This TV seemed to offer the best cost/benefit package. First off, I’m a semi-videophile, tech-saavy person who spent about a year researching, comparing and pricing flat panels. I chose this model based on almost unanimously positive reviews of its predecessor, the TH-42PX60U, head to head comparisons in big box stores, and because of its reasonable price compared to Sony, Samsung, Pioneer and other major manufacturers.

What I’ve learned is that having a flat panel is a fundamentally different experience, both in terms of aesthetics and content, from a CRT TV. There are drawbacks and huge advantages, and it helps to know a bit about what you’re getting into because there is a trade off involved in giving up your old CRT monitor; these things are very expensive and you want to be sure of your choice…

Bought this TV to replace my 27″ sony wega CRT, which until flat panel craze was one of the best TV’s around, so I used it as a benchmark for the performance of this TV.

• Lattitude: Though this has one of the better contrast ratios among flat panels, it lacks the subtle gradiations of color that one is used to, and also whites get blown out and darks fade to inky nothingness sooner than on a high quality CRT ie Sony Wega. Again, like color, among plasma/lcd’s, this is one of the best.
• General Picture Quality: This is what you’re buying this for, no? Very clear, sharp, lifelike, beautiful picture when receiving HD feed. Great for HD movies, sports and all the usual things they market HD TV’s for. Resolution is great, though sometimes you can see digital compression evident in, say, cloud shots or dark corners of a frame. This is no doubt a limitation of compressed media and not the TV’s fault.
• SD: let’s not kid, SD broadcasts look absolutely terrible, though it could just be the incredibly inept monopoly known as Time Warner Cable at work here. The distorted “just” setting, which crops, distorts and zooms to try to split the difference of 4:2 and 16:9, makes things slightly more tollerable, but after watching Sd channels, one wants only to watch HD channels. Although you do sort of get used to it, it’s not good.
• Color: I actually don’t find color to be as accurate as my old CRT. Even with the adjustments Panasonic lets you make, there seems to be a sort of pastel-like quality to skin tones. It’s not bad, mind you, but if you’re a videophile you’ll notice that it doesn’t seem as true to life and rich and nuanced as it should.
• DVD’s: Didn’t try HD or Blu Ray. Standard def DVD’s look fair to excellent through component connection and an upconvirting 720p Samsung player. One interesting thing about this TV is that you can REALLY tell a good DVD transfer vs. a bad one. To take two eye candy films: Kubrick’s 2001 DVD, first made into a DVD in the late 90’s when transferring wasn’t as developed a science, looks tons worse than any of the Star Wars films, which were meticulously transfered and mastered only a couple years ago. You wouldn’t notice the difference nearly as much on an SD tv. Still, overall, most DVD’s I’ve viewed, from classics to foriegn to modern hollywood, look very good. Not quite HD but definitely high-enough resolution to get you immersed in the film in a way you never could with your old tube tv.

Content: There are only about 20 channels available in HD in New York City, so it’s pretty limited at this point. All the SD channels work, they just look crappy.

Sound: Surprisingly rich sound from invisible speakers mounted, I guess, under the unit. I had no need to hook it up to my stereo sytem. If you don’t need 5.1, this thing is great: clear rich bass, sparkling highs, well balanced, and there are bass/treble eq’s in the menu too.

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 3.8 x 40.2 x 26.8 inches ; 59.6 pounds
Shipping Weight: 96 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Special Shipping Notices:

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Asthetics: this thing is huge and black, so will fundamentally change your living room. It looks cool though glossy black is a bit… cheesy? Matte would have been better, less frat boy. But that’s a matter of taste. remote is labled well, easy to use. Overall when it’s on you can’t take your eyes off it. When it’s off it’s a bit like the monolith in 2001

Fortunately, I use the thing mostly for films on DVD and occasional baseball games, so it suits my needs by and large.

Buying this makes one realize that for all its amazing qualities, Plasma/LCD HD is still in its infancy. Colors not as true to life, limited content available, still no truly good upconversion from SD broadcasts (which constitutes well over 90% of all content). Am I happy I bought it? Yes. Do I wish there were more HD channels, better SD upconversion etc? Yes.

Bottom line: if you can wait another couple of years for more channels, slight refinements in the panels themselves, the price of HD DVD’s to drop, wait. If you can’t wiat, this is the one to buy. At $1260 all inclusive, this is a great deal and you won’t regret it.