Review: Panasonic TH-42PX600
The propaganda
Plasma TV technology has recently been fighting a losing battle against LCDs for control of the HDTV market. It's easy to see why: LCDs have been advancing in leaps and bounds, and are now available in larger sizes, have better contrast ratios, faster refresh rates and wider viewing angles than ever before. Meanwhile, Plasmas are still seen as heavy, fragile monstrosities that suck power like swarm of Mynocks. Panasonic, remaining stalwart in the face of diminishing odds, is keen to demonstrate that Plasma is still the best solution for screen sizes of 37" and higher - last year it revealed the PX600 series and we've gotten our mitts on the 42" TH-42PX600 model.
The 42PX600 offers native resolutions of 720p and 1080i and uses Panny's V-Real picture processing engine. V-Real improves the detail of SD signals, enhances the accuracy of red, green and blue colour handling and includes a gamma control system that apparently means the set can produce up to 29 billion different colours.
But the real ace in every Plasma screen's sleeve is the sheer level of contrast. The 42PX600 has a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and uses the latest Real Black Drive to enhance those black levels.
The good
Let's not beat about the bush then - the picture quality is basically stunning. Just to drive the contrast message home yet further, the 42XPX600 offers some of the most impressive black levels ever seen on a telly. When tested with a selection of pretty gloomy movies, you could easily see how much better black can be on a Plasma than on any rival LCD. The effect is definitely pleasing on the eye and very cinematic to behold.
And in case you were worried, Panny has made sure that performance on colour is of a similarly high standard. The set achieves a very striking array of subtle, natural tones accompanied by some excellent shading and blending. If there is a fault to be found it is that the brighter colours don't shout out quite as much as we have seen in some more intense LCDs, but this detracts very little from the sheer quality of the overall experience.
As you would expect, Panasonic has successfully reduced nearly all the image quality problems commonly associated with Plasma to a barest minimum, leaving you with a clear, crisp picture that remains smooth and sharp even during fast moving scenes. Standard definition video also holds up well with only a few problems popping up in lower quality content.
If all that isn't enough to convince you, the 42XPX600 comes with a real wealth of other interesting features including built-in digital tuner and a surprisingly powerful redesigned speaker technology, which uses separate tweeters and woofers and makes a real impact. Finally there's an SD card slot that lets you record TV shows in MPEG4 - ideal for using with PVPs - and can be used for playback of MPEG4 movies and JPEG stills.
The bad
I have just one complaint about this set: given that it costs around two grand, it doesn't quite look the part of a premium piece of home cinema kit. Instead, the design is rather plain and uninspiring and the finish does seem to be particularly robust. But fortunately the level of video and audio quality produced by the set more than makes up for this one short coming.
Geek Sheet
HD Ready
Resolution: 1024x768 - 720p and 1080i
Note: If you're wondering how 1024x768 pixels can translate into widescreen, it's because the pixels are stretched horizontally.
TV tuner: Digital and analogue
V-Real processing
10000:1 contrast ratio
Smart Sound speakers
Real Black Drive
7-day EPG support with genre filtering
MPEG 4 playback/recording via SD card
Inputs: 2 x HDMI inputs, 3 x Scarts, component video, composite video, S-Video and PC input
Stereo audio output, headphone jack, stereo audio inputs, CAM slot and RF input
Overview
Simply put, this is one of finest Plasma tellies on the market, and if you had any doubts about whether Plasma would be able to come up with the goods to fight back against LCD's insurgency, the answer is right here. A touch expensive at its quoted price of £2,300, but keep your eyes peeled because prices have been dropping steadily since its launch.
Related stories: Panasonic's new 1080p LCD projector debut | Panasonic's first HD photo player| Panasonic launch two AVCHD camcorders in December | More HDTV TVs...
Related sites: Panasonic
"LCDs ... have better contrast ratios, faster refresh rates and wider viewing angles than ever before."
Not sure if you have done your homework. Plasmas do not have an issue with refresh rates -- LCDs are still struggling with that. Same with viewing angles, an issue still with LCDs, not with Plasmas. As for contrast ratios, as you contradict yourself: "But the real ace in every Plasma screen’s sleeve is the sheer level of contrast." As for energy use, if you look at the specs of this Plasma, the energy use compared to an "equal" LCD is slightly higher, and in scenes with dark lighting, less than LCD due to the fact that these are two VERY different technologies.
I think the "issues" with Plasma TVs are very simple: can you fit it in your living space? and can you afford it.
Posted by: Theo | January 31, 2007 10:55 AM