Level: light
You'll find a ton of other settings there too so just do a google search.
This TV also seems very reliable. Out of over 3000+ posts I only saw maybe three that were returned due to a serious failure. (All of which were promptly replaced/repaired) Panasonic also has a really cool warranty service called "Panasonic Concierge". You can schedule service calls online and you'll be contacted within 24 hours. You can also call or chat online with a rep if you've got any questions. Another great thing about them is that if your TV fails and they have to take it away for repair they give you a loaner TV! I sure wish I had that option with my old Philips.
I was first considering purchasing a Samsung LCD but decided to see both first hand in the store. After adjusting the settings on both TV's the Samsung had a very unnatural and bright image while the Panasonic looked as if you were looking out the window. While this sort of thing boils down to what type of picture you prefer I personally was sold on the Panasonic.
Off topic, Amazon rocks too. After buying the TV their price dropped by a lot. I requested a refund for the difference and they did it no questions asked. I got the money back within 3 days! I couldn't be happier with not only the TV, but also Amazon.
Impressive... April 16, 2008
M. Cobb (Bay Area, CA)
37 out of 37 found this review helpful
I spent a few months reviewing plasmas and lcd's both in the big box stores and online. I watch a lot of sports, and the lcd's still have the motion blurring problem (except the expensive new ones). For me, that narrowed it down to the plasmas. Like others have said, the Panasonic's stood out from the rest of the plasma's (except for Pioneers, but they are almost double the cost). In terms of 1080 and 720 plasmas, I could not tell a difference between the two in 42". Maybe a little in the larger sets, but not in this size. Not worth the extra cost IMHO. So, I finally took the plunge on Panasonic's 720 42" when the price dropped below $1000, no tax, free shipping. A great deal for a TV that has been on the market for less than 2 months.
Delivery on the TV was fast (about 5 days early). They called a day ahead and delivered it within 1/2 hour of their estimated arrival. They made sure that the TV worked, and offered to take away all the packaging material. A+.
The TV was a snap to set up--10 minutes. The first thing that I noticed was that the color contrast is excellent, even on SD- much better then our 6-year-old Toshiba 27" tube TV. The clarity varies by station- a function of the channels, not the TV. SD = A-
The picture quality really excels while playing DVDs through component video. Deep rich blacks, vivid colors. The "Planet Earth" series looks incredible. We have not hooked it up to HD yet, but I'm sure it will be even better. A+.
A nice feature is that the TV remembers your settings for each video input. I.e.--we programmed a different color contrast for broadcast TV and DVDs and it stores each separately. There are more than enough ways to adjust picture quality to really fine tune it.
The audio is better than other sets, but not great. We don't use it though, since the TV is hooked up through a 5.1 receiver.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase, both the TV and Amazon's delivery service. Definitely would buy it again.
FOLLOW UP: I just got HD, and it is even better than I could have imagined. I don't even like NBA basketball, but I found myself glued to the playoff game just to see the clarity. UFC was almost TOO clear for comfort. The only problem-- I can't go back to SD now...
3 months to decide - Got it right! May 27, 2008
The Gunny (Great Midwest)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
I drive my wife crazy when I decided to buy something of substantial value. I will research every possible source until I am satisfied with my decision to purchase. I originally set out to purchase an LCD and gave little thought to Plasma as I considered it an aged technology, but after researching and listening to plasma owners, former LCD owners and many high end reviews i couldn't ignore it. In my final stage I made 5 trips to the store and watched TV for a couple hours bouncing back & forth between various sets. In the end the Panasonic won out for a few reasons. First of all the store puts everything on vivid and this drives me nuts! I reached up and set the Panasonic to standard setting and it was beautiful. I then noticed how soothing and rich the picture looked compared to some of the harshly lit, overly bright LCDs. I already knew that Panasonic has had many generations of plasma and were good at it so I brought it home. Once in the home it was sweet out of the box. It was important that it display standard definition programming well as that isn't going away to soon. I am a sports buff and motion blur on some of the LCDs is annoying. This plasma does it all good. I don't know if CNET and a couple other reviewers got bad sets or what, but I find that it has NO noise problem? I sit 8 feet from the TV and it seems almost perfect.
LCDs are getting better sure, but they are still a couple years from these plasma sets!
Can it get any better!? Unfortunately yes, but why?!! August 3, 2008
H. Word (Millington, Tennessee)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
After two months of comparing models & prices, reading internet reviews, and visiting stores for hours of free viewing, I finally decided on purchasing the Samsung 42" plasma, due to the family's budget.
Sadly my bedroom's 32" Olevia LCD died in about 15 months, so I really did my homework this time. Unfortunately, my decision to buy was during the no-tax weekend, and the local BB was like a human feeding frenzy.
However this particular day turned out to be advantageous. So anyway, I'm standing in front of the Panasonic 42" Viera and absolutely loving the picture quality! The Samsung and the LG both looked great also, but the Panasonic was noticeably better. The store clerk interrupts me and asks if I'm ready to purchase. I said yes, but informed him that since my "out-the-door" budget was under $1K, I wanted the $897 Samsung. The Panasonic's price tag was $998 + 9.9% state tax.
After checking for availability, he returned and sadly said they were out of the Samsung models until around August 11th. After seeing my reaction, he said; let me talk to my manager. He returned and said, my mgr will not only give you the Panasonic for the price of the Samsung, but you will also receive 10% off! Unbelievable! So I ended up paying $970 out the door!
This plasma looks & feels like pure quality! Even the way it's boxed. The set up was a breeze, and within 15 minutes, we were watching an up conversion of the Matrix. What an experience! This was absolutely the most awesome picture and sound. After about 4 hours of viewing, I felt the rear of the TV, and it was warm to the touch. Not hot like my 32" LCD. Plus I didn't hear any buzzing sounds emitting from the rear, unlike some owners have noted. So here's my take on the Panasonic TH-42PX80U:
Likes:
1. Setup is extremely easy. The stand or mount attaches in about fifteen minutes.
2. Sexy and sleek body. The black gloss and mirrored bottom strip looks futuristic.
3. Very informative and easy to read Owner's Manual. (plenty of picture guides!)
4. Auto tuning was excellent. The Panasonic picked up 16 digital and 4 HD channels with a standard pair of rabbit ears!
5. Picture quality is excellent. Very deep blacks and the colors are crisp, clear and vibrant. (especially the reds, greens and yellows) Absolutely NO GHOSTING!
6. Hi-Def is a sight to behold! Like night and day when compared to my 4 yr old DLP! Also, my Toshiba 1080i HD-DVD movies look awesome! No need to buy a Blu-Ray player........yet.
7. The sound is great! Loud and crisp! No need to hook up a separate receiver, unless you opt for a sub-out. (I love a deep bass)
8. Standard definition looks great via the Direct receiver.
9. (3) HDMI ports, (3) component out, (1) optical, an SD slot, and (2) svideo. (for those who still own a VCR)
10. The remote control is very simple, easy to use, and the buttons are large and clearly labeled.
11. Panasonic's In-Home Concierge Program. You get your own personal 1-800 number for support issues.
12. Panasonic's awesome new plasma technology almost completely eliminates the worries of burn-in & IR (image retention) issues.
13. On-screen component labeling. (ie: DVD, VCR, DVR, etc.)
14. The anti-glare screen.
15. TV turns itself off, in case you fall asleep while watching.
16. Picture quality gets better after initial 100 hr break-in.
17. My wife loves it!
Dislikes:
1. None except the 100 hr break-in period. I can't wait to really see what this plasma is capable of!
Please go view the Panasonic and compare it with the others. The picture quality will convince you that Panasonic is one of the leading plasma producers as it relates to quality, design, technology, and dependability. I promise it will literally blow you away! I'm really glad I decided to purchase the Panasonic instead of the Samsung. Besides, what's spending an extra $100 compared to getting what you really want?
In fact, I'm so pleased with this television, that I'm seriously considering not investing in the $200 extended warranty. I have 30 days to decide, so we'll just wait and see.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 178
|
|
|
![AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (6.5 Feet/2.0 Meters) [Supports 3D + Audio Return Channel]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001T9NUJE.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
![AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters) [Supports 3D + Audio Return Channel]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B001TH8UUA.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
