 I finally made a choice of a replacement TV |
| Review Date: May 13, 2008 |
| Reviewer: D. Marsh, Epson, Surrey |
After much agonizing I eventually opted for the Panasonic TH-42PZ85B. I had almost bought a Sony in their 3500 range but backed away when I saw the Freeview quality. My choice was driven by the fact that I use mainly Freeview at present and I must say the results from the Panasonic are better than I hoped for.
The set is well packed but will require two people to fix to separate stand. Be aware that the only cable supplied is the power cable. Remote control is well laid out with large buttons. The electronic guide is easy to navigate and has some welcome features such as allowing to focus on the days program list for a single channel.
I have connected via HDMI cable to a DVD player that can upscale and DVD replay is stunning. Watching sport is a joy because of the clarity even at high motion. I use the set on the normal setting with a slight tweek to brightness. Not even a hint of burn to date.
Only negative is the standby power consumption. So worth switching off when not in use.
I am looking forward to getting FreeSat and getting the very best from the set. |
Ever so pleased with this TV
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| Review Date: September 8, 2008 |
| Reviewer: ND1234, Herts, UK |
Going on the back of lots of good magazine reviews, I went ahead with this TV. Bought from John Lewis in the end; although it's a little cheaper here they give a free 5 year warranty. Pricing changes all the time though so do check. And once you buy a new TV, stop checking. It's depressing how much cheaper they are the following month!
Here's why I chose this make & model:
- Panasonic consistently gets good reviews for plasma screens, and this one scores very highly.
- This screen is very bright, fine for my dual-aspect lounge.
- It is full high definition - 1080p 24p etc.
- It has lots of inputs. I have a Freeview recorder, two games consoles, and DVD player. There are still some spare.
Here's what I discovered after plugging it in:
- The picture is awesome - even with normal definition broadcasts. Motion is smooth and colours rich. It's not grainy even up close either. Try that with an LCD.
- The on board digital tuner is spot on.
- The remote control is well laid out and has nice big buttons.
- The sound is... well, it's ok. See below.
- High definition gaming is awesome!
- Smart metal and glass TV stands are very cheap at eBuyer.
Sound. Here's where my old 36" CRT TV scored highly. It had a big enough case (over a metre deep!) to hide large speakers and a subwoofer within. Physics dictates that plasma and LCD screens simply can't. I knew this but even so the sound is not great. So I have bought an Onkyo A/V amplifier Onkyo TX-SR606 AV Receiver (Black) and hooked it up with decent speakers. I think this, or getting a home cinema system is a must.
However overall I really cannot recommend this TV highly enough. So impressed. It's a solid five star product.
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Great TV, Great picture
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| Review Date: September 15, 2008 |
| Reviewer: R. HEAD, |
| Finally decided to go plasma over LCD for the 42 incher, just think the texture of the picture is better, colours are fantastic, sound is totally fine in my 15'x15' room. If sound is an issue you can add an amp and speakers or buy the 800 model, my thoughts are that it is totally fine, sometimes I feel sound set ups take over the picture... you have a 42" screen and wembley arena sound, it's just wrong, the sound is too big for the picture !! I read about the lip sync issues and believe it is the broadcast, I have not experienced it yet but have on my Toshiba (new) in another room, only on the odd occasion and only sky, I dont think it is the TV's doing at all, 99.999% of the time everything is great, so highly recommended. Picture is brilliant. |
panasonic 42pz85b
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| Review Date: May 5, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mrs. S. Watson, |
This is my first flat panel tv and I opted for the Panasonic 42pz85b.
It arrived very well packed I was most impressed wuth the simplicity yet very clever with package design.
The tv seemed, at first to be very big compared to my previous television. I have got used to the size now.
The set up was very easy and straight forward but had to supply my own HDMI lead plus audio leads, as I put sound through a seperate av amp. the only lead that is supplied is the power lead, so make sure you have everything else that you may require.
I can only say that the picture quality on freeview is absolutely stunning, the best I have seen.
I do not have HD tv channels but I would not be bothered with it as the quality of the freeview picture is that good. There is extremly good colour depth and everything being displayed is true to life.
I played Jeff Waynes War of The Worlds Live dvd And it blew my socks off with the quality of the picture.
The sound from the Panasonic is acceptable but as previously stated I run the sound through my av amp and theatre sound system.
The build to me seems very good indeed. The stand was very easy to assemble and swivels.
The remote was very easy to use and the buttons are a reasonable size.
I can only say that if you are looking to buy a 42inch television then the Panasonic 42pz85b will surely be at the top of your list. |
Plasma TV beats LCD hands down
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| Review Date: October 25, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Mr. C. M. Sear, Bournemouth England |
Bought this 13.10.08. After looking casually for a future replacement for my Sony 36" glass crt tv, wasn't expecting to have to change so much earlier than anticipated. The Sony was only 5yrs old, and suddenly decided to go wrong. After calling endless repairers, finally got onto Sony. They have a selected Authorized repair network. 2in my area serving half a million people. Phoned them both. At least they both quoted me the same call out, £82.00, cos it would take 2 guys to take it to workshop. This was not refundable even if you have the work done. After describing the problem, neither seemed certain they could fix it anyway. I paid over £2000 for this set. So abandoned idea of repair and put money towards new one.
Did the usual trailing round, and decided on 40/42". Once you get to 40" plus with LCD you lose the definition and contrast. Researched everywhere I could think of (incl Amazon), and although one reviewer had issues with sound on this Pan I found it more than satisfactory. The picture outstripped all of the other sets I compared in the flesh, LCD or Plasma. This is an amazing set. Far better than I thought I could get for the cash I had. It's fantastic. Even got Panasonics own extra warranty for 5yrs included in the price. (1months promo only). Chuffed or what.
Can't recommend this highly enough, particularly if you are of the older generation. The extra size super clear sound and picture quality, will suit you perfectly. Only one thing left to say, well done Panasonic, this is a winner. Oh, and Sony stick it! |
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