Customer Reviews
Do Not Buy 
2008-04-27
Do Not Buy this model or any other Panasonic plasma without careful research. Mine stopped working after less than two months. The first service call took over a week and they replaced three circuit boards. Still doesn't work and now they want to replace the actual plasma screen. The in-home service is great if you want them moving in. The picture and sound were awesome when it worked but who wants to deal with multiple repairs on a new set? Every time I walk into the house I look at this dead, expensive TV. Check out other consumer rating sites to read about multiple component failures.
I like it 
2008-04-24
I've compared several LCDs and Plasmas in stores. The picture quality of this plasma TV is better than higher end LCDs from Sony and Samsung. At 42 inches, I found this TV to be a better deal than those LCDs. The color saturation and black levels are slightly better than the best LCDs despite advances in LCD technology. The superior contrast also allows me to lower the brightness of the picture without compromising the details. The picture is a lot easier on the eyes this way when there's less light in the room. I set the picture setting to standard with default settings. The cinema setting might be useful under bright lighting conditions. Vivid is too bright to be useful.
Awesome colors and black levels made this TV a great buy for me.
Just What I Was Looking For... 2008-04-24
This is my first HDTV. I went back and forth on LCD and Plasma. Most of the people that I felt who knew this type of technology recommended Plasma and Panasonic and Pioneer was the brands the said to stick too. I simply could not afford the pioneer and the jump to the 50" Panasonic was to much for my budget (no one locally seems to care the 46").
I ended up purchasing this Panasonic Plasma from my local Best Buy.
I am SOOO happy I picked this TV. It looks even better at home then it did in the store. I was concerned about glare as there is a lot of natual light in the room and many told me LCD does better in those type of rooms, I must say - this TV is perfect in my well light room. My old Tube TV had glare from the window, this Plasma has no glare at all.
I have digital cable from Insight with the HD box. It's great. I have complaints about the cable box making you pick 1080i or 720p, but that's not the TVs fault.
I find myself watching shows I wouldn't normally watch just because they are in HD and the picture is so amazing.
I was worried about how non-HD programming would look to, and this TV does a great job of showing standard defination and if you chose to streach the picture it does a really good job not making it look good when in streched mode.
I even got a chance to call Panasonic support with a question. When you are watching standard def programming and are not streching it the side bars are gray by default. I wanted to make them black. I called the 800 number on the manual and Panasonic was very helpful in telling me how to change the side bars to black.
I highly recommend this TV. It's got good viewing angles too. If you can see the TV the picture looks fine.
Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 2008-04-24
Awesome in every way - and a great price. It was delivered, brought to my doorstep on a dolly - carried into my living room - unwrapped and examined for damage (it was perfect) by a very friendly truck driver. I installed it at my cottage and it woks beautifully.
Great TV 2008-04-21
I just got this TV 4 days ago after ordering a TV from Amazon about 3-4 weeks ago and having the delivery company crack it at their docks. Anyway I'm very happy that I ended up with this TV, as it wasn't the original one that I ordered. I had originally ordered a 32" Samsung LCD for a den, but changed my mind after the accident and got this Panasonic and bumped my 40" Samsung LCD to the den.
This TV was easy to set up and looked great out of the box. The bezel looks a lot better than the older Panasonics. My parents have a Panasonic Plasma that they bought around 4-5 years ago that is still going strong and looking good. The newer versions are slimmer and sleaker and give the appearance of a super wide screen.
The NBA playoffs looked teriffic and the sound wasn't bad either. I was excited to see that you could adjust the bass on the TV, but after doing so realized there isn't a huge difference. The controller has surprisingly large buttons, which would be good for someone older to use.
Comparing this to my 40" Samsung LCD you can see the difference in the color "popping" off the screen. These TV's are designed for different things so neither is at fault and so far I don't have a complaint about either of them.
I originally paid over $1400 for this TV, but amazon price adjusted every time I saw the price go down and emailed them about it. The lowest I've seen it was around 4/15 and that was $1372.xx shipped from Amazon.
Finally, the delivery, the second time around was great. They called me and asked when I wanted the TV delivered. They gave me a 3 day option to choose from. Also on the day of delivery I called CEVA and they were able to narrow down the delivery window to 3 hours. The delivery guy came within that window. While he was there I gave him 5 bucks just to take the TV out and make sure there weren't any cracks.
When it worked, it was gorgeous. 
2008-04-21
1,920 x 1,080 Native Resolution / 1,000,000:1 Dynamic, 30,000 Native Contrast Ratio / Progressive Scan / Game Mode / SD-HC Memory Card Slot / 3x HDMI EDTV Display Capability (480p) Aspect Control - 4 - 3, Zoom, Full, Just, H-fill for TV/AV modes, 4 - 3, Full for PC mode G11 Progressive 1080p HD Plasma Display Panel Screen Coating AR (Anti-Reflective) Filter 480 Hz Sub-field Drive 24p Playback (2 - 3) Deep Color x.v.Color Motion Adaptive 3D Y/C Digital Comb Filter 3D Color Management Sub Pixel Control Motion Pattern Noise Reduction Speakers Full-range - 2x (L, R) Audio Output - 20 W (10% THD) (6 ohms, 70 Hz - 17 kHz) VIERA Link Pixel Orbiter (Anti-Image Retention) Trilingual Menu (English/Spanish/French) V-Chip Program Lock Out Built-In Closed Caption Decoder Video Input Label Video Picture Memory Integrated ATSC Tuner, HDMI Input 3 (1 side), Analog Audio Input for HDMI/DVI, Composite Video Input 2 (1 side), S-Video Input 2 (1 side), Audio Input for Video) 2 (1 side), PC Input Mini D-sub 15-pin x 1 (rear), Audio Input for PC Stereo M3 (3.5mm) Jack, Component Video Input (Y, PB, PR) 2, Audio Input (for Component Video) 2, Composite Video Output 1, Analog Audio Output 1, and Digital Audio Output 1 Dimensions - Height 28.3 x Width 41.9 x Depth 12.9 / 26.3 x 41.9 x 3.6 without stand Weight - 70.5 pounds / 66.1 pounds without stand
The HD picture on this plasma TV is outstanding - mesmerizing! 2008-04-19
We purchased the 42" 2008 Panasonic plasma 1080p model TH-42PZ85U about 5 weeks ago, after about 2 weeks of almost non-stop comparing of different sets at various stores. We've watched it during bright glary daytime conditions and dark room evening hours. We've watched HD channels and SD (standard-def) channels, and HD-DVD movies. We're familiar with the amazing picture quality of High-Def because we've had a Fujitsu plasma for the last 5 years, which was excellent. The Fujitsu developed an un-repairable problem with it's power supply circuit panel.
To summarize, the picture quality of the Panasonic TH-42PZ85U plasma is absolutely outstanding! It is stunning! It's mesmerizing. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It was great in the store, but even much better under home conditions, without bright store spotlights, with good cable HD service, and without having to share a TV signal with 83 other sets.
In doing the visual research at various stores, I was attracted to LCD sets because of their incredible brightness and bright colors. Under the bright store lights, the poor plasmas looked like dim, lost souls next to the super-nova LCD's. However it soon became evident to me that LCD's had more of an artificial look to the images, especially the human face. Faces on LCD sets looked more plastic and flat, without real-world color gradients. They looked more like a poster. Faces on plasmas looked real, with real texture and color gradations, with a 3 dimensional quality. Other scenes on LCD's also looked more 2 dimensional. On plasmas, the same scene had depth and a 3-D quality. I had read about this, but didn't understand what it meant until I saw it with my own eyes.
The TH-42PZ85U is more than bright enough at home, even during a bright sunny day with lots of direct light coming in from our patio. The brightest picture mode, called "vivid" is too bright for even those conditions under its default settings. The default color setting is also way too strong and a bit too green. But after adjusting down the brightness and color strength, and adjusting the color tint a little away from green to red, the picture is truly outstanding. In the evening we use a picture mode called "cinema", which is soft yet sharp, beautiful and so real you think you are in a movie theater. When "cinema" mode is not bright enough for our inside lights, we change it to a mode called "standard". Each of the modes can be adjusted as you wish, and then retains that adjustment when that mode is chosen later.
Regardless of the picture mode, with an HD signal, the picture is incredibly sharp, smooth and non-grainy, and the quality of the colors is great and realistic. I see no motion artifacts, even when watching fast moving action such as in a basketball game. There has been no burn in of any type, even temporary. The blacks are super black, there are lots of gray shades in the dark areas, and the whites are very white. To make blacks even blacker, there is a "black level" setting under the "advanced picture" menu. It gives a choice of "light" or "black". I like it better set to "light" because "black" takes away a little from the gray shades. Even on "light", the blacks look almost as black as the bezel that surrounds the glass panel. This plasma TV has a 3-dimensional quality that just seems to make images pop out.
We have a small room (about 14x10). Two of the chairs are on either side of the TV, within 4-5 feet of the TV. The 1080 resolution screen resolution really pays off from this close distance. Even from 4 feet, when we are on channels with strong HD signals, the screen is totally smooth, with no graininess, screen-door effect, or ghosting or other artifacts. It is just as bright from an extreme side angle as from head-on.
As good as a general cable 720p signal looks, even more outstanding is the signal from our (now obsolete) HD-DVD player, which actually puts out a 1080p signal. I was watching Planet Earth on the new Panasonic plasma. The picture quality is incredible.
There are a few things about the TV that are not outstanding. Standard definition programming is very ordinary, not very exciting. I wonder if the 1080 screen resolution of the TV makes standard definition signals look even worse? The built in speakers are so-so, not great. It doesn't matter to us because I put the audio through a surround sound receiver and external speakers. The anti-glare capability of the screen is average. During sunny days we can see some glare from the sunlight outside our patio sliding doors, although the reflection is muted and dimmed.
Overall we are thrilled with this plasma TV. Even though we have had a plasma before, the picture quality is so outstanding we can't seem to pay attention to the program we are watching. We are just mesmerized by the quality of the picture we are seeing.
Delighted, thrilled, beyond my wildest hopes 2008-04-14
Spent four months researching & shopping before deciding this model would give me all the TV I could want with minimal compromise and a reasonable price. I shopped the big-box stores and relied on friends' and family's feedback to get a broad understanding of the HD technology (LCD, DLP RP, Plasma) out there. Then I got serious with the details of the different platforms and finally focused on a brand after deciding that a plasma was for me. Panasonic clinched it when I saw the online reviews of this new model (their last year's model pz700 was Consumer Reports' top pick) and when I read that Pioneer was going to rely on Panasonic for their panels in future models. Then Amazon got the price right (don't wait for the pz800) and though I was hesitant to make this kind of a purchase online, I finally pulled the trigger and boy am I happy.
Amazon was terrific. Ordered it Sunday night with an articulating wall-mount (Sanus - works great), a Logitech Harmony One universal remote and a Panasonic HDMI Cable. Everything started arriving Tuesday and - at last! - on Friday the TV arrived (no special shipping selected for anything!)
I first set it up with the table stand, no problem. Hooked it to my HD DVR cable box and in no time was enjoying a picture that really pleases. No compromises with this set. Color fidelity is awesome - humans look human. The PGA Masters tournament was simply breathtaking. Edge detail is incredible - none of the jaggies or noisy lines I see on my sister's cheapo Vizio LCD. I don't know what that other guy is smoking, contrast and black levels are phenomenal. Playoff Hockey reveals no blurry fast-motion images - another LCD drawback. I can stand at an 89-degree angle to a head-on view and still see a perfect picture. Fortunately, my articulating mount obviates this . As for calibration, I'll get around to it using the HD Essentials DVD and the service level controls eventually, but right now I'm very happy with the "Cinema" mode and some minor customizations of this mode (changed color temp from "warm" to "normal" and adjusted the color level down to "+24"). This TV is simply stunning, and I was afraid that 42" would be too big in my relatively small room but with 1080 its no problem (six feet viewing distance).
The set's speakers are fine, sound quality for regular TV viewing is excellent. For movies and music, I use a more robust 5.1 system.
If there's a better picture to be found, I don't want it. I'm thrilled and expect I'll be very satisfied for years to come. Three cheers for Amazon & Panasonic.
Simply Amazing 2008-04-12
I've had this TV for a couple weeks now and it is simply amazing! I did a lot of research before I decided on buying this particular model. Similar (but older) models of this same TV got really good reviews on many popular sites and every Panasonic plasma I checked out in stores looked great. The picture quality is phenomenal and I haven't even been able to view the full potential of 1080p yet. Cable TV maxes out at 1080i but 720p actually ends up looking better. Hopefully I'll be getting a blu-ray player soon so I can really see what this thing is capable of. This is my first HDTV but I have a couple friends with some older DLP HDTV's. The DLP's still look really good but this plasma blows them away. The picture is so crisp it's like looking through glass at a live event. My only complaint if I really had to pick one is that I wish it had one more component input. It has two along with 3 HDMI inputs but for some reason my cable box won't communicate with my TV through HDMI so I am stuck with component. A standard DVD player (which also looks great by the way even though it is not actual high def) is hooked up to the second component input. That leaves my Nintendo Wii with only a standard A/V cable until I get a Component switch box. No biggy but it would have been nice to have one more component input.
I was debating between an LCD or Plasma HDTV for a long time but finally decided on plasma because the picture quality seems to be better across the board. I was concerned about burn-in being an issue with plasmas but with most newer models there are plenty of features that make this concern irrelevant. I was also worried about glare being an issue during the daytime but this TV looks great day or night. You can however notice glare on the shiny black bezel during the day. Not enough to be annoying though. Another reason I chose plasma over LCD was because this TV was going in a rather narrow room and would sometimes be viewed at an angle. The Panasonic 46PZ85U looks awesome at any angle! Even my wife is incredibly happy with this TV, finally getting over the investment.
Low Contrast 2008-04-12
The contrast is better than any LCD except for the Toshiba LCD's such as the 47 inch model.
Panasonic claims a million to 1 dynamic contrast ratio, unfortunately it's pure marketing hype. The dynamic contrast fails to correct the black level on my analog cable channels, and provides no black level adjustment for over the air HD channels. The picture appears washed out on many of those channels and my Toshiba 32 inch LCD has no problems adjusting the contrast. There's now way to adjust dynamic contrast. The menu doesn't even list it. The sharpness is also bad especially on cable channels. The Toshiba handles that without a problem. Compare the two models and you'll see a huge difference. I also owned 40 inch Sony 40v3000, and the contrast was abysmal on that set.
Blu-ray movies look acceptable because they're pre-optimized and don't require dynamic contrast that much.
