The truth about buying a TV. Plus a review on this model.

Category: Review on Panasonic TH-42PZ80A 42 inch Plasma TV

Posted by: 14-Apr

Strengths: Very good picture quality, I'm talking about impressive. Simple to use remote control Stylish exterior, smooth piano black.

Weaknesses: Only 2 HDMI ports (however with good quality cables the component inputs are almost as good) Speakers could use slightly more bass, however that's what a home theatre system is for.

I got this TV for a bargain, only $1400 because I bought it directly from Panasonic. It previously belonged to somebody else and had a fault in it. Panasonic fixed the problem and gave exactly the same '1 year warranty' you'd get with a new one. You can still get the Panasonic extended warranty if you desire.
It's always a gamble with this reconditioned gear, you never know if you'll get a scratched one. I didn't thank god. But really, who would let their TV get scratched anyway, its your pride a joy.

I've been weighing up LCD's and plasma's for a while now, certain that I wanted to make the right choice. My needs were HD quality TV and movies, plus a good screen for my Xbox. I was incredibly happy with the results from this TV. It handles every type of image without blur and looks great. Contrast and sharpness is very good, worth mentioning!

Overall, if you stand at the shop and compare all TV's you'll eventually want to buy the most expensive model, it'll look the best. However I chose this model, because I liked: no-blur in images ever, good contrast, razor sharp detail, future proof (1080p) and the right sized screen.

Despite what people will say, you don't just buy the biggest screen available. Listen to the experts, screen sizes are designed for room sizes and isn't something you simply guess. Experts will say, measure how far you sit from the screen (ie. how far your couch is from the TV), then divide it by 2.5. It'll equal your 'ideal' screen size. Most regular people will be surprised by this, but for 'ideal' viewing you should be able to see the entire screen all the time. Not quickly looking left and right because the screen is too big. Keep that in mind. A screen is not just a bragging tool, its to enjoy what you're watching.

Regardless of what people say with plasma screens and burn in, you simply don't pause the screen and leave the TV on, simply turn it off. Xbox/PS3's look great on them, I can't fault the images. They look natural and have great depth. You never have that LCD worry about whether the TV can keep up with the fast moving images. However with the new LCD models, that's not so much of an issue from 2009 onwards.