Which 42" plasma?

Herminator · 25 Nov 2007 at 13:20

I'm contemplating buying a 42" plasma but I'm unsure which one to go with, there seems to be a broad price range.

I'd like to stick to around £600-700 but could be tempted to go higher.

I'll be using it with a PS3 and 360 and should be getting Sky HD soon. So there will be a mix of gaming, bluray movies and HD footy.

So far I've seen these models in my price range, are there any others I should look at?

LG 42PC56 -- not sure I like the look of LG tv's
Samsung PS42Q97 -- Usually like Samsungs
Panasonic TH42PX70

Is the Panasonic TH42PZ70B worth paying close to £1k for the 1080p?
It's tempting me, as I would hate to wish I'd gone for 1080p at a later date but it is another £300.

I'll be going to view some TV's in person in the next couple of days, so any advice you can give will be appreciated.

nichorob · 25 Nov 2007 at 13:32

If you can afford then the Panasonic TH42PZ70B will be 100% worth it. If you can afford that then theres no real point in looking for alternatives. You may well regret spending £700 on a 720p set a few months down the line. Have a read of this:

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-TH42PZ70B/

Corasik · 25 Nov 2007 at 13:35

How far do you sit from the TV.

If you sit between 8Ft and 12Ft, then the 720p (PX) TV will be more than enough resolution for a 42inch TV. As you move closer you start to gain further benifits by switching to a 1080p model like the PZ, at around 6Ft you gain full benifit from the increased resolution over 720p.

For a 42inch model anyone who sits closer than 8ft, should strongly consider a 1080p native panel. 8Ft or further the 720p is fine.

At exactly 8ft, its probably a matter of personal preference.. Most wont notice the difference, but there may be some perceptual difference right at the limit, if you have above average eyesight.

Ive got the TH42PX60, and my sofa is around 12ft away, and the picture is great, sharp and detailed.

Herminator · 25 Nov 2007 at 14:33

Thanks for the quick responses.

The tv will be around 9ft away when relaxing to watch tv/movies but I'll be more likely to be sitting about 5ft away for gaming or watching tv whilst browsing online.

I'll have to find out the height of a 42" tv as the room has sloping roofs so it will need a pretty low stand and it'll still have to sit a couple of feet out from the wall (as does everything else in the room)

Herminator · 25 Nov 2007 at 19:01

If I have to stick to the lower priced plasma's, which one would be the best choice?

Are there any issues I need look out for?
Is 100Hz a particularly nice feature or more of a bit of advertising blurb?

stuman · 25 Nov 2007 at 19:10

Herminator said:
If I have to stick to the lower priced plasma's, which one would be the best choice?

Are there any issues I need look out for?
Is 100Hz a particularly nice feature or more of a bit of advertising blurb?

it is very much advertising blurb.

the panasonic px70 is nice screen very natural colours. im having a hard time deciding weather of not the difference between a pioneer and the panasonic is worth the extra cost or not??

Tesla · 25 Nov 2007 at 20:01

TH-42PX70.

Yes you could spend more and get a better TV. But I really don't believe the 1080P panels justify the extra money. Yes, I have seen a lot of these TV's in action with and without HD sources

badbob · 25 Nov 2007 at 22:11

1080p is fantastic, if you don't think it's better than 720p you need specs. Recently watched 1080p clips on a £5K DLP projector- awesome.

My screen is 40" 1080p LCD, sitting around 2M so about right. 1080p films look very impressive

Doonhamer · 25 Nov 2007 at 22:35

How good are Plasma sets when it comes to gaming?

chaparral · 26 Nov 2007 at 07:37

Herminator said:
whilst browsing online.

The 1080p TH42PZ70B is going be 100x better for browsing the net and for HTPC/PC use,Because it's going be 1:1 pixel mapped and higher res...
where 42" 720p plasma's has only 4:3 res of 1024x768,so everything is going be scaled to fill the screen which means unclear text...

Tesla · 26 Nov 2007 at 08:46

chaparral said:
The 1080p TH42PZ70B is going be 100x better for browsing the net and for HTPC/PC use,Because it's going be 1:1 pixel mapped and higher res...
where 42" 720p plasma's has only 4:3 res of 1024x768,so everything is going be scaled to fill the screen which means unclear text...

Wrong. Pixels don't have to be square. However, 1080P would be better for net browsing.

From 9-10ft away though the perceived difference between 1080p and 720p on a 42" Plasma is not that much.

For instance, the arguments against above are either sat much closer or using a much larger screen.

Marcos · 26 Nov 2007 at 10:25

Doonhamer said:
How good are Plasma sets when it comes to gaming?

I'm thinking of plasma too, as i need good SD performance, but i'm not confident on gaming on a screen that can burn/retain

badbob · 26 Nov 2007 at 11:32

chaparral said:
The 1080p TH42PZ70B is going be 100x better for browsing the net and for HTPC/PC use,Because it's going be 1:1 pixel mapped and higher res...
where 42" 720p plasma's has only 4:3 res of 1024x768,so everything is going be scaled to fill the screen which means unclear text...

However you then have the possibility of screen burn, icons/taskbar, opened application windows etc.

chaparral · 26 Nov 2007 at 12:37

Tesla said:
Wrong. Pixels don't have to be square.

Running a PC to a plasma with non square pixels at 1:1 (1024x768) just don't work right,because PC appz/games think that there being display on a 4:3 screen...
I gave up with trying to use my PC on my last plasma (pioneer 436xde 720p 1024x768) because of the problems of it having non square pixels were giving me for PC usage...

badbob · 26 Nov 2007 at 13:07

I would like to use a Plasma sometime however like charparral said 1024x768 is seen as 4:3 under windows, unless there's a way around it? Probably best to wait for 1080p plasmas at affordable prices, it's a direct widescreen resolution available in driver resolution setting.

Herminator · 26 Nov 2007 at 13:35

chaparral said:
The 1080p TH42PZ70B is going be 100x better for browsing the net and for HTPC/PC use,Because it's going be 1:1 pixel mapped and higher res...
where 42" 720p plasma's has only 4:3 res of 1024x768,so everything is going be scaled to fill the screen which means unclear text...

Sorry I wasn't quite clear, I won't be using the Plasma itself for browsing the net, I'll just be sitting at my pc and the plasma will be a few feet away.

Clipsey · 26 Nov 2007 at 13:45

Just a quick question - are the 42" Philips ambilight ones much good? I saw them in the shops when they first came out and looked pretty dam neat!!
Can pick one up absolutely dirt cheap and am very tempted to replace my Sharp Aquos (sp) (which is smaller)
Thanks

Rich JR · 26 Nov 2007 at 15:02

It has to be the panasonic in that price range.

Its just down to personnal choice whether to spend the extra on more pixels, the same electronics are driving both panels the resulting image will not differ that much, you will be able to sit closer to the 1080p set :confused:

but at a distance of 5ft a 1024x768 plasma is great.

Let me put it this way by way of clarification...
If it was a choice between the Panny 70Z 1080p and the Pioneer 720p i would take the Pioneer any day of the week...but thats a lot more money..but it does detect pulldown and therefor telecine correctly

which is more important than pixels.

Marcos · 26 Nov 2007 at 16:13

So is the PX70 still the best plasma for £700-900 ?

Amp34 · 26 Nov 2007 at 19:25

Marcos said:
I'm thinking of plasma too, as i need good SD performance, but i'm not confident on gaming on a screen that can burn/retain

There is almost no likelyhood of modern plasmas getting burn/retention. I use an 'old' 42" Panny plasma and have played thing like GTA on it for hours and have never had any problem with burn/retention. I think it's a bit of a non issue now tbh.