A Panasonic Plasma Television That's Right For You?(Reviewed 9/25/08) A Panasonic plasma television always leads the TV industry in plasma TVs. So much so that it’s hard to decide which Panny better fits your needs. Panny’s best 42-inch model, the TH-42PHD7UY (industrial version) gets serious competition from the Panasonic TH-42PX50U (consumer version). Industrial plasma models are all picture. No speakers, no tuner and limited inputs. You’ll pay an extra couple of hundred bucks for the consumer model to get these features. If you’re looking for value go for the best picture with the TH-42PHD7UY. We'll review the TH-42PX50U here and you can determine which Panasonic television better fits your needs. The attractive TH-42PX50U is a solid performer and a great bargain if you want speakers to go with your picture. The speakers, mounted below the screen rather than on the left and right sides, allows the panel to use less real estate. This Panasonic plasma measures 42 by 28 by 4 inches (weighs 76 pounds) and is ideal for wall mounting. I highly recommend this. Most plasma owners (me included) can’t ait to get them up on the wall. The Panasonic TH-42PX50U uses a black bezel that surrounds the screen and adds to the perceived contrast ratio of the picture. Panasonic TH-42PX50U’s native resolution, 1024x768 (true HDTV) provides more detail when you use high-def sources. The TH-42PX50U has 2:3 pulldown in the video processing to help combat motion artifacts in standard-def sources. On the downside this Panasonic plasma television lacks these features:
The TH-42PX50U connections include one HDMI input, two component-video inputs, and a single RF antenna/cable input for high-def sources. For standard-def there are two A/V inputs with S-Video or composite video, and a set of A/V monitor outputs with composite video only. There are three picture presets on this Panasonic plasma: Vivid, Standard, and Cinema. Each preset is independently customizable for contrast, brightness, and other typical settings. The Panasonic TH-42PX50U includes a QAM tuner for cable, a built-in ATSC tuner for receiving off-air HDTV broadcasts, and an NTSC tuner for regular antenna reception. Overall this Panasonic plasma television has excellent image quality with Panasonic’s hallmark ability to produce a deeper level of black than all other brands of plasma. Why is this important? Because good black levels are essential for home-theater viewing in dim light. Deeper black levels lead to better color saturation and a deliver a picture with more impact. Hey, that’s what home theaters are all about-more impact! With the exception of the Panasonic TH-42PHD7UY, the TH-42PX50U offers the best home-theater image of any 42-inch plasma. The newest line of Panasonic plasma television models.
Panasonic's last generation of plasma television models. From Panasonic Plasma Television Back to The HDTV Review Home Page
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