Panasonic TH-42PX77U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

Review by Richard for Panasonic TH-42PX77U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
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This is a preliminary review of my 42PX77U. I ordered this TV on Amamzon thru Vanns.com, and was very pleased with the entire transaction. It arrived on 7/30 so I’ve only had a few days to form this opinion, but I doubt it will go down.

I did a lot of research on HDTVs and the majority of what I read pointed me towards plasmas and Panasonic (quality/price ratio). Cnet.com was a great tool along with other customer reviews from different sites, including amazon. The picture, to me, seems much more realistic than LCD. Once you adjust the picture settings off Vivid and create a more realistic view, you begin to be amazed at the clarity and realism.

Some of the nice benefits to this model are the anti-reflective coating on the screen. I cannot control 100% of the light in my living room during the day and knew this feature would come in handy, and it has. It’s $100 more from the base model, but it’s worth it. The image is just as clear as the non-treated screen (42PX75U). The side speakers are great and produce clear audio. I also believe they help produce a wider range of sound coming from the TV. I do not have surround sound set up yet, but am quite pleased with the TV’s audio. Having picture setting memory for each video input is great. I can have my HD cable, DVD and Wii set to three different settings that help compliment each experience.

Many folks comment on the poor standard definition viewing on their HDTVs, and I’ve witnessed it myself on some DLPs. But this TV can produce a nice, clear picture on non-HD channels. (A BIG plus given there are far more non-HD channels)

My TV is setup using the provided stand, which was fairly easy to assemble. Total assembly time, 5 minutes.

Lastly, I’ve been concerned with possible “burn-in” so I’ve scaled down the picture settings and only watch TV in “Just” mode to fill the entire screen. Panasonic recommends doing this for at least the first 100 hours during the TV’s break-in period. Honestly, even with the picture setting scaled down, the HD picture still looks great. I guess everything is relative.

Bottom line, you cannot go wrong with this TV. You’ll have a hard time finding a better TV at this price ($1350). If you buy online, do your research and make sure your vendor is reputable and a valid reseller of the brand you’re planning to purchase. Local retailers will come close to the online price, but have a hard time keeping the TV in stock. That’s why I purchased mine online…quicker turnaround. Good luck!

Review by A. Davis for Panasonic TH-42PX77U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
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I’m sitting in front of my new Panasonic plasma TV, and I’m not sure I’ll ever move off of this couch. I’m so pleased with the picture quality, and I’m very pleasantly surprised at how good the sound is. This purchase was a long time coming, as I had been researching flat-screen TVs for about year. I finally got serious a couple of months ago and got to work deciding which one was right for me. I have a small den, so a 42″ screen was as big as I dared go. (I sit about 8.5 feet from TV.) I considered both LCDs and plasmas. I decided on plasma for two reasons. First because I’d read that if you go 42″ or larger, plasma is generally better. Second, I felt the images on the LCDs were a bit exaggerated — the colors pop *too* much. I think the plasma image looks more realistic. Once I decided on plasma, it was a choice between Panasonic and Samsung. Panasonic is a bit more expensive, but I felt the Panasonic reputation was worth it. I’m not concerned about not having 1080 because no one will be broadcasting in 1080 for a long time (and I’m not sure I could discern the difference anyway) and I don’t have any intention of buying an HD DVD player. As I said, the picture is amazing. The HD channels come through brilliantly, and the SD picture is also very good. No complaints there. I assumed I would want to add some external speakers for this TV, but the sound turns out to be quite good. It’s not the same quality that you’d get on a big stereo system, but it’s much better than I would have expected, and there is no distortion at high volumes. (Granted, I don’t crank it up *too* much.) Setup was very easy. I plugged it into the cable box, and we were ready to go. I’ll add that I’m very pleased with the Eagle/CEVA delivery service. They delivered a few days earlier than originally promised. They were very courteous and careful with the set. They don’t do setup — just take the TV out of the box and set it down on the floor for you. Everything about this experience has been good. Amazon.com offered a highly competitive price that included free shipping, so I couldn’t be more pleased.

Review by joetagaz for Panasonic TH-42PX77U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
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I bought this set through Costco (it was cheaper so look around). I actually have the TH-42PC77U which is the same set but with an anti-glare screen. Depending on where you’re putting it you might want to spend the extra $100.

I was a little concerned that this was a 720p set given all the hype about 1080p. I have 1080p 52″ Sharp LCD in the family room and was going to go with another, but smaller for the master bedroom. However, after reading Consumer Reports review of this set I thought I’d give it a try (it was certainly cheaper).

Set up was a breeze. You have to mount the stand, hook up your cable box, etc. and you’re done. It’s that simple. It’s not fancy. My Sharp has enough settings to make a rocket scientist happy. This is more of the variety – turn it on and it works. That’s fine with me!

Now, the picture. The SD channels look better on this set than they do on my 1080p LCD. Why? Well, it doesn’t have to upconvert the 480 to 1080, only to 720 so it’s not as grainy. Think of it this way, if you have a picture on your pc and you enlarge it, the image gets grainier right? Pretty much the same thing on your HDTV.

OK, the HD picture – we’re talking 720p versus 1080p here right? I can’t see the difference between the two sets. My wife thinks I’m crazy because I was running between the two rooms to compare the image but nada, zero, zilch. Looks great. The blacks are terrific, no cloudy images, no blur on action.

The only thing I messed up was not ordering a bracket at the same time. It’s on its way so I’ll have this hanging on the wall in no time.

You won’t go wrong with this set! You can get a pretty good price as well, I believe they’re on closeout but don’t let that hold you back. Just shop around for the price.

Review by Finite Guy for Panasonic TH-42PX77U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
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I’ve had my eye on this TV for about 6 months partly because of the reviews that I have read on Amazon about this and all of the other Panasonic Palsma TVs. I went to Costco on that tax free day for MA in August and all they had left was a floor model. I got a super deal on this floor model. I was concerned about the fact that this TV was a somewhat “used item” particularly because of all that I have read about proper break in procedures. I took a chance and bought the TV.

I can’t believe the picture. Called my cable TV company to get the High Def box and the picture is amazing. Bottom line, you can’t go wrong with this TV. I would have bought through Amazon but I couldn’t pass up the deal at Costco.

Review by Xeyro for Panasonic TH-42PX77U 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV
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I’ve had my TV for almost a month now, and am really enjoying it. The HD picture quality is excellent (I use Comcast), and the SD quality is just as good if not better than any of the other HDTV’s I’ve seen. Regarding the “break-in” period, I didn’t worry about it too much. I placed the settings at normal levels(I used CNet’s settings listed on the 50″ model) and then just zoomed in on any channel to make sure it filled the screen. I’m out of my 100hrs and had no problems at all. This is a great TV and well worth the price.