7/05/2009

Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV...

Technical Details

* 42-inch plasma flatscreen HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution
* Enjoy online content like Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube videos, Picasa Web Albums, stock information
* Share your digital photos and AVCHD camcorder videos on the big screen using VIERA Image Viewer
* Three HDMI inputs and a wealth of additional connectivity options
* THX-certified for faithful movie image reproduction

I have just received my new 42 inch G10 in the mail, and I must say, I am very pleased. I researched the living crap out of this set, so my expectations were pretty high. Upon opening the box my first impression was that the overall look of the TV is amazing. Just a solid design, without a whole lot of extraneous stuff. After removing all the stickers it really looks nice in my living room. Also pleased to notice the only light on this TV is a very small dim red light when it is on (I can't stand bright lights on my electronics).

Once I turned it on and started messing around with the settings, I was pleased at how smooth, and natural all the menus are. Very easy to understand, but there is plenty of advanced control for the more hightech custy. Personally I like to tweak my settings, and the Panasonic remembers each input and preset, so its pretty painless. I found THX to have the most accurate colors, although I did tweak the settings a bit for a little more light. Custom allows you to get a very decent preset for TV viewing or daytime viewing in my case. Some say you can actually achieve a better picture through custom than through THX, but in my opinion THX was very good looking when watching a DVD.

Most noteworthy are the blacks. Simply stunning. I haven't seen anything quite like it. I usually say Film is the best viewing experience, and I still do, but these Plasmas really put off that soft color that is very easy on the eyes (unlike LCDs). So far I haven't seen any noise, or jaggies which is good. While gaming I noticed a slight (very slight) yellowish trail when following a white dot across a black screen. This is pretty minimal, but its there. However scrolling text showing no trailing.

24P doesn't work as well as it could, which is to me the biggest draw back. There is flicker, causing it to be pretty much unwatchable unless you pump up the refresh rate.

This is a stunning television, that I hope will last for many years to come. Anyone considering it, should feel comfortable knowing that it really lives up to the hype. Check out the Cnet review for yourself. They have all the geeky details. But from a common customer (although I work in the video field), I can honestly say this TV is top of the line. Probably one of the best Plasmas out there.

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