Panasonic 42" 1080p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV

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(and of course HD cable looks great). I was under the impression that few if any modern displays could handle SD well, frankly because I hadn't seen evidence of it. I was wrong, there have been a few times that I had to look hard to tell I was watching Standard Def (CNN puts out an especially clean broadcast in my area). Secondly, HD content; doubly stunning! I'm running both HD Cable and a PS3 Blu-ray. I figured I'd be buying many of my movies again in Blu-ray....wrong. Certainly true HD content has the edge but the upscaler combined with this set is jaw dropping, Pixar DVDs are quite amazing.

Now a few comments about Plasma vs LCD:

No doubt LCD has it's place, some people simply want a very "punchy" and extremely bright display. This is especially useful for daytime/bright room viewing. However, the drawbacks are considerable:

- motion lag/bur: if you see it (and I do) it's VERY distracting
- black levels clearly not up to par, which greatly affects the overall picture quality

On the other hand Plasma pluses:

- no motion lag
- industry standard black levels
- extremely realistic/film like experience

A few words on Image Retention & Burn in:

These are not the same thing though the terms are often used interchangeably. Image Retention is the result of a static image (any image that doesn't change for extended periods; video game displays, station identification, etc) to remain on the screen even after you've changed images. This is a temporary problem and one that is easily erased by viewing full screen for short periods where all the pixel locations on the screen will get some activity. Frankly I've not seen even one instance on my set. Burn-in is the extreme, unfixable version of this, leaving a static image on the screen for many hours (all day) or always watching all your content letterboxed will certainly lead to burn in. It's easy to avoid. The Panasonic is especially immune to this and even has many safety features built in to prevent it (pixel shifting and auto off if a screen remains unchanged for an extended period).

Finally a few quick tips for new owners, gleaned mostly from the AVS forums and partly directly from Panasonic's own website:

- Keep the Picture (contrast) and Brightness levels under 50 for the first 100 hrs. This helps the phosphors become "tempered" and in turn not so easily susceptible to bun-in and image retention. As I said, I've yet to experience either.
- Watch everything in Just mode (full screen) for the first 100 hrs for the same reasons listed above
- After the first 100 hrs you can turn things up & start watching things in letterbox, here are some recommended levels:
Picture: +70
Brightness: +48
Color: +44
Tint: -3
Sharpness: 0
Color temp: Warm
Color mgmt: Off
x.v.Color: Off
C.A.T.S.: Off

One final note for those on the fence: Don't go by what you see in the stores, what is displayed in no way exemplifies what these sets (any brand really) are capable of. My picture is light years better than anything I ever saw at Best Buy (including this very set). Delivery from Amazon/CEVA was a breeze by the way, took one week from ordering to door.

Panasonic 42" 1080p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV

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blue for fast moving objects and sports, but you pay up for it. I saw a little Wimbledon while at best buy and the ball did see fuzzy at times. Well, a Plasma is at 480 mhz image refresh rate, so you don't have to worry about 120 vs. 60. ALso check out the contrast ratios. They are significantly higher on a Plasma. I'm not a huge spec person because they don't mean everything. But there is a difference between 1,000,000:1 vs. 10,000:1 on an LCD. So go with the plasma.

I did have some issues with Butterfly photo. The mispriced the extended warranty i also purchased and had to call back to correct it. When the warranty showed up in the mail, it was for an LCD, not plasma. SO I had to call back. Then since I had the item in my Amazon cart, I saw they had lowered the price and Butterfly would not honor their own price reduction just 24 hours after purchasing it. It had not even been shipped yet and they claimed they could not cancel the order and resell it at the lower price. BS. However, I purchased the item over the phone from butterfly, not online. Their phone price was lower than the AMZN price and the extended warranty was on special, which I would not have know about. So I saved about $150 just by calling, so I'm not too upset by the $50 price reduction. They will try to sell you other things, like cables or power units, just say you'll think about it.

As for as some small issues with the TV. The channel change button are on the side of the TV, but still tucked several inches behind it. There are a little difficult to see if the TV is in a cabinet, which mine is. Plus my 3-year old can no longer change the channels. She used to be able to switch between the DVD or Leapfrog games, but cannot do it without help now. Also, adding components to the TV requires several different cables. The TV accepts many inputs, but only two or each. I had been connection my with the same blue, red, green, white, and red cables. But after the DVD and PVR, I have to buy different cables to connect the cable box, VRC or game consol.

Other than that. A great TV. Definately go with the Plasma. The old burn-in issues of old have been solved and its so much brighter, crisper, and worth the money compared to an LCD.

Panasonic 42" 1080p Flat-Panel Plasma HDTV

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the side to get the right jack. A swivel base would be nice. They provide it on the higher end models why not this one too?

Overall, I am very pleased with my set and my purchase through Amazon. It exceeded my expectations. Delivery through Amazon purchase was great. The unit arrived promptly and delivery person took the time to unpack and inspect the unit. Terrific product, terrific service. No complaints.