Panasonic TH-42PW5B Review

Overall Rating

Very good picture quality. Looks beautiful and something to feel proud of.

Feel afraid of anything going wrong cos of price and size. I'm just a fearful person!

After spending 2 months surveying the plasma market I was just about to give up. Either the contrast ratio was too low or the resolution, was it HDTV compatible etc. The technical terminology made sense, the better spec the more expensive but after all that, the picture quality for home cinema wasn't the best. In fact I scoured the high street shops including Harrods where they had quite a number of plasma tvs. I have to admit I was straight away put off the Pioneer, it looked good but the picture quality where ever I went was 'awful' and they were all playing dvds. I was impressed by the Samsung but knew it was 'rubbish' because all the shops were always playing animations. Finally I saw the Bang & Olufsen and I have to admit it was damn 'good' the plasma one. I soon realised that was out of my league and that they were playing high definition dvds. So I was confused... until I contacted some internet suppliers who told me that Panasonic was the best. I went to shops to survey Panasonic and realised that yes, there was something there. I was put off by the resolution initally on the 42-TH42PWB buy impressed by the good deals availabe on the web. They told me that the Panasonic was also the Toshiba 42inch but I later found out that it was an older model. Anyway I bought it (the Panasonic). When I took the Plasma out it was beautiful - I wanted to cry. i have only felt such an emotion when I had my baby. Anyway I also shuddered, it's all glass. What happens if I break it? Soon I plucked up the courage and attached it to a destop stand cos my walls were just plaster board and couldn't take the strain. I plugged in my sky via Scart to RCA and it didnt work, it was a cable problem. I ran to the nearest shop in record time and attached a working cable. My god, sky news, the red and the blue were so intense, the quality was perfect, it was amazing. I was blown away better than any demo in any shop - it was brilliant. Yes there was some pixelation but that was expected when they were broadcasting recordings, the actual digital picture was perfect. Contrast ratio was excellent, I didnt even realise what that meant but now I do. It means 'bloody good picture'. Now all I needed was sound, I soon placed an order for home cinema sound. It had RGB output. I bought RGP component lead from IXOYS (very expensive) and set it all up. Now I played a DVD with sound, the picture quality was amazing. The sony DAV was multiregion and progressive scan. I played Star Wars Phantom Menace Region One. My god I couldn't believe it, it was actually better than the £14,000 Bang & Olufsen! When you watch a film on Plasma with this quality it feels like you're in a cinema... but better. I have no doubt in my mind that this is the best choice of plasma going. Forget the Fujitsu, shun the Sony, throw the Toshiba and lose the LG - just praise the Panasonic.

Members' Comments onPlasmania.'s Review

• John. on 21st May 2003

  In regards to the review of this Plasma TH42pw5,it certainly has won the heart of "Plasmania" !! Its good to know that a product made in this day and age can generate that amount of excitement,taking it out of the box and plugging it in....! I am all too familiar with the line of Panasonic plasmas, down here in Australia we are currently riding an upgoing surge of popularity in the area of widescreen+digital TV's. Its a competitive market,Plasma,and price seems to be the key factor in regards to which model gets the final pick amongst our customers. (We are a large retailer in Adelaide, S.A.) Now, to the review I have just read from Mr Plasmania......I cannot disagree what you have said regarding the Panasonic....they are outstanding in contrast,have a great depth to their colours,and will view from any angle....I recently compared LG, SONY, PHILIPS, PIONEER and HITACHI, and I was MOST impressed with the Panasonic. But I totally disagree with you when you make stupid comments like "PIONEER are RUBBISH","LOSE the LG" and "FORGET the FUJITSU" ..I think the excitement of your new Panasonic just went to your head !! Before you make a comparison, and make such "black and white" comments....think about this:
  Did you see all these Plasma models side by side,all driven by the same video source? Probably not. Can you say that each store you went to had the same amount of ambient light....to enable you to make a fair judgement regarding contrast and colour saturation? I think NOT. Were the customer controls set to optimum on each model? Unlikely. Have you considered that maybe at least one of the Plasmas may have been running HDTV, and another SD or DVD ??
  Now, I don't think your analysis qualifies you to just "right off" half the field of manufacturers without having an accurate comparison done under controlled conditions.
  Also, remember that for all the makers of Plasma TV's, there are only a handfull of companies that actually manufacture the glass, ie the plasma panel itself. I believe , initially, anyway, that FUJITSU/HITACHI were the sole manufacturer of all the panels, although now there are a few more. Now, since Panasonic now has the Hitachi name under its wing....you may find that your Panasonic plasma may have FUJITSU/Hitachi glass!!
  I'm not saying it does, but do check your facts b4 you right off other companies in order to justify your descision in regards to your purchase. Just for the record, I have installed many plasmas now,I have done many using HDTV set top decoders,DVD players, and of course SDTV as well. Contrary to your statement, the Pioneer PDP 503..(i think..)is a fine example of a well engineered product....I had the pleasure of running HDTV through it, and once I set up picture parameters thru its excellent menu sytem,I was drawn in straight away. Much the same was the FUJITSU, in which I installed a 42" running from an excellent media box (control centre) that links up all your external connections. ( Thats the weak point on the Panasonic....all the AV inputs are on the back of the TV itself..making it hard to run additional inputs if you've already mounted it on the wall!)
  Again a beautifully designed product, I could't fault its performance. Finally..a comment regarding LG. We sell many, so I see many. My opinions varied initially, as some of the earlier models had some nuiences in there operation...and
  the pictures seemed to lack dynamics...contrast was not quite enough for daytime viewing. But,praise must go to this big Korean company, because I have been very impressed with their latest offerings. They are right in there amongst the big guns now, and they seem to do it at an almost bargain price! LG are so generous, they even supply 20ft of 15 pin DSub mini cable for RGB PC and HDTV decoder interconnect ! (please listen, SONY !!)
  So, Mr Plasmania ( or is it PANA-MANIA ??)
  try to think more laterally, and think about what you say before you write it ! Enjoy your Panasonic, but rest assured the world of TV technology is moving at a very SWIFT pace...and before you know it your beloved TH42PW5 could be knocked off its perch by plent of other players waiting just around the corner !
  Regards JOHN RICHARDS, Adelaide AUSTRALIA.

• NickyT. on 21st May 2003

  Panasonic Lorg term quality an issue.
  they just start to dye after a year or two.

• John. on 27th Jun 2003

  Panasonic is easily the best unless you are on a budget...............
  
  

• Dar T. on 4th Aug 2003

  It sure is subjective. I just compared the Pioneer andd Panasonic side by side. I don't know what they were running for a signal (I am curious and will go back to store and check), but I liked the contrast of the 43" Pioneer more than the Panasonic.