12/08/2008

Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

flat-panel-lcd-display

Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
From Panasonic

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description--March 10, 2008
With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings anastonishing 1,000,000:1 contrast ration to the table. advanced pixel resolution and image-processing technology with the plasma TV's natural ability to beautifully reproduce fast moving images, so every detail is rendered with amazing clarity, and all the action is delivered with a high degree of fluidity.


What's New This Year?

  • Super Contrast--native contrast ratios on the PZ85, PZ800 and PX 850 series are 30,000:1, double last year's 15,000:1.
  • Dynamic contrast ratios are up to 1,000,000:1.
  • new anti-reflective filter; lead-free "Tough Under Force" panel is resistant to impacts and scratches
  • Built-in SD card slot with Photo Viewer/Gallery Player software
  • x.v. Color and Deep Color (HDMI 1.3 features)
  • Game Mode auto-adjusts image quality suitable to games and includes anti-image retention
  • Viera Link is now compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems
  • At least 3 HDMI inputs on all models (4 on PZ800 and PZ850 series)
  • THX Certification on PZ800 and PZ850 series

Which Viera is Right For You?

Click here to see a comparison of step up features on each Viera series.



Amazing color reproduction

The incredible black reproduction of a Panasonic High-Definition Plasma TV results in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. So you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. For color that's as rich and bold as life itself, look to a Panasonic Plasma TV.



Consistent brightness from any angle

A Panasonic Plasma combines anti-glare and anti-reflection technology with the natural light-emitting properties of plasma, to give you a super-wide viewing range with a crisp, beautiful image from almost any angle.




Smooth, graceful motion

When you're watching sports or movies with fast-motion graphics, you want a TV that can keep up with the action. With over 900 lines of moving picture, self-illuminating plasma displays eliminate afterimages in fast-action scenes. So whether you're watching a sporting event or an action-packed movie, you'll always get the most impressive viewing experience possible.



1,000,000:1 Contrast

The Panasonic's Real Black system (a pre-discharge suppression system) and improved panel production processes combine to reproduce outstanding blacks with superb contrast. Each image is richly expressive, from bright scense, like scorching desert landscapes, to dark cave scenes. Compare the image produced by conventional HDTV on the left to the Real Black image produced on the right



More Colors

Viera HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers  an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize.
  • Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals
  • Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately
  • Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors



Deep Color

deep color eliminates visible color banding Where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color.
  • Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors
  • Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors
  • Enables increased contrast ratio
  • Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white.



Connectivity

Viera flat panel HDTVs interact with an array of high-definition devices and services, making it easy for consumers to access and enjoy content as never before. As of 2008, Viera Link is compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems.
Videos and stills recorded on SD cards can easily be viewed via the SD slots on Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc players and Viera HDTVs. Viera Link means easy connectivity via HDMI cables. Finally, consumers can easily operate their Blu-Ray Disc players, DVD recorders and home theater systems with a single remote control device.
SD Cards Viera Link


4 HDMI inputs to connect all of your devices directly to your television. Equipped with an RGB input terminal, VIERA can connect with your PC and serve as a large-screen monitor.
Easy connectivity with HDMI ports pc input



Long Life

long life Panasonic plasma panels are rated to last 100,000 hours, which is about 30 years of regular or 11 years of non-stop usage before the brightness of the display is halved.



Get Full HD with Blu-Ray Disc Players

Blu-Ray disc player A Panasonic 1080p plasma television is able to render 1920x1080 pixels, but standard DVDs have a resolution of just 720x480. Blu-ray discs output true 1080p High-Definition resolution and have a storage capacity ten times greater than standard DVDs, so no pixel gos to waste.



Which is the Right Viera for You?



Screen Size
Measured
Diagonally
1080p
Full HD
1920 x 1080 pixels
Native
Contrast
Ratio
PC Input
THX
Cert
24p
Speakers
HDMI
Inputs
One Sheet
of Glass
Design
Swivel
Base
Shades
of
Gradation
H.264
Codec
Digital
Cinema Color
Studio
Reference
Mode
Pro
Setting
Menu
Serial
Port
Standard Features
TH-42PX80U
42 inches

15,000:1



2
3


4,096





  • 480 Hz Sub-field Drive Technology
  • Anti-Reflective Filter
  • Viera Link HDAVI Control
  • Built-in SD Card Slot w/Photo Viewer
  • Deep Color Technology
  • x.v. Color
  • 3D Color Mangement
  • Sub-Pixel Controller
  • Motion Pattern Noise Reduction
  • Anti-Image Retention Mode
  • Game Mode
  • Scratch and Impact Rsistant Panel
  • 100,000 Hours to Panel Half-Brightness (>30 years @ 8 hours/day)
  • Lead-free Panel
TH-50PX80U
50 inches

15,000:1


2
3


4,096




TH-42PZ80U
42 inches check 20,000:1



2
3


4,096




TH-46PZ80U
46 inches check 20,000:1


2
3


4,096




TH-50PZ80U
50 inches check 20,000:1


2
3


4,096




TH-42PZ85U
42 inches check 30,000:1 check

2
3


4,096




TH-46PZ85U
46 inches check 30,000:1
check

2
3


4,096




TH-50PZ85U
50 inches check 30,000:1 check

2
3


4,096




TH-42PZ800U
42 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 4,096




TH-46PZ800U 46 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 4,096




TH-50PZ800U 50 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 4,096




TH-58PZ800U 58 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 4,096




TH-46PZ850U 46 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 5,120 check check check check check
TH-50PZ850U 50 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 5,120 check check check check check
TH-58PZ850U 58 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 5,120 check check check check check
TH-65PZ850U 65 inches check 30,000:1 check check check 4
4
check check 5,120 check check check check check

Customer Reviews

jim5
I did alot of research on tvs before buying this panasonic and so far am very happy with it. The picture is terriffic as others have said the sound system could be better, but not a reason to not buy this product. As of now i believe I have received a great product at a great price!!!!

Very good TV4
This TV has great color and action reproduction. I definitely prefer plasma over LCD for both of those reasons and Panasaonic does it as well as anybody in my opinion. My main concern has to do with the frame. It is wider than I would prefer which makes the outer dimension wider than it needs to be. The frame is also shiny so I get more reflection from the frame than I get from the screen, which is usually the concern about plasma TVs. Both of these are minor compared to the stellar picture quality.

What A Picture!!!5
We have a 42-inch Panasonic plasma TV that we bought about 7 years ago for $4,000. My how times have changed! The new TH-42PZ85U from Panasonic is currently selling for about ¼ the price we paid and is a vastly better television.

For starters, the outward appearance is elegant. It features a very slim cross-section and smooth, seductive lines. The screen has an anti-reflective filter which cuts way down on glare and, you guessed it, reflections. This, coupled with the TV's high contrast ratio of 1 million to 1, gives you a very sharp, realistic picture. On top of that, this TV can handle a 1080p signal, producing the highest quality image currently available. This is ideal for Blu-Ray viewing. Content providers such as DirecTV are promising 1080p programming "real soon now."

A little more of the specs, then I'll talk about the good stuff. On the back of the TV, there are more ports and plugs than you'll know what to do with. If you're considering this TV, then you probably have a high-definition source such as an HD cable or satellite box and maybe Blu-Ray. Most modern HD devices can use an HDMI cable, which can carry the HD video signal along with the Dolby 5.1 audio information. This TV has 3 HDMI ports which make for a very uncluttered back plane.

Okay. So we ordered one of these for my in-laws to replace a gigantic tube television they had. That one weighed 180 pounds. This one weighs 70 pounds. When it arrived, it took about 20 minutes for us to unbox it and screw in the base plate. We took our time. 10 minutes later, it was upright, plugged in, and showing us that we had made the right choice. The picture is gorgeous! With DirecTV as the source, on any of the HD channels, you really can't help but stop and stare. That effect is magnified when you watch a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. It's almost unsettling! Watching HD versions of the old Star Trek episodes, for example, shows you things Mr. Spock never wanted you to see! Make-up lines, costume glitches, etc. that were invisible in the 1960s are now stunningly obvious. But I digress.

There are plenty of settings available but we changed very few. I'm sure a videophile would be in there tweaking everything, but were very happy with the image. Skin tones, blacks, saturation, were all to our liking once we told the unit it was not in demo mode (the mode used to attract people in a store. Usually, it is oversaturated.) We've watched movies, football games, and even video sent over from the PC. It is all wonderful.

As I said at the top of this review, we've had a Panasonic 42-inch plasma TV for about 7 years, as well as a 52-inch for about 5 years, and both are still in great condition. No dead pixels, no color fading, no problems at all. That gives me hope that this new entry will fare at least as well.

Price: Too low to display
Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ85U 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

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