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(More customer reviews)If you subscribe to Consumer Reports--as I do (5 year subscription)--see my review on this magazine--note that the Panasonic plasmas are rated not just a little, but much higher than any other brand name within the comparable price range. Panasonic has plasma down. You must pay thousands more to get a better picture. This is the bottom line at this time. Perhaps things may change in time, but not quite yet. I am not affiliated with Panasonic and am merely summarizing my extensive and thorough research into plasma and lcd televisions.
Now, as to the question of lcd versus plasma, it is also a given at this time that plasma offers a superior picture which must be the primary concern of a videophile. Enough said on this account. If television picture is less important to you than ... whatever (?) --power consumption perhaps?, then you may consider lcd. I considered lcd tv's long and hard, and really wanted to believe in lcd technology, but in the end concluded the larger screen lcd tv's are drastically overpriced while offering poor performance. Perhaps technology will change this scenario one day, but I doubt it.
Now, if you accept my position that Panasonic plasma is the way to go for high def, the next question is, which Panasonic plasma to choose?
Mainly it depends on how much you wish to spend. The more money, the higher definition and the bigger screen you can afford. I found that the best price/performance ratio was to be had with this humble EDTV model. I do not wish to sign up for HDTV at this time due to the higher cable costs, so my motive in buying a higher def TV is mainly for watching DVD movies in their native resolution. I can personally attest that this EDTV is excellent (and is rated excellent by Consumer Reports) for DVD movies of all stripes.
Prior to purchasing, I researched the th-42pwd8uk so much online that I knew its name by heart. Daily I entered this name in Google to read reviews, and observed that it was widely acclaimed for an excellent picture at a reasonable price. At its current price, there is only one serious competitor to the th-42pwduk, and it is the retail version of the Panasonic 42", which has a silver case rather than a black one. The other brand names, Sony, Samsung, Phillips et al, have not at this time received comparable ratings for those units in the same price range (below $3000). A consensus has emerged placing the crown of achievement upon Panasonic's head.
This is the professional version of the 42" Panasonic plasma EDTV; not to be confused with the higher-resolution, and correspondingly higher price HDTV. Also, not to be confused with the ugly silver version of the 42" EDTV being sold at the retail chains. Panasonic has a wide array of models and it gets quickly confusing sorting them all out. I studied them all and settled on this one being the best for my purpose (combined PC / TV use).
The most important difference to keep in mind is that, unlike the retail version, the th-42pwd8uk boasts a VGA connection and is readily connected to any PC, a point many reviewers have sadly overlooked, bedazzled as they are by its amazing TV picture. It also has what many consider to be a more attractive appearance with its neutral black case that does not detract from the decor of a sophisticated home. The price is slightly lower than the silver version, though if you buy the Panasonic stand (TY-ST08K) you pay an extra $200 (including shipping). With the stand, the prices become about the same.
The advantages of the silver-colored retail version of the 42" Panasonic plasma EDTV are that it can be obtained locally at the big chain stores, and already has everything you need built in: speakers, tuner, and stand. I submit, however, that the speakers are of limited value since most people paying big bucks for higher def will connect their sound to an existing surround-sound system. I also find the tuner of limited value to folks who are not subscribed to high-def. The stand is just ugly. And then you calculate the not-inconsiderable addition of sales tax.
What decided the issue for me is that th-42pwd8uk has a VGA connection and simply looks more attractive. I really did not want the silver retail monstrosity in my living room. The stand feet make it look like a robot from a bad 1950s sci-fi movie.
Naturally, you should be nervous buying this unit online--which is why I did my research--but if you buy from a highly reputable dealer, I think you may be very pleased, as I was. I watched "Lord of the Rings" on this monitor and the picture was simply outstanding. If you play many DVD movies, this is definitely the choice for you.
Recommendations:
-if you intend to set the unit on a table, rather than mounting on the wall, buy the TY-ST08K. It is a heavy metal method of securing your plasma TV and keeping it from falling down. I own and recommend it. I want to be very clear that this unit does not come equipped with any kind of stand or feet and *cannot* remain vertical on its own! I had to prop the unit up against a wall for eight days, waiting for the stand to arrive. Decide prior to purchase whether to wall-mount or use a stand. One of the things that really tick me off about certain retailers is they often picture it as having the stand, when it DOES NOT include any such thing!
-You will need female-RCA-to-male-BNC adaptors to connect your RCA cables for the component and composite connections. You definitely should connect your DVD player via the component connection. S-video is a less desirable alternative. Composite is the worst choice and should only be used as a last resort.
-Now comes the favorite part of my review, the VGA connection. According to the manual, you can achieve 852 x 480 resolution on your PC. Going any further risks loss of clarity. I went further, to 800 x 600, and sacrificed some clarity, but don't really mind. The connection to the computer is effortless and plug-n-play. Don't worry, your PC will connect just fine to this television. The only thing you will need to do is go to Control Panel | Display and adjust your resolution to fit this monitor. I do not recommend using 1024 x 768 on this EDTV model. Perhaps on its HDTV cousin, but that's another story.
-I used to recommend buying high-priced, high quality component cables. But since then, I have discovered that you can get a good picture from lower priced, less fancy cables. I have a feeling the "Monster" brand may be a good bit overpriced. I bought 6' Monster component cables, gold-plated, for about $65 from Radio Shack. I connected using gold-plated female-RCA-to-male-BNC adaptors. Remember, this unit requires such adaptors--but they are cheap and easily obtained online, at Ebay for instance, or locally at Radio Shack. But when I bought a Panasonic DVD player, the Monster cables would not fit in its component hookups. So I wound up using the cheap-looking cables Panasonic provided with the DVD player. It doesn't seem to be a big difference.
-try to avoid using the composite video connection. If you are staying with SDTV, like me, try to go with S-video if at all possible. The lack of an HDMI input, unless you have special requirements, is irrelevant; component cables provide quite comparable reception as that newer, "copy-protected" option, which was devised by and is being promoted by the movie industry. Do the research; component input is all you need. It is being phased out of newer models--unfortunately.
-read the manual and take the time to learn the many features of your intelligent monitor. In particular, learn how to switch between the viewing modes.
-I think you should turn the brightness down from day 1 when you receive your monitor. I have this theory they jack the brightness UP as a factory default just so it will look good on a showroom floor and make a good first impression. But the television's longevity matters to me; and I didn't really need the ultra-high brightness.
-another recommendation is to turn the screen saver function ON, just as a precaution, to help avoid burn-in.
-on your DVD player, make sure to change the output signal to "Widescreen" (i.e. 16:9) and "Progressive scan" either 525p or 480p. This, combined with a component cable connection, will get you an excellent picture. If your DVD player doesn't support these options, buy a new DVD player! It's well-worth it. If you're strapped for cash, a new progressive scan player from Samsung only runs about $60 - $70 or so.
-Lastly, let me reiterate that this is a monitor, and has no tuner. To get television reception, you must hook your coaxial cable to a vcr, cable box, or dvd player that does have a tuner. I was doing this anyway for my previous tv, so it was not a big deal to me.
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Panasonic TH-42PWD8UK 42-Inch Plasma EDTVThis 16:9 widescreen plasma set a bright display that will look good in any room, on any wall or on any surface. It comes standard with both basic video and PC inputs and is easily expandable to accommodate a variety of different sources.
Image Panasonic's Multi-Facet Asymmetrical Configuration Hyper-Pixel (MACH) panel features new materials and technology that improves the light-emitting efficiency and intensity of their plasma screens. The result is a deeper contrast ratio (up to 3,000:1 in dark areas), 2,048 shades of gradation (4,096 shades via HDMI or DVI connection and optional accessory board),3.62 billion full-time displayable colors. It is compatible with a whole host of HD signals, from 1080i to 480p.
The TH-42PWD8UK also uses a host of Panasonic image improving features. Adaptive Gain Control raises contrast while suppressing noise by detecting and boosting only the image edges. Motion Picture Noise Disturbance Reduction detects motion patterns that tend to generate noise and makes adjustments to maximize image quality without diminishing the quality of stationary background objects. The Active Interlace/Progressive Conversion System reduces interlace to progressive conversion noise that often occurs when reproducing tiny movements, resulting in better vertical resolution.
Connections The TH-42PWD8UK features both flexible A/V and IT system configurations. Built-in video connections include S-video, BNC, and component. Accessory boards expand your possibilities to include SDI, HD-SDI, HDMI, DVI-D w/HDCP, Twisted-Pair cable, and IEEE 802.11b. Have the set do double duty as your PC monitor, too, since it supports VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA, and UXGA PC signals and comes with a common PC monitor port. The Remotes System Monitoring Command feature allows users to control their TH-42PWD8UK via RS-232C interface. If you really want to get fancy, a built-in wall processor allows you to array TH-42PWD8UKs in 2x2, 3x3, or even 4x4 multi-screen video walls.
37-inch Wide Screen A general rule of thumb for selecting the right size television screen is that the screen width--not its 37-inch diagonal measurement--should be between three and five times the optimum viewing distance, such as the distance from the TV screen to where your eyes are while sitting on the couch. Less than that and you may be distracted by the scan lines of the picture. More than that, and you may lose the detail of your TV. Based on this guide, the TH-42PWD8UK is ideal for viewing distances of nine to 15 feet.
Other Features Panasonic's new Advanced Dual Picture Mode simultaneously displays images from two different video sources or a video and PC source. 4x Digital Zoom allows you to divide the screen into zones and enlarge images up to 400%. The set also features enhanced screen saver and energy-saving functions.
What's in the Box TH-42PWD8UK plasma TV, remote control unit, battery, band, power cord, warranty, and operating instructions book
Buy cheap Panasonic TH-42PWD8UK 42-Inch Plasma EDTV now.
