Tagged Products - plasma+720p
(183)
results 1 - 20 of 183 reviews
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I expected a better picture. I have just watched TV on a tube for years and heard plasmas are great, but maybe I need the 1080 as well. I don't know enough about electronics to really know if the 1080 would help with the picture but up close it's a little spotty. It's great from a distance and it serves it's purpose for me. I am thinking about getting my dad the same one with the 1080. I love the flat screen and the size is perfect!
15 price(s)
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Forget about 1080p - it just doesn't matter for a screen this size or smaller. The set actually has a 1080p processor, but a 720p display. I saw this one next to the 1080p model running off the same feed and this set looked better. If you see this in the store, do not go by the terrible picture you see. Their feeds are horrible, and the settings on the set are set to vivid (which is totally off for colors/brightnress, etc).
Go to avsforum dot com and search for the thread on this particular model. Several people have posted settings that make this TV pop.
Here's my take on my set with only 50 hours of break in (plasma sets get better with time - 100-200 hours is the break in period)
Pros:
1. Picture - HDTV is outstanding, DVDs are better, and I have yet to get Blu-Ray. Standard def tv is pretty good on this set, though once we added the HD channels to our cable package, we no longer watch any sd programming except the kids, who watch cartoons (and they look good on this set). Out of
Go to avsforum dot com and search for the thread on this particular model. Several people have posted settings that make this TV pop.
Here's my take on my set with only 50 hours of break in (plasma sets get better with time - 100-200 hours is the break in period)
Pros:
1. Picture - HDTV is outstanding, DVDs are better, and I have yet to get Blu-Ray. Standard def tv is pretty good on this set, though once we added the HD channels to our cable package, we no longer watch any sd programming except the kids, who watch cartoons (and they look good on this set). Out of
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The battle wages on between LCD and Plasma, but I know I chose correctly when I picked up this television. I have had it now for over a month and I still am as mezmerized as I was on day one. The colors and picture quality are absolutely brilliant. I have a friend that has a 1080p LCD TV and it does not hold a candle to the overall picture quality of this plasma. Again, the one drawback to a plasma screen TV is that it has a glass front, so if you are planning on having this in a room with lots of light and window, reflections will be a problem, and you might choose an LCD. But if you have a TV area like mine, hands down this is the best value and quality. 3 HDMI inputs (2 back, 1 front), 2 component inputs (1 back, 1 front) and your regular cable and composite hook ups available on back as well. The menues are easy to navagate, and the remote is user friendly. This also has an SD card slot that can handle the SDHC cards up to 16gb so you can display your digital photos. The only
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Like a few others I have read here, I am new to HDTV. I did a bit of research and narrowed my choices to this model and the Panasonic TH-42PZ85U.
I was looking at the Panasonic because initially I thought I wanted 1080p resolution, but after reading a few articles I decide I did not need it. HD cable is 720p right now and apparently will not be 1080p for some time due to bandwidth issues (although someone more knowledgeable on this topic is free to correct me on this point). And this TV is several hundred dollars cheaper than the Panasonic 1080p model. I looked at the Panasonic 720p 42 inch but that model (TH-42PX80U) does not have a PC input, which I wanted.
Anyway I went to my local Best Buy and they happened to have the Samsung PN42A450 and the Panasonic TH-42PZ85U right next to each other, and they both had a great picture. I liked the colors better on the Samsung though--they appeared richer to me.
So I went with the PN42a450 from Amazon. Best Buy's list price beat Amazon's,
I was looking at the Panasonic because initially I thought I wanted 1080p resolution, but after reading a few articles I decide I did not need it. HD cable is 720p right now and apparently will not be 1080p for some time due to bandwidth issues (although someone more knowledgeable on this topic is free to correct me on this point). And this TV is several hundred dollars cheaper than the Panasonic 1080p model. I looked at the Panasonic 720p 42 inch but that model (TH-42PX80U) does not have a PC input, which I wanted.
Anyway I went to my local Best Buy and they happened to have the Samsung PN42A450 and the Panasonic TH-42PZ85U right next to each other, and they both had a great picture. I liked the colors better on the Samsung though--they appeared richer to me.
So I went with the PN42a450 from Amazon. Best Buy's list price beat Amazon's,
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After two months of comparing models & prices, reading internet reviews, and visiting stores for hours of free viewing, I finally decided on purchasing the Samsung 42" plasma, due to the family's budget.
Sadly my bedroom's 32" Olevia LCD died in about 15 months, so I really did my homework this time. Unfortunately, my decision to buy was during the no-tax weekend, and the local BB was like a human feeding frenzy.
However this particular day turned out to be advantageous. So anyway, I'm standing in front of the Panasonic 42" Viera and absolutely loving the picture quality! The Samsung and the LG both looked great also, but the Panasonic was noticeably better. The store clerk interrupts me and asks if I'm ready to purchase. I said yes, but informed him that since my "out-the-door" budget was under $1K, I wanted the $897 Samsung. The Panasonic's price tag was $998 + 9.9% state tax.
After checking for availability, he returned and sadly said they were out of the Samsung
Sadly my bedroom's 32" Olevia LCD died in about 15 months, so I really did my homework this time. Unfortunately, my decision to buy was during the no-tax weekend, and the local BB was like a human feeding frenzy.
However this particular day turned out to be advantageous. So anyway, I'm standing in front of the Panasonic 42" Viera and absolutely loving the picture quality! The Samsung and the LG both looked great also, but the Panasonic was noticeably better. The store clerk interrupts me and asks if I'm ready to purchase. I said yes, but informed him that since my "out-the-door" budget was under $1K, I wanted the $897 Samsung. The Panasonic's price tag was $998 + 9.9% state tax.
After checking for availability, he returned and sadly said they were out of the Samsung
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This is the 4th Panasonic HDTV that I've purchased in the past 2 years. Always had good luck with them until now. This set worked for about 30 minutes and then the picture and sound were gone. Called Panasonic and waited on hold for over 35 minutes, was put through to the wrong dept. twice (another 15 minutes) and then the person that finally set up an appt. for a repair person to come out was RUDE. The repair was done in less then 48 hrs. and the person who came to the house was terrific. I am, however DONE with Panasonic. The product is good, but when there's poor support it's not worth buying.
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The picture on this tv is incredible. The detail is amazing. It is extremely clear and makes watching television an extremely enjoyable experience, particularly sporting events. I would recommend this televison for anyone in the market for a plasma tv.
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I've had it for only 1 day so far. Whereas the manufacturer recommends about 100hrs break-in period, I have seen a huge improvement in picture quality since just in the last 24hrs. Of course, I put the TV on a channel that doesn't constantly show their logo and left it on the whole day while I was at work. Regular standard signal looks very clean for an HD TV set. Its not too grainy at all. HD signal over the air looks sharper. I matched it with a sony upconverting DVD player hooked via HDMI and the sound and image quality is superb. It upconverts automatically to 1080p. This TV has an optical out so you can get the best digital TV sound to your receiver. The one HD station I received broadcaseted in Dolby digital. I picked this set after weeks of research from which I concluded that for a 42 inch TV, you really won't see a difference between 720p vs 1080p. And an added advantage is that 720p looks nicer if you have standard signal for your tv. For those who are picky - the remote looks
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Every good thing you read in the reviews about this TV is validated when you view the picture.Sharp high resolution, good sound quality for built in speakers and an almost infinite picture tuning capability to customize the viewing preferences of the owner.If you want more contrast you can adjust it to where you will need sun glasses! Packaging and delivery was good and on time.White glove delivery is as stated , however you should know that a $20 advance tip was provided in order to encourage the two men to mount the TV on the enclosed pedestal.It is impossible for one person to do it alone given its weight.Had I not done so , I believe they would have resisted mounting it. I have heard others say the same thing.This is not a complaint however, because Amazon has always demonstrated to me that they are customer focused, stand behind their products and are hands down the best on line seller.After the tip , the agents spent 20 minutes tuning the TV to my preferences so it was well worth
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This TV is great. I have HD channels on my cable and it seems that the signal is the weak link in resolution, not the TV. The resolution is great and I don't understand why people pay more for 1080 when 720p looks almost identical from four feet away.
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I've been thinking about getting a HDTV for some time now, but have been price-watching and comparing, afraid to make a commitment - confounded by the same worry that accompanies all large electronics purchases : What if the price drops immediately after I buy the TV? What if it's not so great as everyone else describes? Can I trust an online "deal"?
Because I consider myself as very picky about what I buy in terms of quality - but also frugal to some extent, I would endlessly walk around stores, to see if I could spot a winner at a reasonable price. One note of caution: Be wary about picking a TV merely based on its performance in a store. The lighting is rarely similar to that in your living room and the color, contrast and brightness are turned way up to grab your attention. The LCD TVs show better in brightly lit stores because their bright vivid displays attract but blow out the finer details. What drew my eye on two separate occasions (without first noticing the brand) was the Panasonic
Because I consider myself as very picky about what I buy in terms of quality - but also frugal to some extent, I would endlessly walk around stores, to see if I could spot a winner at a reasonable price. One note of caution: Be wary about picking a TV merely based on its performance in a store. The lighting is rarely similar to that in your living room and the color, contrast and brightness are turned way up to grab your attention. The LCD TVs show better in brightly lit stores because their bright vivid displays attract but blow out the finer details. What drew my eye on two separate occasions (without first noticing the brand) was the Panasonic
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I bought this tv back in june from fry's electronics for $800 shipped.They shipped it via dhl,was kind of worried because the box was a little crunched on one side,but thankfully the tv was fine. This replaced my 20 year old sony 27 inch,I turned the samsung on and was surprised on how good the standard definition picture was,then i looked at the pbs station in hi def and WOW! Ive made sure not to watch too much in letterbox format, just zoom to avoid the black bars,at least for the first 100 hours.I have not experienced any image retention yet,but if i do the set has a "screen cleaner"to help avoid any burn in. I also turned the brightness and contrast down for the first 100 hours.I was going to wait for a 1080p but any screen under 50 inches you realy can't tell the difference anyway.Everyone told me to buy a lcd, but I think this tv looks better than any lcd, 1080p or otherwise.The set also has a hdmi conection on the side and more in the back.I also like the piano black finish,I'm so
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I bought this as a second set for the recreation room and I couldn't be happier. For concerts and movies this set is spectacular. With proper placement and a little bit of care, a plasma of this size cannot be beat for entertanment value and all the drawbacks of plasmas are taken care of, all that is left is the pluses. The colours, contrast, black levels and features are top notch. Of course, if you only have one set and you want to use it for gaming, sports programming, news, and other programming with lots of static, high contrast graphics, you need to be extra careful, as burn-in is still being reported. how I use it, I don't even see any image retention, even less than on my LCD, or CRT. I don't think pixel shifting is the solution, I don't even engage it most of the time.
The set is solidly built, but the speakers are a bit of a let-down. Good enough at moderate level, but a home theatre seems almost a requirement to match this TV.
For those in the know, 720p is just as good
The set is solidly built, but the speakers are a bit of a let-down. Good enough at moderate level, but a home theatre seems almost a requirement to match this TV.
For those in the know, 720p is just as good
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After a few days with this TV, I am mad at myself for not ordering it sooner. This TV is great. Amazing black level, very crisp, rich colors, it makes everything look better. I'm upgrading from a 37" LCD and I'm totally sold on plasma tech. I think 50" is the perfect size for the average living room. Go big or go home.
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I always wanted a HDTV, and I decided on this model by reading the reviews from other people who have purchased it. I could not believe that plasma TVs are a lot less than LCDs especially that I can get a 42" for less than a $1000 compared to a 32" LCD for the same price.
I ordered this TV on Friday 6/20/08, and it shipped on 6/23/08 to Ceva Logistics in Reno. Amazon said it would be delivered by 7/2/08, but on Ceva's website, using the tracking number, they said it would be here on 6/27/08. I waited patiently for the phone call from Ceva, and someone called me that Thursday evening with a delivery window from 8 am to 12 pm. I was very excited that I would be getting my TV to play with on the following day. The delivery guys came to my apartment at 8:20 am, opened the box for me, and placed the TV on my entertainment center. I hooked up the coax cable from my cable box, and I was blown away by the color and the size of the screen. The delivery guys from Ceva were great for being
I ordered this TV on Friday 6/20/08, and it shipped on 6/23/08 to Ceva Logistics in Reno. Amazon said it would be delivered by 7/2/08, but on Ceva's website, using the tracking number, they said it would be here on 6/27/08. I waited patiently for the phone call from Ceva, and someone called me that Thursday evening with a delivery window from 8 am to 12 pm. I was very excited that I would be getting my TV to play with on the following day. The delivery guys came to my apartment at 8:20 am, opened the box for me, and placed the TV on my entertainment center. I hooked up the coax cable from my cable box, and I was blown away by the color and the size of the screen. The delivery guys from Ceva were great for being
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Shipping
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Amazon.com shipped it right away and CEVA called to set a date and then arrived on time to deliver and set it up. In my case, that involved removing it from the box, setting the old tv aside, plugging the new one in, and connecting the cable wire.
The TV Itself
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This is a Plasma 42" HD with 720P output, and it looks excellent when you supply the HD Source. With ordinary programming, the picture is still good, but not great. But HD output will blow your mind.
At first I was going to get a 42" Vizio LCD from local Costco for about $900.
But here, you are getting a Samsung which obviously is much better. And I didn't have to worry about hauling the TV from the store to my home.
The TV itself from the outside is beautiful. The screen when the TV is off is grey color. I wish it was black, but apart from it is beautiful. The panels have a shiny feel which is great too.
If you are wondering whether to buy this or a LCD of same size with 1080p and couple
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Amazon.com shipped it right away and CEVA called to set a date and then arrived on time to deliver and set it up. In my case, that involved removing it from the box, setting the old tv aside, plugging the new one in, and connecting the cable wire.
The TV Itself
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This is a Plasma 42" HD with 720P output, and it looks excellent when you supply the HD Source. With ordinary programming, the picture is still good, but not great. But HD output will blow your mind.
At first I was going to get a 42" Vizio LCD from local Costco for about $900.
But here, you are getting a Samsung which obviously is much better. And I didn't have to worry about hauling the TV from the store to my home.
The TV itself from the outside is beautiful. The screen when the TV is off is grey color. I wish it was black, but apart from it is beautiful. The panels have a shiny feel which is great too.
If you are wondering whether to buy this or a LCD of same size with 1080p and couple
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After scouting for a LCD for about 3 months and wating july 4 sales i settled on to this TV. We went to almost every store to decide the LCD. Zeroed on Samsung 42A550 1080i, thats when we saw this TV. We played this TV along side the other TV's. Absolute winner for the price. LCD appears to be bright and crisp due the environment in stores, this one has more natural colors and superb contrast. we went to FRY's where there was a little lobby kinda place which matched our room lighting. We have a wide (about 5feet) window 2ft beside the TV unit I always thought LCD is best. The store guys were good enough to move the TV and play it for us. Hooked up a Samsung DVD player with HDMI , Lo the LCD was like a flourescent tube light, this one was like a real world window with pleasing colors, I took with me two ICE AGE 2 DVD, We played this DVD in all 3 models we Zeroed on Samsung A550 and 650 and there very little difference, having seen so many models and reading scores of review about different
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You really can't go wrong purchasing this TV. Don't base your decision directly on the Cnet review and instead head over to AVSForum. You'll find a 80+ page thread with numerous reviews done by experts in the field. All of which are very positive and explain why CNet's review isn't too reliable.
Unlike Panasonic's earlier model, the 77U, this TV has an excellent picture right out of the box. There's no need for an expensive calibration or messing with service menu's. I've found my favorite settings, thanks to someone on AVSForum, is:
Picture Mode: Cinema
Picture: 84
Brightness: 40
Tint: -2
Sharpness: 50
Color Temp: Warm
Color mgmt: off
x.v.Color: off
Video NR: off
MPEG NR: off
Black Level: light
You'll find a ton of other settings there too so just do a google search.
This TV also seems very reliable. Out of over 3000+ posts I only saw maybe three that were returned due to a serious failure. (All of which were promptly replaced/repaired) Panasonic also has a really cool warranty service
Unlike Panasonic's earlier model, the 77U, this TV has an excellent picture right out of the box. There's no need for an expensive calibration or messing with service menu's. I've found my favorite settings, thanks to someone on AVSForum, is:
Picture Mode: Cinema
Picture: 84
Brightness: 40
Tint: -2
Sharpness: 50
Color Temp: Warm
Color mgmt: off
x.v.Color: off
Video NR: off
MPEG NR: off
Black Level: light
You'll find a ton of other settings there too so just do a google search.
This TV also seems very reliable. Out of over 3000+ posts I only saw maybe three that were returned due to a serious failure. (All of which were promptly replaced/repaired) Panasonic also has a really cool warranty service
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UPDATE: (@~250 hours) Just in case you don't jump to Samsung to -confirm- the specs, Amazon is incorrectly listing this set as having 1365x768 resolution. Only the 50" model has -1360- (not 1365) resolution. I looked originally because of the VGA-DSub connector that the Panny didn't have, as well as believing (and Not checking) the resolution specs to serve that PC. Be sure to check the 50" reviews as well, the sets are nearly identical, and the 50" received Best Value and Best Sound from CR HDTV showdown. -end update-
This is copied from my comments on AVSForum, addressing user issues that have been identified with the Samsung 450 plasmas (ota=Over the Air broadcasts):
I am ~45, somewhat farsighted but uncorrected, ear destroyed by engineering audio for a few years and general love of metallica.
Expanding on the title - I was pretty sure there would be a loss in PQ, going with a set so much cheaper than the panasonic (80u), I am happy to report the opposite is true - I like it better.
This is copied from my comments on AVSForum, addressing user issues that have been identified with the Samsung 450 plasmas (ota=Over the Air broadcasts):
I am ~45, somewhat farsighted but uncorrected, ear destroyed by engineering audio for a few years and general love of metallica.
Expanding on the title - I was pretty sure there would be a loss in PQ, going with a set so much cheaper than the panasonic (80u), I am happy to report the opposite is true - I like it better.
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We purchased this TV and received it last week on 6/11/2008. After calibrating it and getting all my systems hooked up to it, it is just beautiful and flawless. It looks amazing too! I use it for my PS3 (Blu-ray too!), Xbox, Wii, N64, and Dreamcast. It does an amazing job making everything look great. I had two struggles getting this TV:
1. Burn in fear - But after much research I have found there isnt much to be afraid of with this TV. It comes with anti burn in technology and from everything I have read this is a non issue with the newer TV's and can be totally avoided with care (in other words just dont have 20 hour marathons of Metal Gear).
2. 1080p vs. 720p - I really struggled with this debate. I did a lot of reading, talking with friends, and checking with experts. Long story short...it really doesnt make much of a difference. It makes a tiny difference but that is only on a few medias and even once it is on all media's it really wont make that much of a difference. It
1. Burn in fear - But after much research I have found there isnt much to be afraid of with this TV. It comes with anti burn in technology and from everything I have read this is a non issue with the newer TV's and can be totally avoided with care (in other words just dont have 20 hour marathons of Metal Gear).
2. 1080p vs. 720p - I really struggled with this debate. I did a lot of reading, talking with friends, and checking with experts. Long story short...it really doesnt make much of a difference. It makes a tiny difference but that is only on a few medias and even once it is on all media's it really wont make that much of a difference. It
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