Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)There is just so much to love about this TV.
My last TV was a 32 inch Magnavox LCD. Picture was exceptionally bright, but HD channels looked great connected via component cable. For some reason, HDMI would not work with my cable box and that TV. While picture was bright, darker colors left much to be desired.
I ordered this TV and got it in 2 days. I must say, I was pleasantly suprised by the freight carrier, Pilot. They actually arrived earlier than my stated time, ehich worked out well because I was home. The box had not a mark on it. When I get packages from UPS or FedEx, it looks like they've played soccer with the packages. The box was in excellent condition. The delivery guy carried it by himeself on his shoulder up to my apartment.
It took maybe about 1/2 hour to unpackage and set up, and connect my cables. Though it's suggested to do this with a helper, I was able to put together and lift myself. It was a bit on the heavy side, but it was not too difficult to do alone.
I was thrilled when I turned on the set. The picture is crystal clear, and dark colors look excellent on this screen. HD looks awesome.
Since I bought the package, I got the 2 pair of glasses, the 2 BluRay 3D discs and the 3D blu ray player. 3D on this set looks positively breathtaking. I have a number of 3D blu ray titles, and have been watching them on this screen. My cable company aslo has about 18 3D movies on demand, most free, in over-under format. They play fine on this TV through both component and HDMI.There are lot of settings, and advanced settings. If video setup is not familiar to you, I suggest you do as I did and sit down in front of the TV with the book and read through and adjust your settings as you see fit - it will be worth it.
Another great thing about this TV is the amount of inputs. There are 3 HDMI A/V inputs, 2 Component inputs with l/r audio inputs, 2 regular video inputs with l/r audio inputs, 2 USB ports and an SD/SDHC/SDHX slot. Including the coax antenna input, there are a total of 9 inputs on this set PLUS the 2 USB and SD slot - that's pretty impressive.
All of the input terminals can be labeled, using preset device names. They can even be disabled using the NOT USED label. Doing this will skip those choices from the input selector menu.
Picture quality? The color range really makes a difference in this set. Theres a black setting which can be set to ligher or darker. Setting it to darker makes a world of difference in HD content. You truly see black and black gradients clearly on this set. There is excellent color spectrum, without the banding I was used to with my LCD panel. The great thing about changing the color settings is that the settings are retained individually for each input. The THX setting for 2D mode, and Cinema setting for 3D mode really enhances the color and clarity of the displayed content.
I really wanted this set for the 3D capabilities. I have tons of my own 3D content (photos and videos) which I was viewing on my 3D computer monitor. Everything is just so much bigger viewing it on this set. I was quite startled at the size difference of the 42 inch (OK, 41.6 inch) screen compared to my old 32 inch screen.
Since my main purpose was 3D with this set, I'll mention it again, full HD 3D is truly amazing viewed with this setup. People have complained about the glasses being uncomfortable, but I have no cpmplaints with the glasses. The Full HD 3D exhibits almost no ghosting, and the little bit of ghosting I have seen is not at all distracting to me. By comparison, the 3D content offered by the cable company does exhibit a bit more ghosting which at times does subtract from the enjoyment.
My only complaint about this set is the sound from the built in speakers. It's true that built in sound is never really good, even on the most expensive of sets, which is a shame. In this day and age, they could do better with sound delivery. There are bass and treble setting, and a bass boost function, but the bass boost really just distorts the lower frequencies. At higher volumes, bass is practically non-existant. There is a digital audio output to connect to a home theater receiver, but I no longer have one.
The Vieracast features might be nice, but I don't plan on using them, at least not yet. But it's nice to know they are there. There are also the Viera tools, that allow quick 3D settings, photo viewing, video viewing and other tools which I haven't really played with yet. Both the Vieracast and Viera tools can be accessed by dedicated buttons on the remote.
Internet setup was a breeze. I do have a gripe however, about having to pay an extra $70.00 for the wireless LAN adapter. For the price of this set, it should include wireless access out of the box.
If you are considering this set for purchase, download the manual from the Panasonic website and read through it. I did, and that swayed my decison.
I don't know what else to say. This is an excellent set with stunning picture quality, excellent 3D capabilities, lots of inputs, and extra features for those that want them. If you are even thinking about purchasing this set (or the 50 inch version), you must get the complete package with the glassess / movies / 3d Blu ray player. You're not paying for them anyway. When you first check out, you are being charged for the glasses kit and the blu ray player, but completing the purchase will deduct a small amount from the glasses kit and blu ray player, and the balance of each will be deducted from the price of the TV. In the end, your total payment will equal the price of the TV (not including tax, of course). GO FOR IT!
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Panasonic VIERA TC-P42GT25 42-inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV, Black3D Technology Checklist
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