Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
3 CRT HDTV for many years , I held back from buying a flatscreen for a long time because the LCD's had too many compromises for me to accept ( motion blur , limited viewing angle , color shift ) - I didn't want my new TV to look worse than my old one ! With this Panny though , things are looking VERY good . Highly recommended !
There are two things I kept seeing about plasmas when researching flat panel HDT。 's . Turns out neither of them hold water , at least not with this TV .
1 : Plasmas use way more power than LCD tv's . But I couldn't find any quantitative info on just how much more . Then finally I found that Crutchfield tests T。 's including their power consumption - and model to model variations matter much more than Plasma vs . LCD . This particular plasma uses about the same as most other 42 LCD's - and there are some 42 LCD's that use much MORE ! ( We're talking numbers like 150 - 160 vs 250 . )
2 : Plasmas are no good for watching in a bright room . Now , it's winter in Seattle so it's not exactly Death Valley levels of burning sun - but even when the sun is shining brightly through the 3 large windows in my living room , it's no harder to watch this set than my old CRT - in other words , no problem .
And here are some suggestions for a few other products you may want to get along with this TV - at least , it's what I did .
First , for getting the TV on the Internet , I picked up a D-Link DAP1522 which gloms onto my existing wireless network ( Airport Extreme with WPA2 ) and provides 4 ports to wire up the TV as well as my TiVo HD and my new Bluray player ( more on that below ) .
D-Link DAP1522 Xtreme 4 - Port GigaBit Selectable Dual Band Draft 802.11n N Duo Wireless Bridge / Access Point
For Blu-ray , for simplicity's sake and because I do want my upconverted DVD's to look good ( other Amazon reviewers complain about DVD's looking poorly on some Bluray players especially in the $150 range ) I stayed with Panasonic's Viera line . The Viera Link works just as described .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player , Black
and when I pop in Ron Fricke's visually stunning Baraka , I realized that I needed to get my prescription updated . . .
Baraka [ Blu-ray
]
I had no trouble at all with HDMI connections using Amazon's own HDMI cables , which are on sale for $6 for the 3meter size the weekend for dirt cheap . I don't want to start any cable wars , but it just baffles me why I'd pay 10x more for a cable that carries digital signals . . .
AmazonBasics High Speed HDMI Cable ( 9.8 Feet / 3.0 Meters ) [ Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging
]
014 4 Like everyone says , this TV has fantastic picture quality . I've had a 32 Sony 4 : 3 CRT HDTV for many years , I held back from buying a flatscreen for a long time because the LCD's had too many compromises for me to accept ( motion blur , limited viewing angle , color shift ) - I didn't want my new TV to look worse than my old one ! With this Panny though , things are looking VERY good . Highly recommended !
There are two things I kept seeing about plasmas when researching flat panel HDT。's . Turns out neither of them hold water , at least not with this TV .
1 : Plasmas use way more power than LCD tv's . But I couldn't find any quantitative info on just how much more . Then finally I found that Crutchfield tests T。's including their power consumption - and model to model variations matter much more than Plasma vs . LCD . This particular plasma uses about the same as most other 42 LCD's - and there are some 42 LCD's that use much MORE ! ( We're talking numbers like 150 - 160 vs 250 . )
2 : Plasmas are no good for watching in a bright room . Now , it's winter in Seattle so it's not exactly Death Valley levels of burning sun - but even when the sun is shining brightly through the 3 large windows in my living room , it's no harder to watch this set than my old CRT - in other words , no problem .
And here are some suggestions for a few other products you may want to get along with this TV - at least , it's what I did .
First , for getting the TV on the Internet , I picked up a D-Link DAP1522 which gloms onto my existing wireless network ( Airport Extreme with WPA2 ) and provides 4 ports to wire up the TV as well as my TiVo HD and my new Bluray player ( more on that below ) .
D-Link DAP1522 Xtreme 4 - Port GigaBit Selectable Dual Band Draft 802.11n N Duo Wireless Bridge / Access Point
For Blu-ray , for simplicity's sake and because I do want my upconverted DVD's to look good ( other Amazon reviewers complain about DVD's looking poorly on some Bluray players especially in the $150 range ) I stayed with Panasonic's Viera line . The Viera Link works just as described .
Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player , Black
and when I pop in Ron Fricke's visually stunning Baraka , I realized that I needed to get my prescription updated . . .
Baraka [ Blu-ray
]
I had no trouble at all with HDMI connections using Amazon's own HDMI cables , which are on sale for $6 for the 3meter size the weekend for dirt cheap . I don't want to start any cable wars , but it just baffles me why I'd pay 10x more for a cable that carries digital signals . . .
AmazonBasics High Speed HDMI Cable ( 9.8 Feet / 3.0 Meters ) [ Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging
]
021 4 In the spring , I bought a Samsung 42 inch . It was beautiful and had outstanding reviews . When I brought it home , I was impressed with the picture but the sound quality was flat-out awful . So back it went . I researched many tvs before I bought again and wanting an outstanding picture as well as sound quality , I purchased the G - 10 here at Amazon . I can tell you that it is a purchase I am most proud of . The colors have me in amazement and the sound quality is truly excellent . This is my first review at Amazon and it took this outstanding product to make me want to share the details of my search . I look forward to turning it on and experiencing the wonderful land of tv right in my own home as I've never experienced it before . I am purchasing blu-ray movies now because you absolutely can't believe the quality on this tv . If you enjoy excellence in your own home , then you don't have to make choices . This one will more than meet your needs .
025 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Picture quality is awesome ! Out-of-the box is very good and even better with DIY calibration . If PQ is your highest priority in a TV , look no further at this price point . SD cable programming looks fine but 1080i HD cable is fantastic and 1080p BluRay is unbelievable . I've always had a few nitpick issues with my previous T。's . Each subsequent set was an improvement ( with commensurate cost increase ) over the previous set but still had flaws . I have no complaints whatsoever with this one ( and it was cheaper than my last set ! ) .
Black levels are outstanding , by far the best I've ever had in a TV , and colors are vibrant without being oversaturated . CRT is supposedly the gold standard but I've owned a few decent tubes and they are not even close . Forget about LCD's ( better BL than before , but can't touch plasma ) .
User controls are straightforward . The THX setting is good for some movies if you're watching in the dark , but I usually tweak it a bit from there . Sound quality is good ( for a TV ) and it is plenty loud for everyday viewing . But a good HT setup is indispensable . Extra features ( YouTube and Picassa viewers , stock ticker , weather channel , Amazon Video ) are a bonus but were a non-factor in my choice .
I ordered from Amazon . It arrived in a few days and the TV was well packaged and had no damage whatsoever .
If you are looking for a 42 TV at this price point , you would be hard pressed to find a better one .
026 4 Picture quality is awesome ! Out-of-the box is very good and even better with DIY calibration . If PQ is your highest priority in a TV , look no further at this price point . SD cable programming looks fine but 1080i HD cable is fantastic and 1080p BluRay is unbelievable . I've always had a few nitpick issues with my previous T。's . Each subsequent set was an improvement ( with commensurate cost increase ) over the previous set but still had flaws . I have no complaints whatsoever with this one ( and it was cheaper than my last set ! ) .
Black levels are outstanding , by far the best I've ever had in a TV , and colors are vibrant without being oversaturated . CRT is supposedly the gold standard but I've owned a few decent tubes and they are not even close . Forget about LCD's ( better BL than before , but can't touch plasma ) .
User controls are straightforward . The THX setting is good for some movies if you're watching in the dark , but I usually tweak it a bit from there . Sound quality is good ( for a TV ) and it is plenty loud for everyday viewing . But a good HT setup is indispensable . Extra features ( YouTube and Picassa viewers , stock ticker , weather channel , Amazon Video ) are a bonus but were a non-factor in my choice .
I ordered from Amazon . It arrived in a few days and the TV was well packaged and had no damage whatsoever .
If you are looking for a 42 TV at this price point , you would be hard pressed to find a better one .
033 4 I have to say a big thank you to all the people who reviewed this product , I read them all and with the info I had I went ahead and purchased the plasma tv and I am over the moon with it , it is the best tv Ihave ever owned , the picture and sound are awesome andI would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a plasma tv .
056 4 I moved from a LCD Samsung to this Panasonic . Picture is so true and the view angles are great . This brings HD and blu = ray to life .
115 4 I thought something was wrong with the set , but a call to their center was a good customer experience . They walked me through setting up components and video . Nice picture .
100 4 I must say i have researched HDT。 's for some time and decided the plasma was the best for me . . . . viewing sports etc . This panasonic has been superb , awesome picture and easy setup plus amazon did a top notch job on delivery . I haven't used the internet connection much yet , it seems very handy , but the TV really came to life when i got HD hookup from direct tv . Now it's hard to watch sports any other way !
055 4 This my second Panasonic HDTV . Bought this one to have in a second location in the house . The Panasonic Plazma T。's are super . You won't be disappointed with the picture quality on these . Packing is excellent and setup fast and simple . The built in speakers are very good . . . I see no reason to ad external speakers ; but of course some people may want to ? Buy it . . . you'll like it !
081 4 This is one of the best televisions I have ever viewed . Its picture quality is top notch , the THX mode makes setting the picture for movies very simple , and the way this TV displays motion without loss of resolution crushes comparable LCD T。's . You owe it to yourself when purchasing a new television to consider this product first .
118 4 There's a reason why prices for the TCP42G10 have cratered . In set audio for the TCP42G10 is really inferior . If you are going to listen to any music at all ( like movie or TV show sound track , at least ) you will need to buy at extra cost a separate sound system that plugs into the back panel RCA jack for audio out . And mute the in-set audio . The in set audio does all sort of weird things to music and even voice unless you turn all the audio enhancements off . You will also need to make sure the audio sound system has its own remote control for volume because the set's remote does not control the volume of the RCA audio out . I got a Frisby 5.1 which does the job . Internet via Viera is even worse , abysmally mickey mouse . The Panasonic server forces you to download new software before you can access and unless your router firewall is totally off , the download always fails . Nice . Many other times they tell you their server is busy or overloaded . Even if you can get thru that minefield , internet access is slow and loaded with weird problems , like some videos from a given user on youtube are mysteriously missing , etc . etc . Picture strength is weak for a normally day lit living room . And pull down menus are more complex than needed - - too many submenus . If I had to do it again , I would look for better HDTV alternatives .
009 4 Being the typical engineer , I researched and compared tvs for at least three years prior to taking the plunge and buying my 42 G10 - and boy am I glad that I did . I must admit , plasmas weren't my first choice . They're power hogs right ? LCDs are so much more prevalent , right ? LEDs are the wave of the future , right ? First off , for the average tv viewer , the power consumption difference and cost of a KW * hr of electricity doesn't even add up to $30 / year . Second , LCDs may be more prevalent , but that doesn't make them better . I also own a 30 Samsung LN32A450 LCD and between the two there is absolutely no comparison . I know I'm comparing a 720p set to a 1080 but given the screen size difference it shouldn't matter . The color intensity and depth of the Panasonic blows it away . The LCD is bigger than the old CRT you used to have but it's probably not as bright or true to color . With the Panasonic plasma it's bigger , sharper and has all the color definition to boot . Lastly LEDs may be the wave of the future but as all the reviews will tell you , there's still room to go to catch up even with the better LCDs today . In short , when you can get the highest rated tv made today ( sorry Pioneer fans ) for the bargain basement prices of around $1K for a 42 , stop looking and take the plunge . You won't be sorry you did !
023 4 I ordered this TV for my new townhouse to be mounted over my living room fireplace . Due to the size of the cutout , I couldn't go any bigger than 42 . Needless to say this TV does not disappoint ! I have a 50 Samsung 1080p LCD in the basement that I paid almost twice as much for , and this TV blows it away . The quality of the picture and the black levels are unbelieveable . There is a little bit of a green hue to the factory settings , but are easily adjusted . The THX picture setting is amazing , but I only recommend it for dimly lit to dark rooms . The other settings for lighter rooms will still wow you . The PS3 games and Blu-ray movies are jaw dropping . I easily recommend this TV , and the price right now ( under $1100 ) can't be beat ! !
051 4 We LOVE this big , beautiful plasma TV . First , we bought a Sony Bravia 40 LCD and were very disappointed with the flat , gray picture and blurry action , so we returned it . ( The LCDs use a special setting in the store displays , so they look incredibly vivid in the stores , but they actually look flat and dark in household lighting . ) I did a lot of online research ( which I should have done before we bought the LCD ) and learned that plasmas are better and Panasonic makes great plasmas . For some reasons , the plasmas always look lousy in the stores , but we trusted our research and ordered this plasma online without seeing one in person . It's amazing ! I'm so happy with it . I was disappointed with the slightly dark picture for one day , until I switched to the GAME mode of picture , which is incredibly sharp , clear , and colorful . We don't play games on this particular TV , but the game-picture-mode is the one we prefer for everyday watching . I would highly recommend this TV to anyone . Love it !
059 4 Buying a new digital TV can be a daunting task because there's so many good products on the market . However , any time spent doing some research involving customer reviews as well as specification data is time well spent . I had to resolve three issues : 1 ) Is an LCD or a plasma best for me , 2 ) What size screen is best for my circumstances , and 3 ) What features do I want . I determined that a 42 plasma screen was perfect for my needs . In looking through the specification sheets of all 42 plasma tv's , I chose a Panasonic G10 as the best for the money . Now that I've had it for more than two weeks , I couldn't be more pleased . The picture ( in HD ) is beautiful ; the sound is great ! .
089 4 This TV is incredible . The set up is easy , and with the right video source the clarity of this tv is one of the best . I use an HDMI cable with the Xbox 360 . The games look very clear and incredibly good . Watching myth buster in HD is a blast as well .
The only thing I wish this TV could do is support 1080p with all the VGA input and Component input . These high definition inputs don't support complete 1080p .
But besides that portion the television is definitely a great buy .
094 4 Received the G15 instead of the G10 . The only difference is the thickness , the G15 is slimmer . The picture on this TV is absolutely amazing , the best I have ever seen . My friend has a new Samsung LED LCD that cost him over $2,000 and the Panasonic , which cost me $800 , has a better picture .
102 4 Me and my wife shopped around a lot before we decided to buy a new tv . We seen a lot of good tv's at decent prices , but most of them did not have the hook-up for the pc . The G10 is everything we were looking for in a new tv , and Amazon gave it to us at the best price . We are very pleased with the picture quality and the sound quality of the HD .
105 4 I've had the TV for about 6 months now , and it's working like a champ . There is little to no glare from the screen , the 1080p pictures is sharp and clear ( with a little adjusting in the setup menu ) and the viewing angles are perfect . Highly recommended to anyone looking for a low profile , 1080p screen .
116 4 Hello everyone let me start by saying that I had placed hours upon hours of time into researching televisions while searching for my first HDTV .
I had my mind 1005 completely set on going with a LCD over plasma because of all of the outdated myths that department stores feed you regarding the two .
And then a friend showed me this television on CNEt and heres a link .
[ . . . ]
also this one gives a video review .
[ . . . ]
This TV Looks simply amazing the only adjustment that I made was that I used the calibration feature that comes with many standard disney movie DVDs these days to set my black level and everything to optimal levels .
if I had the money i would buy two more but unfortunately I do not if you have any doubts in your head regarding the purchase of this TV please do not be mislead by the other biug names like Samsung and Sony yes those are also very good televisions , but in all honesty this television provides just as good if not BETTER a picture then those two at the same size and for alot less .
If I had to admit one regret regarding my purchase it would be that I didnt hold out and save more money to get a 46 - 50 inch model hahaha .
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
After much research , I finally went ahead and bought an HDTV for our primary household TV , and the only TV that is connected to a cable set top box ( which I need to receive HD channels ) . All I can say is that the picture is great and viewing football games in HDTV is a whole new experience . Your favorite team will look much better on this TV - of course , you'll need to try something else to get them to play better !
I am certainly not the HDTV expert that many reviewers are , so I will avoid technical commentary .
My likes are the relatively intuitive menu selections , the great picture , the price for the value received , and the internet connectivity . In addition , Blu-Ray discs , when connected through an HDMI cable and on THX picture mode are beautiful . Due to a shipping delay , I was waiting for an HDMI cable for several days after the TV and Blu-Ray were set up , and the picture looks much better through HDMI than through a component connection . I also note that the THX picture setting is far superior to Standard when watching a Blu-Ray movie .
The only dislikes :
1 ) The user guide is not very helpful on some of the more advanced options - or at least that is my early opinion .
2 ) The green tints are a bit strong . I presume that there are some things I can do to play with that , but have not found the solution yet . When watching football games on ESPN HD , the yellow flag box has a greenish tint to it , and the turf in some stadiums seems unnaturally green . I actually find watching football on THX picture mode rather than the Games mode gives me a more pleasant picture .
3 ) Viera Cast was difficult to get working , although it is now working fine . I am connected to the internet through a
Linksys by Cisco PLK300 PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit
, after failing to make a wireless bridge work . The one remaining nuance about Viera Cast is that the weather for my home town ( which is in central time ) has a time display for Eastern time - I presume that there is a way to fix that , but I have not yet figured out what the magic button is to do that .
I would highly recommend this TV to anyone looking for an HDTV .
UPDATE February 13 : A comment on this review suggested going to the following link for calibration settings for the 50 model of the G10 series . The settings made a big difference . Even the Boston Celtics uniforms looked natural .
[ . . . ]
015 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
CNET rated the panasonic at 4 stars , but that is in comparison to the Pioneer model which is discontinued , and costs twice as much money . Here's the link if you want to read an experts opinion .
Simply put for the money , this is the BEST t.v . out there , i spent about a month going to stores , comparing features , and with the exception of Viera Cast i love everything about this t.v . I have morning sun in my room , but i found that i could still see the t.v . from almost any angle . And the picture quality is breath-taking .
016 4 CNET rated the panasonic at 4 stars , but that is in comparison to the Pioneer model which is discontinued , and costs twice as much money . Here's the link if you want to read an experts opinion .
Simply put for the money , this is the BEST t.v . out there , i spent about a month going to stores , comparing features , and with the exception of Viera Cast i love everything about this t.v . I have morning sun in my room , but i found that i could still see the t.v . from almost any angle . And the picture quality is breath-taking .
054 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
This my second Panasonic HDTV . Bought this one to have in a second location in the house . The Panasonic Plazma T。's are super . You won't be disappointed with the picture quality on these . Packing is excellent and setup fast and simple . The built in speakers are very good . . . I see no reason to ad external speakers ; but of course some people may want to ? Buy it . . . you'll like it !
067 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I love this TV . I bought it for myself in november and its been FLAWLESS . The picture is PERFECT . Watch your movies and blu rays in THX mode and you will be happy with them . The Amazon on demand works perfectly . I stream movies from there HD and am wowed . They have an amazing selection and the prices are great . And the sound from the tv is just perfect . The other reviews tell you other wise but i disagree . I WAS going to buy a surround sound system or a sound bar for my tv but the sound on the TV is fine as is . Amazingly clear .
I have no problems with this TV what so ever . I plan on buying this model for friends .
068 4 I love this TV . I bought it for myself in november and its been FLAWLESS . The picture is PERFECT . Watch your movies and blu rays in THX mode and you will be happy with them . The Amazon on demand works perfectly . I stream movies from there HD and am wowed . They have an amazing selection and the prices are great . And the sound from the tv is just perfect . The other reviews tell you other wise but i disagree . I WAS going to buy a surround sound system or a sound bar for my tv but the sound on the TV is fine as is . Amazingly clear .
I have no problems with this TV what so ever . I plan on buying this model for friends .
069 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
After much research , I finally went ahead and bought an HDTV for our primary household TV , and the only TV that is connected to a cable set top box ( which I need to receive HD channels ) . All I can say is that the picture is great and viewing football games in HDTV is a whole new experience . Your favorite team will look much better on this TV - of course , you'll need to try something else to get them to play better !
I am certainly not the HDTV expert that many reviewers are , so I will avoid technical commentary .
My likes are the relatively intuitive menu selections , the great picture , the price for the value received , and the internet connectivity . In addition , Blu-Ray discs , when connected through an HDMI cable and on THX picture mode are beautiful . Due to a shipping delay , I was waiting for an HDMI cable for several days after the TV and Blu-Ray were set up , and the picture looks much better through HDMI than through a component connection . I also note that the THX picture setting is far superior to Standard when watching a Blu-Ray movie .
The only dislikes :
1 ) The user guide is not very helpful on some of the more advanced options - or at least that is my early opinion .
2 ) The green tints are a bit strong . I presume that there are some things I can do to play with that , but have not found the solution yet . When watching football games on ESPN HD , the yellow flag box has a greenish tint to it , and the turf in some stadiums seems unnaturally green . I actually find watching football on THX picture mode rather than the Games mode gives me a more pleasant picture .
3 ) Viera Cast was difficult to get working , although it is now working fine . I am connected to the internet through a
Linksys by Cisco PLK300 PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit
, after failing to make a wireless bridge work . The one remaining nuance about Viera Cast is that the weather for my home town ( which is in central time ) has a time display for Eastern time - I presume that there is a way to fix that , but I have not yet figured out what the magic button is to do that .
I would highly recommend this TV to anyone looking for an HDTV .
UPDATE February 13 : A comment on this review suggested going to the following link for calibration settings for the 50 model of the G10 series . The settings made a big difference . Even the Boston Celtics uniforms looked natural .
[ . . . ]
070 4 After much research , I finally went ahead and bought an HDTV for our primary household TV , and the only TV that is connected to a cable set top box ( which I need to receive HD channels ) . All I can say is that the picture is great and viewing football games in HDTV is a whole new experience . Your favorite team will look much better on this TV - of course , you'll need to try something else to get them to play better !
I am certainly not the HDTV expert that many reviewers are , so I will avoid technical commentary .
My likes are the relatively intuitive menu selections , the great picture , the price for the value received , and the internet connectivity . In addition , Blu-Ray discs , when connected through an HDMI cable and on THX picture mode are beautiful . Due to a shipping delay , I was waiting for an HDMI cable for several days after the TV and Blu-Ray were set up , and the picture looks much better through HDMI than through a component connection . I also note that the THX picture setting is far superior to Standard when watching a Blu-Ray movie .
The only dislikes :
1 ) The user guide is not very helpful on some of the more advanced options - or at least that is my early opinion .
2 ) The green tints are a bit strong . I presume that there are some things I can do to play with that , but have not found the solution yet . When watching football games on ESPN HD , the yellow flag box has a greenish tint to it , and the turf in some stadiums seems unnaturally green . I actually find watching football on THX picture mode rather than the Games mode gives me a more pleasant picture .
3 ) Viera Cast was difficult to get working , although it is now working fine . I am connected to the internet through a
Linksys by Cisco PLK300 PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapter Kit
, after failing to make a wireless bridge work . The one remaining nuance about Viera Cast is that the weather for my home town ( which is in central time ) has a time display for Eastern time - I presume that there is a way to fix that , but I have not yet figured out what the magic button is to do that .
I would highly recommend this TV to anyone looking for an HDTV .
UPDATE February 13 : A comment on this review suggested going to the following link for calibration settings for the 50 model of the G10 series . The settings made a big difference . Even the Boston Celtics uniforms looked natural .
[ . . . ]
095 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I spent forever researching TVs a few months ago and this is the one I finally arrived at . It fits my budget and provides excellent picture quality .
I have the misfortune of being a videophile with insufficient funds to buy very expensive TVs , but I was able to satisfy myself with this one . The blacks are great , the THX mode function is awesome for watching blu-ray movies . My roommates and I play a lot of videogames and this TV has been great for that as well . Remember , BURN IN IS NOT AN ISSUE IN NEWER PLASMA TVS . I don't use the T。's sound much since we have a speaker system , but it sounds fine . The online functionality is cool , especially since you can rent movies from Amazon directly from your TV .
Originally I wanted to get a Panasonic S1 , which has the same screen , just less features . At first I was hesitant to spend a little more , but now I'm glad I did . As I said earlier , the THX mode is great and the online functionality makes it totally worth it . Plus that silver on the bezel looks sexy .
The only drawback I would say is having only 3 HDMI ports instead of 4 , but I can make do .
Oh , and just a random heads-up , never clean your screen with Windex or any similar solution . It damages the chemical treatment on the glass . Instead , use the microfiber cloth the TV comes with .
096 4 I spent forever researching TVs a few months ago and this is the one I finally arrived at . It fits my budget and provides excellent picture quality .
I have the misfortune of being a videophile with insufficient funds to buy very expensive TVs , but I was able to satisfy myself with this one . The blacks are great , the THX mode function is awesome for watching blu-ray movies . My roommates and I play a lot of videogames and this TV has been great for that as well . Remember , BURN IN IS NOT AN ISSUE IN NEWER PLASMA TVS . I don't use the T。's sound much since we have a speaker system , but it sounds fine . The online functionality is cool , especially since you can rent movies from Amazon directly from your TV .
Originally I wanted to get a Panasonic S1 , which has the same screen , just less features . At first I was hesitant to spend a little more , but now I'm glad I did . As I said earlier , the THX mode is great and the online functionality makes it totally worth it . Plus that silver on the bezel looks sexy .
The only drawback I would say is having only 3 HDMI ports instead of 4 , but I can make do .
Oh , and just a random heads-up , never clean your screen with Windex or any similar solution . It damages the chemical treatment on the glass . Instead , use the microfiber cloth the TV comes with .
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
First off , the picture is wonderful . Deep blacks and phenomenal contrast with no motion blur . I will always go for plasma now that I have replaced an LCD with one .
However , after 2 months of moderate use , the unit would no longer power on . I called Panasonic about the 7 successive blinks coming from a small LED next to the IR receiver and they immediately tranferred me to their Concierge Customer Service . There they acted promptly to set up a service ticket and assign my case to a local repair shop . A week later I called Panasonic about the status of my case and they said that the part ordered we on back-order and it would be a week or so before they would be shipped to the repair shop , but that I should inquire with the repair shop about a loaner TV . I was curious about the shortage of parts and the length of time needed to get them and asked Panasonic about it , but no information was given . It seems as though the board failure on my unit and others using the same power board are experiencing a bit of a failure epidemic that supply can't keep up with
A month after I initially opened the service ticket I had heard nothing so I called the service shop who said they can get no where with Panasonic and suggested I try . I called Panasonic and they said that the repair shop got the parts that day . By the time I get the TV back it will be 5 weeks from the time it went out . 5 weeks . Not acceptable .
Also , the speakers have an annoying distortion that sounds as if they have a T-Pain-like robot filter on them . I'm not an audio snob , but without a sound system , watching anything on this unit is not very pleasing .
034 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
First off , the picture is wonderful . Deep blacks and phenomenal contrast with no motion blur . I will always go for plasma now that I have replaced an LCD with one .
However , after 2 months of moderate use , the unit would no longer power on . I called Panasonic about the 7 successive blinks coming from a small LED next to the IR receiver and they immediately tranferred me to their Concierge Customer Service . There they acted promptly to set up a service ticket and assign my case to a local repair shop . A week later I called Panasonic about the status of my case and they said that the part ordered we on back-order and it would be a week or so before they would be shipped to the repair shop , but that I should inquire with the repair shop about a loaner TV . I was curious about the shortage of parts and the length of time needed to get them and asked Panasonic about it , but no information was given . It seems as though the board failure on my unit and others using the same power board are experiencing a bit of a failure epidemic that supply can't keep up with
A month after I initially opened the service ticket I had heard nothing so I called the service shop who said they can get no where with Panasonic and suggested I try . I called Panasonic and they said that the repair shop got the parts that day . By the time I get the TV back it will be 5 weeks from the time it went out . 5 weeks . Not acceptable .
Also , the speakers have an annoying distortion that sounds as if they have a T-Pain-like robot filter on them . I'm not an audio snob , but without a sound system , watching anything on this unit is not very pleasing .
035 4 First off , the picture is wonderful . Deep blacks and phenomenal contrast with no motion blur . I will always go for plasma now that I have replaced an LCD with one .
However , after 2 months of moderate use , the unit would no longer power on . I called Panasonic about the 7 successive blinks coming from a small LED next to the IR receiver and they immediately tranferred me to their Concierge Customer Service . There they acted promptly to set up a service ticket and assign my case to a local repair shop . A week later I called Panasonic about the status of my case and they said that the part ordered we on back-order and it would be a week or so before they would be shipped to the repair shop , but that I should inquire with the repair shop about a loaner TV . I was curious about the shortage of parts and the length of time needed to get them and asked Panasonic about it , but no information was given . It seems as though the board failure on my unit and others using the same power board are experiencing a bit of a failure epidemic that supply can't keep up with
A month after I initially opened the service ticket I had heard nothing so I called the service shop who said they can get no where with Panasonic and suggested I try . I called Panasonic and they said that the repair shop got the parts that day . By the time I get the TV back it will be 5 weeks from the time it went out . 5 weeks . Not acceptable .
Also , the speakers have an annoying distortion that sounds as if they have a T-Pain-like robot filter on them . I'm not an audio snob , but without a sound system , watching anything on this unit is not very pleasing .
066 4 I had a LCD before , but we upgraded to this to fill up the living room . We choose plasma because we heard the pic is more accurate and it's faster for fast moving objects . This model was highly rated , and we got it for $950 total . Did the break in , and watched it in the dim mode for the 100 + hrs . After that we upped the calibrated the tv using the DVE calibration disk . The picture is great , and incredible in HD . Outdoor scenes really pop !
For some reason the video is what I'd describe as a sheet of film over the video . Then we turned off the CATs feature and it brightened up ( just turn off all those video enhancements ) . Now the only other picture comments I have is : 1 . I notice when watching certain commercials , you can see shades of the same color . . . I don't know if it's an effect used in these commercials , because it doesn't happen when watching regular tv . 2 . bright parts ( like when watching outdoor scenes ) almost look shiny . . . like there are ice crystals shining on the screen . . . but the contrast is set at 60 , and if it's lessened it's still there . i'll play with the calibration disk again .
The other grip i have is the tv stand . our entertainment system has a front speaker that has to be offset on the tv stand because the IR for the tv is right behind it . Basically , the tv is too low to have anything in front of it . if the stand put the tv 5 higher , the speaker would be aesthetically placed well . if you wall mount , or dont have a front speaker , then don't worry about it .
103 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
wow anyone considering plasma line put the specs on this up against almost any 1600 to 2800 $ tv and you will be blown away 600 mhz 2,000,000 dynamic contrast ratio i went to the store to look at 240 mhz led backlit lcds saw pixels and motion blur with only a 50,00 hour screen life vs panny's 100,00 hour a complete no brainer bought through amazon love u guys oh and and few things not mentioned online seems to have volume leveling no more chasing volume buttons on commercials and digital optical audio out also firmware updates available via ethernet cord worried about that but didn't need to congratulations panasonic only reason 4 stars for ease of use is onboard buttons sort of awkward location behind right side edge of panel need to kind of lean around the edge to see what u r doing probably just take some getting used to ALSO IF YOU PLUG THIS TV INTO A UNGROUNDED OUTLET AFTER YOUR FIRMWARE UPDATE IE TO GET ONLINE IT WILL LOCKUP COMPLETELY
104 4 wow anyone considering plasma line put the specs on this up against almost any 1600 to 2800 $ tv and you will be blown away 600 mhz 2,000,000 dynamic contrast ratio i went to the store to look at 240 mhz led backlit lcds saw pixels and motion blur with only a 50,00 hour screen life vs panny's 100,00 hour a complete no brainer bought through amazon love u guys oh and and few things not mentioned online seems to have volume leveling no more chasing volume buttons on commercials and digital optical audio out also firmware updates available via ethernet cord worried about that but didn't need to congratulations panasonic only reason 4 stars for ease of use is onboard buttons sort of awkward location behind right side edge of panel need to kind of lean around the edge to see what u r doing probably just take some getting used to ALSO IF YOU PLUG THIS TV INTO A UNGROUNDED OUTLET AFTER YOUR FIRMWARE UPDATE IE TO GET ONLINE IT WILL LOCKUP COMPLETELY
136 4 I have owned a Sony 1080P 40 inch LCD for a few years . It is excellent in many ways . But the Panasonic 42 inch G10 is even better . The colors and definition are great . I have had the Panasonic for about one month and I swear it seems to get better every day . I didn't know there was a break period for a Plazma ? Any way I definietly recommend the Panasonic for television and blu ray movies . I have not used it for games and I probably never will . Also , before purchasing it from Amason I comparaed it in a store against a 46 inch Samsung LED and the G10 held its own against a very much more expensive TV . The Samsung was twice the price . Buy the G10 and pocket the savings . I didn't give it 5 stars because I don't give 5 stars .
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I have no words to describe this Plasma HDTV . I've been waiting for one year to buy the top of the line from Panasonic and It is the best of the best ! ! !
I am a good customer from Ecuador and this Plasma came to my home via my courier service . There is nothing comparable with this gadget in my country , and I have been searching a lot here for a long time .
I can share my opinion in Spanish too :
El Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 definitivamente es uno de los mejores TV plasma del mundo . He investigado muchisimo antes de comprarlo y he estado en esta búsqueda por mas de un año para comprar lo mejor de lo mejor .
Muchos dicen que la tecnologia Plasma ya esta saliendo de circulacion , esto es mentira . La TV Plasma es una tecnologia madura y con mucha inversion en investigación y desarrollo . Tal es el caso de marcas como Panasonic , que tienen ya mucha experiencia en el diseño de equipos con un altisimo rendimiento y garantía de durabilidad .
Su pantalla tiene una garantia de 100.000 horas ! ! ! es algo increíble ! .
El ratio de contraste es impresionante , los negros son realmente infinitos y la gama de colores perfecta . No conozco todavia la tecnologia LED TV ( que es el futuro de HDTV ) , pero pienso que pasara mucho tiempo para que sus altos costos justifiquen su compra y se puedan vender tan bien como lo hacen los Plasma y LCDs . Habra que esperar . . .
Este equipo tiene menús muy interactivos y bonitos , lo hace ver como una computadora . La conectividad es suprema ! Las 3 entradas HDMI son muy útiles y la salida optica tambien . Ademas de ser THX Certificado ! ! ! WoW ! ! ! ( Star Wars Great Sound ! ) ; )
Yo lo tengo conectado a mi equipo Home Theater Sony Muteki HTDDW1600 6.2 ( proximamente pienso convertirlo a 7.1 con el tremendo SONY SRT-DH800 del 2009 ) , a mi OPPO DV - 980H Up-Converting DVD y proximamente al Panasonic DMP-BD80 Bluray Player , tambien lo tengo conectado a mi sistema de cable . Todo funciona a la perfección a traves de Cables Belkin HDMI y Opticos .
Sin embargo creo que voy a necesitar comprar un control remoto universal para deshacerme de los 4 controles remotos que me vuelven loco ! ( estoy pensando en el Logitech Harmony 880 . . . ) Es un sueño hecho realidad ! ! ! : D
En verdad no tengo mas que decir . . . Un TV Plasma muuuuy recomendable por precio y tecnología .
Tengo que acotar que el Servicio al Cliente de Amazon es insuperable ! . Definitivamente es la mejor tienda Web del Mundo , con calidad de productos , garantia y precios imbatibles .
Soy cliente desde hace 3 años y nunca he tenido ningun problema en mis pagos con mi tarjeta y la llegada de las compras a mi direccion en Miami ( international courier service ) .
MUCHAS GRACIAS AMAZON.COM ! ! ! : D
Galo Carrillo
( Environmental Researcher , University of Cuenca , Ecuador )
Cuenca , EC .
Miami , Fl USA .
048 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Extremely Happy with this Purchase , I have had it 30 days as of this review . This was a used product and was supposed to have a blemish on the case . I still have not found the scratch on the case . It came on time and the delivery guy set it up . Very professional .
The picture is just amazing to me . I am hooked up to HD and have it hooked also to a Panasonic DMP-DB60 Blu-ray . This set up is better than going to the movies ! My only complaint is the manual could be a bit better in step by step set up and picture set up . All in all I an very happy with Panasonic , the delivery company and Amazon .
049 4 Extremely Happy with this Purchase , I have had it 30 days as of this review . This was a used product and was supposed to have a blemish on the case . I still have not found the scratch on the case . It came on time and the delivery guy set it up . Very professional .
The picture is just amazing to me . I am hooked up to HD and have it hooked also to a Panasonic DMP-DB60 Blu-ray . This set up is better than going to the movies ! My only complaint is the manual could be a bit better in step by step set up and picture set up . All in all I an very happy with Panasonic , the delivery company and Amazon .
077 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
This TV is simply amazing ! I've had it for about a month now and I can't find anything to complain about . I'm not using the TV speakers , as it's hooked up to a home theater receiver package and the sound is amazing . The clarity of the TV is even better than I imagined it would be , especially with HD channels . I'm still messing around with the settings , as the clarity isn't the greatest on non-HD channels but I'm convinced that's not a problem with the TV given the crystal clear HD picture . The extras on the G10 are a bit confusing to set up ( internet , camera , etc ) but haven't attempted to hook that up yet . I think I need extra hardware for it and I doubt I'd use it that often anyway .
About Amazon - I doubt I'll ever shop anywhere ever again ! The prices are the lowest I could find anywhere and talk about customer service . . . I originally purchased the 46 but when it arrived it was just a bit too large for the space where my TV needs to reside ( yes , I measured the area first and thought it would be OK but just didn't sit quite right ) . Amazon accepted the return and shipped me the 42 and I was charged NOT ONE PENNY FOR SHIPPING ! Not the return , not the new order , nada . They are exceptional when it comes to customer service and even though it was my mistake they took extremely good care of me . Oh yeah , the shipping was also QUICK - I had the TV in about a week from when I placed the order . Amazing ! ! !
078 4 This TV is simply amazing ! I've had it for about a month now and I can't find anything to complain about . I'm not using the TV speakers , as it's hooked up to a home theater receiver package and the sound is amazing . The clarity of the TV is even better than I imagined it would be , especially with HD channels . I'm still messing around with the settings , as the clarity isn't the greatest on non-HD channels but I'm convinced that's not a problem with the TV given the crystal clear HD picture . The extras on the G10 are a bit confusing to set up ( internet , camera , etc ) but haven't attempted to hook that up yet . I think I need extra hardware for it and I doubt I'd use it that often anyway .
About Amazon - I doubt I'll ever shop anywhere ever again ! The prices are the lowest I could find anywhere and talk about customer service . . . I originally purchased the 46 but when it arrived it was just a bit too large for the space where my TV needs to reside ( yes , I measured the area first and thought it would be OK but just didn't sit quite right ) . Amazon accepted the return and shipped me the 42 and I was charged NOT ONE PENNY FOR SHIPPING ! Not the return , not the new order , nada . They are exceptional when it comes to customer service and even though it was my mistake they took extremely good care of me . Oh yeah , the shipping was also QUICK - I had the TV in about a week from when I placed the order . Amazing ! ! !
127 4 I have no words to describe this Plasma HDTV . I've been waiting for one year to buy the top of the line from Panasonic and It is the best of the best ! ! !
I am a good customer from Ecuador and this Plasma came to my home via my courier service . There is nothing comparable with this gadget in my country , and I have been searching a lot here for a long time .
I can share my opinion in Spanish too :
El Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 definitivamente es uno de los mejores TV plasma del mundo . He investigado muchisimo antes de comprarlo y he estado en esta búsqueda por mas de un año para comprar lo mejor de lo mejor .
Muchos dicen que la tecnologia Plasma ya esta saliendo de circulacion , esto es mentira . La TV Plasma es una tecnologia madura y con mucha inversion en investigación y desarrollo . Tal es el caso de marcas como Panasonic , que tienen ya mucha experiencia en el diseño de equipos con un altisimo rendimiento y garantía de durabilidad .
Su pantalla tiene una garantia de 100.000 horas ! ! ! es algo increíble ! .
El ratio de contraste es impresionante , los negros son realmente infinitos y la gama de colores perfecta . No conozco todavia la tecnologia LED TV ( que es el futuro de HDTV ) , pero pienso que pasara mucho tiempo para que sus altos costos justifiquen su compra y se puedan vender tan bien como lo hacen los Plasma y LCDs . Habra que esperar . . .
Este equipo tiene menús muy interactivos y bonitos , lo hace ver como una computadora . La conectividad es suprema ! Las 3 entradas HDMI son muy útiles y la salida optica tambien . Ademas de ser THX Certificado ! ! ! WoW ! ! ! ( Star Wars Great Sound ! ) ; )
Yo lo tengo conectado a mi equipo Home Theater Sony Muteki HTDDW1600 6.2 ( proximamente pienso convertirlo a 7.1 con el tremendo SONY SRT-DH800 del 2009 ) , a mi OPPO DV - 980H Up-Converting DVD y proximamente al Panasonic DMP-BD80 Bluray Player , tambien lo tengo conectado a mi sistema de cable . Todo funciona a la perfección a traves de Cables Belkin HDMI y Opticos .
Sin embargo creo que voy a necesitar comprar un control remoto universal para deshacerme de los 4 controles remotos que me vuelven loco ! ( estoy pensando en el Logitech Harmony 880 . . . ) Es un sueño hecho realidad ! ! ! : D
En verdad no tengo mas que decir . . . Un TV Plasma muuuuy recomendable por precio y tecnología .
Tengo que acotar que el Servicio al Cliente de Amazon es insuperable ! . Definitivamente es la mejor tienda Web del Mundo , con calidad de productos , garantia y precios imbatibles .
Soy cliente desde hace 3 años y nunca he tenido ningun problema en mis pagos con mi tarjeta y la llegada de las compras a mi direccion en Miami ( international courier service ) .
MUCHAS GRACIAS AMAZON.COM ! ! ! : D
Galo Carrillo
( Environmental Researcher , University of Cuenca , Ecuador )
Cuenca , EC .
Miami , Fl USA .
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I purchased this Viera G10 tv after reading , approximately , 10,000 other customer reviews for a variety of LCD and Plasma T。 's . I had planned to spend between $800 and $1000 dollars and hoped to get maximum features for minimum price . The simple fact is that the plasma tv's have a much better picture than any of the LCD units and the prices are lower . This can be confirmed at any electronics store . I was pretty happy when I realized that I could get my 42inch plasma with internet connectivity , 3 hdmi ports ( for cable , laptop and psIII ) , an SD card slot for photo viewing , and an included sturdy stand . All of this was just at the bottom end of my price range allowing me to purchase the psIII for hdmi port 3 with the leftover cash .
The tv has a nice , sharp picture with vivid colors . When I connected my laptop and looked through vacation photos , I was amazed at the way the colors popped off the plasma screen compared to what I thought was a nice looking laptop display . The video game mode makes the imagery of the playstation3 look just amazing . I haven't seen anything like lag . The cable tv's hd channels are kind of hit or miss . Some look really sharp ( ESPN , FX , NatGeo ) while others look a little grainy . I wasn't expecting to see this sort of disparity in the quality of hd channels , but none of it is the fault of the tv .
My tv is connected with red and white component cables to a stereo receiver that outputs surround sound . I only heard the tv's speakers for 2 minutes before I had the surround up and running so I don't really have any complaints about the standard sound on the tv .
Unless something unexpected happens with this tv in the next few months , I am very pleased with this buy from Amazon .
010 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
This review is for the FREE TV ( antenna ) people out there . This is the best picture out there ( no middleman ) ! I receive 43 channels free , many in high definition .
I have been looking for a realistic television picture for over 10 years . This is it !
5 years ago I purchased a 32 LCD TV by Samsung becauce it was the best TV for the price . I had wanted to recieve the new free HD channels . I settled for the 32 because at $1200 it was the most TV I could afford at the time . Samsung had made a breakthrough on price / picture quality at that time . Today I am weary of the limitations of LCD tvs . My old Samsung T。's best picture required looking at blurring motion and accents on the colors blue and gray .
To purchase a high quality LED LCD today which has an incredible picture one must pay much more .
Look at the Panasonic G10 . I can't stop looking at this TV ! The picture is simply stunning . If a person has been tanning , I can see it ! It is realistic . The colors are amazingly real once you get off of the standard setting . Go to THX or Custom settings and you will see the color and brightness POP !
A few years ago plasma did not impress me with a highly reflective screen and low brightness . This Panasonic plasma has become what I think is the new standard .
An ethernet connection makes this TV future oriented .
An antenna makes this TV pay for itself in high definition !
011 4 This review is for the FREE TV ( antenna ) people out there . This is the best picture out there ( no middleman ) ! I receive 43 channels free , many in high definition .
I have been looking for a realistic television picture for over 10 years . This is it !
5 years ago I purchased a 32 LCD TV by Samsung becauce it was the best TV for the price . I had wanted to recieve the new free HD channels . I settled for the 32 because at $1200 it was the most TV I could afford at the time . Samsung had made a breakthrough on price / picture quality at that time . Today I am weary of the limitations of LCD tvs . My old Samsung T。's best picture required looking at blurring motion and accents on the colors blue and gray .
To purchase a high quality LED LCD today which has an incredible picture one must pay much more .
Look at the Panasonic G10 . I can't stop looking at this TV ! The picture is simply stunning . If a person has been tanning , I can see it ! It is realistic . The colors are amazingly real once you get off of the standard setting . Go to THX or Custom settings and you will see the color and brightness POP !
A few years ago plasma did not impress me with a highly reflective screen and low brightness . This Panasonic plasma has become what I think is the new standard .
An ethernet connection makes this TV future oriented .
An antenna makes this TV pay for itself in high definition !
074 4 It was delivered into my home , unpacked , checked out as scheduled . My son hooked it up to cable and no adjustments were needed - an excellent buy .
092 4 We really love our new TV . We are somewhat electronically challenged but it was easy to set up and just love the picture quality and the sound is beautiful . My brother has had one for several years and has no problems with it at all so that was a huge selling point for us as well . Can't wait to see football games this fall !
122 4 I purchased this Viera G10 tv after reading , approximately , 10,000 other customer reviews for a variety of LCD and Plasma T。's . I had planned to spend between $800 and $1000 dollars and hoped to get maximum features for minimum price . The simple fact is that the plasma tv's have a much better picture than any of the LCD units and the prices are lower . This can be confirmed at any electronics store . I was pretty happy when I realized that I could get my 42inch plasma with internet connectivity , 3 hdmi ports ( for cable , laptop and psIII ) , an SD card slot for photo viewing , and an included sturdy stand . All of this was just at the bottom end of my price range allowing me to purchase the psIII for hdmi port 3 with the leftover cash .
The tv has a nice , sharp picture with vivid colors . When I connected my laptop and looked through vacation photos , I was amazed at the way the colors popped off the plasma screen compared to what I thought was a nice looking laptop display . The video game mode makes the imagery of the playstation3 look just amazing . I haven't seen anything like lag . The cable tv's hd channels are kind of hit or miss . Some look really sharp ( ESPN , FX , NatGeo ) while others look a little grainy . I wasn't expecting to see this sort of disparity in the quality of hd channels , but none of it is the fault of the tv .
My tv is connected with red and white component cables to a stereo receiver that outputs surround sound . I only heard the tv's speakers for 2 minutes before I had the surround up and running so I don't really have any complaints about the standard sound on the tv .
Unless something unexpected happens with this tv in the next few months , I am very pleased with this buy from Amazon .
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I waited until we owned this Panasonic TC-P42G10 Plasma TV for a few months before reviewing . Picture quality is just phenomenal ! Along with the picture being extremely sharp the colors on screen are brilliant and vivid thanks to the black level on this TV which really makes the picture pop . I researched for weeks before purchasing this HDTV to find the best quality picture for the money and thus far we have not been disappointed . My only regret is not purchasing the 50 or 54 version of this TV . If you are looking to purchase an outstanding quailty HDTV at a great price point you can't go wrong here .
I read many are articles about Plasmas and one thing I believe everyone should NOT do is adjust their contrast above a level of 50 until they have at least 100 hours of use . I adjusted my contrast to 48 and it is still set at that level today . At some point in the future I may adjust our contrast level higher but for now picture is sharp and images pop with the level at 48 .
I purchase alot from Amazon but I had reservations about purchasing a large piece of Electronics from them because of the individual shipping involved . I have vistited a couple of FedEx sorting facilities and have seen flat screen T。 's laying on their side with other packages stacked on them . Those images , burned into my mind , made it really hard for me to order the TV online knowing that shipping would be involved and how well the carries handle our packages . I read that Amazon uses CEVA Logistics for shipping and I researched them and I did not find very many good reviews from either Dell or Amazon users . I ordered anyway because we get 30 days to return items . I placed my order and believe it or not 2 days later I had my TC-P42G10 set up in my home . I did however go to the CEVA shipping office to pick up my set . I wanted to check out the facitity like I did for FedEx to see how they handle their freight . To my suprise the facility was well organized and each and every package , which they were all large , was placed on shelves and storage racks . I saw no boxes stacked on each other and everything was well organized . I picked up my TV and there was not even so much as a scratch on the box ! ! ! . . . I was very impressed with the CEVA shipping company and I would not hesitate to buy large Electronics from Amazon knowing that they use CEVA . CEVA gets and A + in my book , FedEx gets a B - at best and UPS gets a C at best .
Bottom Line : IMHO you definately can't go wrong when purchasing a Panasonic TC-PxxG10 TV . You will love the exceptional Picture quality , I can't speak to the sound of the TV because I have a home theater system and we don't buy these T。 's for their sound . For me shipping is not a concern after visiting the CEVA shipping office and my experience with this purchase .
017 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I waited until we owned this Panasonic TC-P42G10 Plasma TV for a few months before reviewing . Picture quality is just phenomenal ! Along with the picture being extremely sharp the colors on screen are brilliant and vivid thanks to the black level on this TV which really makes the picture pop . I researched for weeks before purchasing this HDTV to find the best quality picture for the money and thus far we have not been disappointed . My only regret is not purchasing the 50 or 54 version of this TV . If you are looking to purchase an outstanding quailty HDTV at a great price point you can't go wrong here .
I read many are articles about Plasmas and one thing I believe everyone should NOT do is adjust their contrast above a level of 50 until they have at least 100 hours of use . I adjusted my contrast to 48 and it is still set at that level today . At some point in the future I may adjust our contrast level higher but for now picture is sharp and images pop with the level at 48 .
I purchase alot from Amazon but I had reservations about purchasing a large piece of Electronics from them because of the individual shipping involved . I have vistited a couple of FedEx sorting facilities and have seen flat screen T。's laying on their side with other packages stacked on them . Those images , burned into my mind , made it really hard for me to order the TV online knowing that shipping would be involved and how well the carries handle our packages . I read that Amazon uses CEVA Logistics for shipping and I researched them and I did not find very many good reviews from either Dell or Amazon users . I ordered anyway because we get 30 days to return items . I placed my order and believe it or not 2 days later I had my TC-P42G10 set up in my home . I did however go to the CEVA shipping office to pick up my set . I wanted to check out the facitity like I did for FedEx to see how they handle their freight . To my suprise the facility was well organized and each and every package , which they were all large , was placed on shelves and storage racks . I saw no boxes stacked on each other and everything was well organized . I picked up my TV and there was not even so much as a scratch on the box ! ! ! . . . I was very impressed with the CEVA shipping company and I would not hesitate to buy large Electronics from Amazon knowing that they use CEVA . CEVA gets and A + in my book , FedEx gets a B - at best and UPS gets a C at best .
Bottom Line : IMHO you definately can't go wrong when purchasing a Panasonic TC-PxxG10 TV . You will love the exceptional Picture quality , I can't speak to the sound of the TV because I have a home theater system and we don't buy these T。's for their sound . For me shipping is not a concern after visiting the CEVA shipping office and my experience with this purchase .
080 4 I love this TV . At the time this set came out only the Pioneer Kuro was rated higher . Cnet claims the V10 series has a few more bells and whistles but nothing I feel that I needed . The picture is outstanding . Blu-ray is awesome ! Dish HD is fantastic ! This is my first flat panel and am I glad I waited and did my homework . I was leaning toward a Samsung LCD , but after I read some of the reviews about some of the repair issues plus my brother's issues with his samsung I opted for the Panasonic plasma . This replaced a 10 yr old 32 magnavox yube tv in my bedroom . Now that I have HD and Dish network in the bedroom it is a whole new experience . I like this set so much that I am now in the process of buying a 54 of the same G10 series for my living room . You won't be sorry you bought this set . I did have a little trouble contacting CEVA delivery ( phone tag issues ) but once we spoke delivery was a breeze and everything went smoothly . They delvered on time , opened the box , set the tv on my TV stand and powered it up to make sure everything worked properly . Great job Panasonic and Amazon.com .
141 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I'm sure the TV will be cool . . . whenever it arrives . I have no idea what CEVA is , but it seems kind of 19th Century . My TV left Harrisonburg , Pa . ( about 3 hours up I - 81 from my home in Harrisonburg , Va . ) on Sept . 3 and supposedly arrived in Richmond ( about 2 hours east of my home ) on Sept . 8 . It's scheduled for delivery here on Sept . 15 . In other words , assuming the tracking info is accurate , it started out 3 hours from here and is taking nearly 2 weeks to get here . Not that it matters , but it's odd . ( I rated it a 5 because amazon makes you rate , and I figure the TV will be fine . )
142 4 I'm sure the TV will be cool . . . whenever it arrives . I have no idea what CEVA is , but it seems kind of 19th Century . My TV left Harrisonburg , Pa . ( about 3 hours up I - 81 from my home in Harrisonburg , Va . ) on Sept . 3 and supposedly arrived in Richmond ( about 2 hours east of my home ) on Sept . 8 . It's scheduled for delivery here on Sept . 15 . In other words , assuming the tracking info is accurate , it started out 3 hours from here and is taking nearly 2 weeks to get here . Not that it matters , but it's odd . ( I rated it a 5 because amazon makes you rate , and I figure the TV will be fine . )
143 4 Why some people get to choose CEVA and some don't not sure ? I'm on the West Coast and it's Pilot , don't bother with these liars and unprofessional people . They wasted my day & NO TV ! ! I booked the appointment 6 days in advance and they wait until the day of delivery to change the time 1 / 2hr before they wanted to arrive at the door . That did not work so they said I would be the last delivery of the day , 4PM . When I called at 3 : 00PM to check on when he would arrive , they said in 1 / 2 hr . One hr later called again they said , he will be there in 20 minutes . Well it turned out he arrived 2 1 / 2 HRS . after the time I first called at 3 : 00 . We were waiting since Noon .
The guy showed up at 5 : 30PM by himself . . . . I expected two men for this awkward and big box .
The delivery guy was average height and he had to climb three flight of narrow stairs . The box hit the rails numerous times , then it hit the overhang , and finally when we thought it just could not get any worst he he gets to the door and . . . . .
DROPS , YES DROPS THE PLASMA BOXED TV ON THE CEMENT GROUND . He then states , that was not done on purpose !
My jaw dropped and the pit of my stomach felt sick . I had a Amazon Supervisor on the phone and when I told him only ONE guy delivered the TV , he said it should be TWO . Of course I mentioned the box had been hitting rails , cement and overhangs . I refused to accept the TV for the obvious reasons !
How do I know the PICTURE IS GORGEOUS on this TV ? I saw it at BB . Hopefully tomorrow Hard Line is going to give me CEVA DELIVERY SERVICE !
This was an aggravating experience because of Pilot !
146 4 the bad is the stupid shipping service
called CEVA
They sent 3 days after the date
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
We purchased this TV 9 months ago and have received countless compliments on the picture quality from friends and family ! We are extremely satisfied with it . Watching movies , playing Wii , the YouTube Interface and viewing pictures from an SD card . . Awesome !
Now comes the downside . I was sitting watching TV this afternoon , and the TV just shut off . I tried pressing the power button the remote with no luck . I got up and pressed the power button on the TV itself . A noise came from the set , as if the fans were turning on then the noise stopped . I saw the power on LED ( red light on front of TV ) was blinking 5 times . Doing some research I saw that these can be a diagnostic code .
I checked out the manual to see if this TV had a warranty and if i was covered . I was told Panasonic plasma T。 's had great reliability when I purchased the set from amazon so I couldn't justify dropping $300 on a two year warranty .
The TV has a 1 year parts and labor warranty . I called the 1 - 800 number listed in the manual and after a 35 minute call , 10 minutes of talking to a person , the remainder being on hold I have an service appointment setup for Wednesday .
I'm curious to see how the service is . If the service is poor I will drop the rating of the TV down . I just hope that there was not collateral damage done to anything else , which means more service calls outside the warranty ( expires in 3 months ) .
By the way , it seems like the usual cause of TV failure is poor component selection in the power supply . Electrolytic capacitors which are prone to fail once they dry out due to high temperatures . The designers usually do not derated the voltage enough and / or they have too much AC current causing them to heat up .
If you're outside your warranty there are many websites out there which talk about taking off the back cover of your TV and searching for failed electrolytic capacitors . Do this at your own risk , but if you are like me an can't drop 1k on a TV every year this is an option .
058 4 We just got this TV and it lived up to all our expectations and more . We chose plasma because it could be viewed at any angle and , indeed , my husband sits right up close and at right angles to the set and he sees the screen fine . We have a Mac computer and we already had the Airport Extreme router . I just had to get the Airport Express router to plug in by the TV with an ethernet cable and after a little fiddling with the settings , voila , we had a wireless connection . I love that Viera Cast has now partnered with Amazon . We just downloaded two rentals from Amazon videos on demand through Viera Cast and it worked perfectly . The first one I accessed directly from the Viera Cast page on the TV and it streamed down immediately for instant watching . But the second one I accessed from the computer on the Amazon website and downloaded it into the Amazon library so I could watch it later . Then I accessed the Amazon Library from Viera Cast on the TV to watch it later on . That way gives a little more versatility . I highly recommend this set .
085 4 We purchased this TV 9 months ago and have received countless compliments on the picture quality from friends and family ! We are extremely satisfied with it . Watching movies , playing Wii , the YouTube Interface and viewing pictures from an SD card . . Awesome !
Now comes the downside . I was sitting watching TV this afternoon , and the TV just shut off . I tried pressing the power button the remote with no luck . I got up and pressed the power button on the TV itself . A noise came from the set , as if the fans were turning on then the noise stopped . I saw the power on LED ( red light on front of TV ) was blinking 5 times . Doing some research I saw that these can be a diagnostic code .
I checked out the manual to see if this TV had a warranty and if i was covered . I was told Panasonic plasma T。's had great reliability when I purchased the set from amazon so I couldn't justify dropping $300 on a two year warranty .
The TV has a 1 year parts and labor warranty . I called the 1 - 800 number listed in the manual and after a 35 minute call , 10 minutes of talking to a person , the remainder being on hold I have an service appointment setup for Wednesday .
I'm curious to see how the service is . If the service is poor I will drop the rating of the TV down . I just hope that there was not collateral damage done to anything else , which means more service calls outside the warranty ( expires in 3 months ) .
By the way , it seems like the usual cause of TV failure is poor component selection in the power supply . Electrolytic capacitors which are prone to fail once they dry out due to high temperatures . The designers usually do not derated the voltage enough and / or they have too much AC current causing them to heat up .
If you're outside your warranty there are many websites out there which talk about taking off the back cover of your TV and searching for failed electrolytic capacitors . Do this at your own risk , but if you are like me an can't drop 1k on a TV every year this is an option .
107 4 Excellent Product - W / HDMI connection , picture is crystal clear ! - Warehouse Deal came looking brand new - couldn't see any blemishes - Watching NFL Football in HD is ASTOUNDING ! ! ! - Get This Panasonic At Discount Price Right Now !
109 4 Bought this set for a secondary room in the house . The picture quality is great and the TV just flat out kicks butt . I bought two panny's with this being the smaller size of the two . A definite good buy if you are looking for this size set .
111 4 We have had this TV for about 2 weeks now and we love it . The picture is amazing . You do need an external sound system to watch movies , but we found that to be the case with all flat screen TVs .
113 4 For the past few years I have been looking at and comparing new flat screen HD TVs . I don't make large purchases on a whim or without careful thought and research . I finally decided this year was the one for me to make the purchase . I have family who purchased their TV from Amazon last year and couldn't have been happier with the purchase and service they received . I went to big electronic stores to see the pictures in person and talked with salespeople about details and made my selection . Great TV and great service from Amazon !
125 4 This seller delivered on time and in good condition . No damage . The television works great ! Excellent product , both picture and sound quality .
137 4 The Panasonic HDTV is a nice set . I bought one myself . The picture is great . The sound is okay but I needed a converter to get the optical audio output over to my legacy sound system . The internet connection services are pretty good . I assumed that it would support streaming from Netflix , my bad there . It looks like I should have bought the LG or Sony . Overall though , a nice TV .
you get a great 113 image , and the projector itself is unobtrusive , out of sight when not in use .
So I wanted to get a better television for regular use ( during the day , casual viewing , etc . ) and I started off with a 32 Samsung LCD , which I liked a good deal , but was not satisfied with the image quality when viewing regular DVD's , which is important to me . The images frequently exhibited a waveryness quality , or a digital noise quality , where parts of the picture were not solid , especially as the camera would pan , creating movement in a scene from the camera's perspective .
I thought about just getting a nicer LCD , but there were no televisions for under $1,000 which garnered universal praise . It seems as though the LCD television I would want may cost quite a bit more , as many run into the $2000 range and up .
Then I began to learn about Plasma televisions , and how there are some pretty nice ones for under $1000 ( in some cases $300 - $400 under ) . It doesn't seem as though 1080p for a screen of this size or smaller is really a big deal , but it didn't really cost much more for the price that I got this one , and why not ? If the price isn't much different , then why not go for 1080p , even if the difference in image quality is small . I do own a nice Sony Blu Ray player ( 5000 ES ) and I want the image to look as good as possible , but I think I would be happy with this televisions equivalent in 720p .
I am very impressed by how well made this television is . The build , the image quality , etc . I would not recommend this television to be used in a brightly lit environment . The screen is quite reflective and I tend to draw the blinds as it were when viewing it . It is not nearly as bright as The Samsung 32 350 LCD model I tried . There is a vivid mode which does make it much brighter , but it is virtually unwatchable if you care about crisp lines . Things tend to bleed together in that mode in a very unfortunate way .
I tend to use the THX mode for most viewing and it looks great . But you can customize your own settings to brighten things up a bit if you need to .
Just at the time when I was settling in on this purchase , reports online were coming to the fore describing problems with the black levels over time , where the picture would arbitrarily brighten at certain intervals in a pre-programmed order to compensate for the aging , and maturing of the plasma display materials . This was resulting in a reduced image quality over time , where the black levels would not be as good as when the television was new , and consequently the leading review site online changed their review of this television ( and perhaps relevant to other related plasma models from Panasonic's 2009 range ) to say that they no longer recommended this television . This report was almost enough to stop me from making this purchase , but at this price point , well under $1,000 , there is not a perfect television . Samsung has a very well reviewed plasma television in this range ( price , size , 720p vs . 1080p ) and should be worthy of consideration , but I just decided to go with this one and am hoping for the best . Not everyone has had the same experience of diminished performance ( perceived or otherwise ) with this set over time and again , for the price it is worth it to me . If I were spending 2 or 3 times what I spent on this , then it would be a different story . As it is ,
I needed a good television and I'm very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to others . The image quality is stunning .
To be honest , if they continue to make significant improvements in regards to reliability and quality over the next 3 - 5 years , and televisions of this type continue to be this affordable or even more so , then I'll replace this one if it should somehow fail , or diminish in quality . I hope this one lasts a long time , but I'm willing to live with the risk , however slight it may be . Better value at this price is not obvious to me right now , and I just want the nicest television I can get for this price and this one does not disappoint .
I picked mine up through 6thAVE for the best price going , and it arrived double boxed in perfect shape , free UPS shipping and zero tax . I can't complain . The 720p Samsung and Panasonic plasmas are very well reviewed , and I'm planning on getting one of those for my father sometime soon depending upon price / availability .
001 4 This is based on my experience with the TC-P50G10 , which is identical to P42 but with a larger screen . I bought it three weeks ago , and am very happy with it . I did a lot of research and tried out a number of TVs before settling down on this one , so I thought I would share some of the information and my experience with the TV , and hopefully make your decision in choosing the TV a bit easier .
First thing first . According to my research , the Panasonic G10 probably has the best picture quality among all TVs in mass production as of the time of this review ( May , 2009 ) . Most importantly it has pitch dark black level , scorching brightness , high color accuracy , and good motion processing .
I chose the Panasonic plasma over Sony and Samsung LCD for a few reasons . ( 1 ) Compared to 120Hz LCDs , Panasonic is significantly cheaper than Sony and Samsung . ( 2 ) I think the G10 is better in handling motion than the 120HZ LCDs . ( 3 ) The colors on the plasma are more appealing to me than those on the LCDs . ( 4 ) It has superior viewing angle . It looks perfect from any angle you will actually watch the TV without washing out the color , prserving the quality of the color .
The third point on color appeal is subjective and calls for description of subjective experience . There are lots of technical comparison of the colors on different displays on the internet , but my perceptual experience is that the colors on the panasonic plasma is very vibrant , punchy , tantalizing , and mesmerizing . The colors look like things in real life , but they are more intense than real life . A friend said it's prettier than real , but not distorted . It is just like an enhanced colorful world . If you prefer high fedelity to real life colors , you can use the THX mode to tune it down to be very faithful to studio color measures . LCD in comparison is also very vibrant , but it doesn't look as realistic . It's more like computer graphics and less like colors of living things . Technically , this may have to do with the deeper black level on the plasma than the LCD .
Before the G10 , I had the
Panasonic Viera TH - 46PZ80U 46 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
. Both TVs have very appealing colors , but I returned the PZ80U and got the G10 because the G10 has a number of important improvements over the PZ80U : it has a brighter plasma display , has a VGA PC input , lower energy consumption , and more accurate color . Also , its frame is more compact , so I can fit a 50 G10 into the space that would only hold a 46 PZ80U . In fact , the G10 is brighter and more contrasty than last year's top model
Panasonic TH - 50PZ850U 50 - inch Viera 1080p Plasma HDTV
.
What else do I like about the TV ? It is very bright for a Plasam TV . According to tech specs and online reviews , it is the bightest plasma ever made . In Custom Mode , it is more than bright enough to watch in my room with direct sun light ( sun light in the room not on the TV ) . In Vivid Mode , you should prepare to put on your ski googles . In fact , it's too bright and overly constrasty and saturated for regular viewing . However , it is quite useful in displaying low resolution and low quality online video such as YouTube or Netflix Instant Watch . The extra boost in brightness , contrast , and saturation make the low quality online video look much more appealing and lively .
VieraCast is kinda cool . Not a deal maker but certainly not a drawback . I used third party firmware DD-WRT to set up a
Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G Broadband Router
as a wireless bridge . So the TV can get online without running a cable to my main router .
I find this TV fits my needs perfectly . But no TV is perfect , at least not for the technically savvy .
So here are the cons :
( 1 ) The sound is mediocre . It is fine to watch a TV show , but lackluster to watch a good movie or music show .
( 1.2 ) True Cinema 24 - frame mode flickering is perceptually disturbing because the refresh rate is set to 48 Hz in the mode . It is a pitty because motion does look much more life like and less video like in True-Cinema mode . Wish the TV could run at 72 Hz .
( 2 ) My PC only has VGA out but no DVI out . ( This point does not matter for those with DVI out on their computers . A DVI to VGA cable will work fine ) The VGA input on this TV does not support 1080 HD . It only supports up to 1280x768 . Panny should not cut corner here . Although this problem doesn't really matter for video contents because most computer video resolution is less than 1280x768 . And the pixel interpolation effect on the Plasma is more like a CRT and less like an LCD . So the set is reasonably good at displaying contents with resolution lower than its native res .
( 3 ) VieraCast needs improvement . The content is still limited . The search function of Youtube on VieraCast is not as easy to use as on a computer . The Amazon video on demand price is way too high ( but this is not really Panny's problem ) . I would kill for a firmware upgrade that enables Netflix streaming .
( 4 ) The remote is not as well laid out as the one on PZ80 . The 3 big buttons above the directional keys are occupied by the rarely used VieraLink , VieraCast and VieraTool . The commonly used Menu key is moved to a small key . Totally wrong choice of ergonomics .
( 5 ) VGA PC input is paired with RCA audio input . I wish it is a 3.5mm ( 1 / 8 ) mini jack instead , which will allow a single cable cable integrating VGA video and mini jack audio . Now I have to use two cables .
( 6 ) The stand does not swivel .
Regardless of the above drawbacks , overall I find this TV to have the best picture quality and price combination . The pros by far outweigh the cons . The picture quality of this TV is truly amazing , as such some calls it The New King of Plasma . Anyone seriously considering an HDTV should take a look at this one , now that the Pioneer Kuro exited the market .
I highly recommend it .
002 4 I have just received my new 42 inch G10 in the mail , and I must say , I am very pleased . I researched the living crap out of this set , so my expectations were pretty high . Upon opening the box my first impression was that the overall look of the TV is amazing . Just a solid design , without a whole lot of extraneous stuff . After removing all the stickers it really looks nice in my living room . Also pleased to notice the only light on this TV is a very small dim red light when it is on ( I can't stand bright lights on my electronics ) .
Once I turned it on and started messing around with the settings , I was pleased at how smooth , and natural all the menus are . Very easy to understand , but there is plenty of advanced control for the more hightech custy . Personally I like to tweak my settings , and the Panasonic remembers each input and preset , so its pretty painless . I found THX to have the most accurate colors , although I did tweak the settings a bit for a little more light . Custom allows you to get a very decent preset for TV viewing or daytime viewing in my case . Some say you can actually achieve a better picture through custom than through THX , but in my opinion THX was very good looking when watching a DVD .
Most noteworthy are the blacks . Simply stunning . I haven't seen anything quite like it . I usually say Film is the best viewing experience , and I still do , but these Plasmas really put off that soft color that is very easy on the eyes ( unlike LCDs ) . So far I haven't seen any noise , or jaggies which is good . While gaming I noticed a slight ( very slight ) yellowish trail when following a white dot across a black screen . This is pretty minimal , but its there . However scrolling text showing no trailing .
24P doesn't work as well as it could , which is to me the biggest draw back . There is flicker , causing it to be pretty much unwatchable unless you pump up the refresh rate .
This is a stunning television , that I hope will last for many years to come . Anyone considering it , should feel comfortable knowing that it really lives up to the hype . Check out the Cnet review for yourself . They have all the geeky details . But from a common customer ( although I work in the video field ) , I can honestly say this TV is top of the line . Probably one of the best Plasmas out there .
* Update - It seems my set died today ! It turned off , and the power light started to blink 5 times . I contacted Panasonic Concierge , and they are sending a technician out to my house . Luckily I was within a week of my warranty expiring ! Very lucky ! Be advised , it seems about 2 - 3% of Panasonic Plasma TVs may have this same problem ( google : panasonic plasma blinking light of death ) . I will update once I get it fixed . Panasonic responded very well so far , and it seems I will not be paying anything out of pocket for the repairs . I will say Panasonic has a good track record with these sort of things , and its not uncommon for electronics to malfunction . The most important thing is how well they respond . So far so good . I recommend getting an extended warranty from Mack .
003 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Over the past month people have been discovering that their 2008 and 2009 Panasonic televisions are no longer performing how they were meant to perform . One of the major reasons why the Panasonic plasmas are ( actually now were ) considered so fantastic is because they had excellent black levels , meaning the blacks look really black .
Well that's no longer the case because after a few hundred hours the black levels double and triple to a point where even a mid-range LCD beats it . Panasonic issued a statement that they knew the issue existed and that they were investigating it . Well today they issued a statement that the issue has been reviewed and that there will be NO FIX .
Now to be fair , black levels do rise slightly over time , but they do not double and triple . In fact the Panasonic Plasmas from 2007 do not have this problem . To further prove this , a 2007 Panasonic Plasma after a couple thousand hours of use has BETTER blacks than a 2009 Panasonic Plasma after a couple thousand hours of use .
When Panasonic was asked about this , they said they were constantly updating their products . That's good , but basically they are doing a bait and switch on you . They brought down the black levels so they could sell you the television and hope that you don't realize that their newer sets will look worse than their older sets after less than a year of use .
The 2009 Panasonic sets look fantastic till this happens , but once it happens they look worse than 2007 models .
As a side note , the THX on these sets came broken for over half a year . The newer sets have the firmware that corrects the color decoding issues , but if your set doesn't have firmware 1.28A then you have to call Panasonic to have them send someone to your house to update the firmware . Panasonic won't deny you the repair but they sure will try and keep it a secret because they have to pay for the technician to come to your home .
At this point , you're going to see a lot of review cites like [ . . . ] mention this issue because it is a serious quality issue . Currently [ . . . ] is conducting its own study with the sets it has in house . It'll be about two months before they get done because they have to let the television set run for several hundred hours in order to take measurements .
Please note that this isn't an issue you'll see when you buy the television , it'll be something that comes up later in its life , possibly after the 1 year warranty is up .
004 4 Over the past month people have been discovering that their 2008 and 2009 Panasonic televisions are no longer performing how they were meant to perform . One of the major reasons why the Panasonic plasmas are ( actually now were ) considered so fantastic is because they had excellent black levels , meaning the blacks look really black .
Well that's no longer the case because after a few hundred hours the black levels double and triple to a point where even a mid-range LCD beats it . Panasonic issued a statement that they knew the issue existed and that they were investigating it . Well today they issued a statement that the issue has been reviewed and that there will be NO FIX .
Now to be fair , black levels do rise slightly over time , but they do not double and triple . In fact the Panasonic Plasmas from 2007 do not have this problem . To further prove this , a 2007 Panasonic Plasma after a couple thousand hours of use has BETTER blacks than a 2009 Panasonic Plasma after a couple thousand hours of use .
When Panasonic was asked about this , they said they were constantly updating their products . That's good , but basically they are doing a bait and switch on you . They brought down the black levels so they could sell you the television and hope that you don't realize that their newer sets will look worse than their older sets after less than a year of use .
The 2009 Panasonic sets look fantastic till this happens , but once it happens they look worse than 2007 models .
As a side note , the THX on these sets came broken for over half a year . The newer sets have the firmware that corrects the color decoding issues , but if your set doesn't have firmware 1.28A then you have to call Panasonic to have them send someone to your house to update the firmware . Panasonic won't deny you the repair but they sure will try and keep it a secret because they have to pay for the technician to come to your home .
At this point , you're going to see a lot of review cites like [ . . . ] mention this issue because it is a serious quality issue . Currently [ . . . ] is conducting its own study with the sets it has in house . It'll be about two months before they get done because they have to let the television set run for several hundred hours in order to take measurements .
Please note that this isn't an issue you'll see when you buy the television , it'll be something that comes up later in its life , possibly after the 1 year warranty is up .
005 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I've been researching HDTVs for the past couple of years , and I finally took the plunge when I found a great deal on a 42 Westinghouse LCD back in May . I thought it was a great set . . . for about 2 weeks . The color would shift noticeably when you moved more than 30 degrees off center . Then the digital tuner started to go .
Since then I've been through 3 more LCDs and one Plasma before I decided that the Panasonic G10 was the way to go . My problem with the LCDs is I am just not happy with the off-angle shift in the black level . When you're sitting head on , LCDs can look great , but as soon as you move off center , you can see the black is not consistent across the screen . This is especially apparent when you are watching a movie with the black bars across the top and bottom . Plasmas are not subject to this issue and plasmas have deeper blacks . This makes a HUGE difference ( to me ) when watching movies .
The other plasma I had was the Panasonic 42px14 ( [ . . . ] ) . I returned it , however , as it had a few issues that kept it from being great ( overscan , slow channel editing , etc ) , and I wanted a 1080p set .
The G10 was a great fit , because I needed a 42 or 46 set and the 1080p as well as the great review on CNET . I bought the G10 through the Amazon Warehouse Deals , and got a screaming good deal ( saved about $200 ) and got a better deal than the S1 ( the set just below the G10 ) . The only downside I can see to taking this route is that since I purchased the set , the prices have risen significantly ( almost by $200 ) through the same Amazon Warehouse Deals . I guess you just need to be patient and wait for them to drop again . I don't feel like the prices should fluctuate that wildly . It just feels too opportunistic . Yeah , yeah , I'm well aware of supply and demand , but at some point it just becomes an excuse to abuse trust .
But that has nothing to do with the quality of this set . And back to that point , I am extremely satisfied with this tv set . The image really looks sharp and even standard definition is watchable . People complain about the speakers on all flat panel tvs , but I've found these ones to work great for casual viewing . Just nudge up the bass to about + 5 .
My recommended settings are going to be in more of a range , since this completely depends on your viewing environment . But here's what I think looks great .
Use Custom setting
Drop the Contrast to somewhere between 55 and 65 .
Raise Brightness up to between 56 and 64 . Really , just raise it until you notice the black level start to lighten up , then drop it back a notch or two .
Drop the Color back to about 40 - 46 .
Reduce Tint to about - 5 .
I just left Sharpness as is ( 75 , since I don't see any bothersome artifacts on the screen ) .
Everything else I pretty much left at default .
Ok , what else do you need to know ?
Burn-in / Image retention ? Not an issue with these sets . Temporary Image Retention can happen , but it's easy to remove , and if you keep the contrast where I mentioned ( lower than 75 at least ) , it shouldn't really ever be an issue . I've never seen it in the 2 + weeks I've had this set .
Plasma Gases Leaking ? Come on , you aren't really going to buy into that myth are you ? Nothing but urban legend junk , guaranteed . . . even if you do claim you have a friend who had to get his plasma set recharged ( psst . . . you're friend got taken ) .
High Energy Usage ? If you tame the contrast to around where I've mentioned above , you'll see energy usage that is very similar , if only a tiny bit higher than the same size LCDs . Seriously , we're only talking a difference of maybe a couple bucks a month ( at most ) in energy costs .
So . . . if you're still on the fence , then get off it ! Prolonged fence sitting is going to hurt your posterior and make it hard to walk straight .
006 4 I've been researching HDTVs for the past couple of years , and I finally took the plunge when I found a great deal on a 42 Westinghouse LCD back in May . I thought it was a great set . . . for about 2 weeks . The color would shift noticeably when you moved more than 30 degrees off center . Then the digital tuner started to go .
Since then I've been through 3 more LCDs and one Plasma before I decided that the Panasonic G10 was the way to go . My problem with the LCDs is I am just not happy with the off-angle shift in the black level . When you're sitting head on , LCDs can look great , but as soon as you move off center , you can see the black is not consistent across the screen . This is especially apparent when you are watching a movie with the black bars across the top and bottom . Plasmas are not subject to this issue and plasmas have deeper blacks . This makes a HUGE difference ( to me ) when watching movies .
The other plasma I had was the Panasonic 42px14 ( [ . . . ] ) . I returned it , however , as it had a few issues that kept it from being great ( overscan , slow channel editing , etc ) , and I wanted a 1080p set .
The G10 was a great fit , because I needed a 42 or 46 set and the 1080p as well as the great review on CNET . I bought the G10 through the Amazon Warehouse Deals , and got a screaming good deal ( saved about $200 ) and got a better deal than the S1 ( the set just below the G10 ) . The only downside I can see to taking this route is that since I purchased the set , the prices have risen significantly ( almost by $200 ) through the same Amazon Warehouse Deals . I guess you just need to be patient and wait for them to drop again . I don't feel like the prices should fluctuate that wildly . It just feels too opportunistic . Yeah , yeah , I'm well aware of supply and demand , but at some point it just becomes an excuse to abuse trust .
But that has nothing to do with the quality of this set . And back to that point , I am extremely satisfied with this tv set . The image really looks sharp and even standard definition is watchable . People complain about the speakers on all flat panel tvs , but I've found these ones to work great for casual viewing . Just nudge up the bass to about + 5 .
My recommended settings are going to be in more of a range , since this completely depends on your viewing environment . But here's what I think looks great .
Use Custom setting
Drop the Contrast to somewhere between 55 and 65 .
Raise Brightness up to between 56 and 64 . Really , just raise it until you notice the black level start to lighten up , then drop it back a notch or two .
Drop the Color back to about 40 - 46 .
Reduce Tint to about - 5 .
I just left Sharpness as is ( 75 , since I don't see any bothersome artifacts on the screen ) .
Everything else I pretty much left at default .
Ok , what else do you need to know ?
Burn-in / Image retention ? Not an issue with these sets . Temporary Image Retention can happen , but it's easy to remove , and if you keep the contrast where I mentioned ( lower than 75 at least ) , it shouldn't really ever be an issue . I've never seen it in the 2 + weeks I've had this set .
Plasma Gases Leaking ? Come on , you aren't really going to buy into that myth are you ? Nothing but urban legend junk , guaranteed . . . even if you do claim you have a friend who had to get his plasma set recharged ( psst . . . you're friend got taken ) .
High Energy Usage ? If you tame the contrast to around where I've mentioned above , you'll see energy usage that is very similar , if only a tiny bit higher than the same size LCDs . Seriously , we're only talking a difference of maybe a couple bucks a month ( at most ) in energy costs .
So . . . if you're still on the fence , then get off it ! Prolonged fence sitting is going to hurt your posterior and make it hard to walk straight .
007 4 This TV is simply wonderful . I can't imagine a better TV for the price . I replaced a CRT HDTV with this , and this TV beats it in every single way . Simply can't compare this to LCD's in the same price range . To get similar quality on an LCD you're going to spend almost twice as much .
I watch cable TV , DVD , Blu-Ray , and play PS3 games . All look amazing .
The only very small complaint I have is that the TV can be a little dim if I watch it during the brightest part of the day . My condo is very bright ( skylights ) so it's probably more the fault of my place rather than the TV .
008 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Being the typical engineer , I researched and compared tvs for at least three years prior to taking the plunge and buying my 42 G10 - and boy am I glad that I did . I must admit , plasmas weren't my first choice . They're power hogs right ? LCDs are so much more prevalent , right ? LEDs are the wave of the future , right ? First off , for the average tv viewer , the power consumption difference and cost of a KW * hr of electricity doesn't even add up to $30 / year . Second , LCDs may be more prevalent , but that doesn't make them better . I also own a 30 Samsung LN32A450 LCD and between the two there is absolutely no comparison . I know I'm comparing a 720p set to a 1080 but given the screen size difference it shouldn't matter . The color intensity and depth of the Panasonic blows it away . The LCD is bigger than the old CRT you used to have but it's probably not as bright or true to color . With the Panasonic plasma it's bigger , sharper and has all the color definition to boot . Lastly LEDs may be the wave of the future but as all the reviews will tell you , there's still room to go to catch up even with the better LCDs today . In short , when you can get the highest rated tv made today ( sorry Pioneer fans ) for the bargain basement prices of around $1K for a 42 , stop looking and take the plunge . You won't be sorry you did !
013 4 I bought this TV recently , and it has been a pleasure to use . The screen , and the available settings , are great . I love being able to punch a button and to then easily watch YouTube videos fullscreen , to see Picassa pictures brought to life , and best of all - - to use Amazon On-Demand directly on my television . This TV also has VieraLink , which I thought I will never use but which has proven me wrong . The beauty of it is you can , for instance , put your blu-ray player out of sight ( it needs to be Panasonic of course ) and just use your TV remote to control it . There is no complicated setup to confuse you . This means you can point your remote at your TV , and not be concerned with where your player is sitting . The TV will talk to the device , and vice-versa . I like being able to punch in a disk , and the TV can turn on automatically and switch to the proper input because the player can talk to the TV . Perhaps this works on other HDMI devices as easily , I am not sure .
The computer input on the side has also been a breeze to use . This can effectively turn your laptop into a giant monitor . The sound is good from the back-bottom mounted speakers , and I even like that the TV design is black with a dusting of silver along the bottom edge . This means it will match any of your black and / or silver devices around it . The stand that comes with the TV seems solid , but is simply pure plastic . I also find the lack of built-in wi-fi for the TV a bit annoying . To use the internet features , you will need a direct ethernet connection to the TV . You can wi-fi to a small receiver and then cord from there to the TV , but it seems like this could be an issue for those who don't want to go through any hassle in hooking the television into their Internet . Once connected though , the TV can automatically set the time and is super easy for all the other functions that come in through the Internet ( such as software / firmware updates ) .
For those unsure of Plasma versus an LCD TV , I can safely tell you that Plasma is pretty nice . This is especially true if you watch alot of movies . The Dark Knight ( Batman ) is a great example , because you can really tell that the screen is totally black when it should be , and not simply a lit up black . There is a difference , and the THX on this television makes it even nicer . Overall , the screen always looks really nice and it can be a jaw-dropping experience when you watch true HD on this TV .
Panasonic has done a great job on this television , and I think you would be wise to consider this one if you are looking for a new HDTV .
019 4 I've had this plasma for about a month now . It has great picture , deep blacks no lag in fast action movies . Everyone talks about the pros so here are a few cons I didn't know when I bought the system .
I only two complaints .
One is the remote is not a universal and its a pain trying to find one that is that is compatable with Viera Cast for youtube , stocks etc . It is a universal remote if you entire system is panasonic's viera line but really who has that ?
My second complaint is that it doesn't have an on screen channel guide . If you change a channel it will tell you what channel it is but not the show . You have to press info twice after each cannel change to get the name of the show . The first time you press info it takes the channel off the screen , press again and then it shows you the channel and the name of the show . Since it has the info for the channel it shouldn't be too hard for them to come up with an on screen channel guide I would think . If you have cable or satellite then this shouldn't matter for you .
020 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
In the spring , I bought a Samsung 42 inch . It was beautiful and had outstanding reviews . When I brought it home , I was impressed with the picture but the sound quality was flat-out awful . So back it went . I researched many tvs before I bought again and wanting an outstanding picture as well as sound quality , I purchased the G - 10 here at Amazon . I can tell you that it is a purchase I am most proud of . The colors have me in amazement and the sound quality is truly excellent . This is my first review at Amazon and it took this outstanding product to make me want to share the details of my search . I look forward to turning it on and experiencing the wonderful land of tv right in my own home as I've never experienced it before . I am purchasing blu-ray movies now because you absolutely can't believe the quality on this tv . If you enjoy excellence in your own home , then you don't have to make choices . This one will more than meet your needs .
022 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I ordered this TV for my new townhouse to be mounted over my living room fireplace . Due to the size of the cutout , I couldn't go any bigger than 42 . Needless to say this TV does not disappoint ! I have a 50 Samsung 1080p LCD in the basement that I paid almost twice as much for , and this TV blows it away . The quality of the picture and the black levels are unbelieveable . There is a little bit of a green hue to the factory settings , but are easily adjusted . The THX picture setting is amazing , but I only recommend it for dimly lit to dark rooms . The other settings for lighter rooms will still wow you . The PS3 games and Blu-ray movies are jaw dropping . I easily recommend this TV , and the price right now ( under $1100 ) can't be beat ! !
024 4 This is undoubtedly one of the best deals on a TV you'll find at present . An equivalent LCD TV would cost somewhere in the range of $1500 - 2000 . Besides , I personally prefer the picture quality of a plasma . Even the high end LCD's have a very unnatural feel to the picture ( exhaggerated colors and motion ) . Picture quality has been spot on since the first day . I watched ESPN HD as soon as I got the tv and I knew immediately that I had made the right choice ! I use the ' Custom ' setting for most of my viewing . Like some other users , I find the THX mode too dim for a normally lighted room . I have not had any issues with excessive screen reflectivity in my well-lit room . I think the new AR filter on the screen works pretty well . Sound quality is quite good for an average size room . Another useful feature that drew me to this model was the PC ( VGA ) input . I frequently hook up my laptop to the tv and browse the internet or watch some movies of the net . After , some minor adjustments to the TV settings , the picture quality from the laptop is pretty good . Although the max resolution for the pc connection does not go upto 1080p , I feel that the picture quality is good enough .
Really , the only shortcoming I can think of , is the limited fuctionality of VieraCast . I just hope that Panasonic adds more options or a full fledged browser to it .
027 4 Have had this for a couple of weeks now . My first experience with a larger size wide screen tv . Replaces a 4 : 3 , 22 year old cathode ray ( it still works ) . At first , I was trying to tweak everything and was completely frustrated . I couldn't make the thing do whatever it was doing on it's own . After I let go of my control issues , the tv does fine and I don't need to adjust it much , if any . The picture is quite good and HD ( I signed up for it at the same time as I installed this ) is enough to spoil my expectations . I have satellite tv out here in BFE so the picture is always good , but HD . . . . . you can really see the difference . I really love watching the baseball game and now the football game too . Movies have become a big screen experience previously not available in my house . The speakers provide good sound quality , but I am considering external speakers . This is a subjective experience and you will have to decide for yourself what is good enough . For now , the sound is good enough for me , but sometimes it is hard to get enough volume for my less than stellar hearing .
My living room is medium size and 42 is a great fit . If you must sit more than about 8 or 10 feet away , get a bigger screen . Dealing with Amazon is , and always has been , a safe experience as well as competitive pricing . When I bought this , they beat Newegg by about $50 . Overall . give it a five .
P.S . Having done so now , I would again choose plasma over LCD . Ask me again in a few years .
028 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
This starts out as a great TV . Everything looks good . The sound isn't great , but I'm using a stereo for everything so I don't mind .
There are two big problems with this TV .
The first is that despite Panasonic's claim that their VieraCast service is future-proof and upgradeable to the latest and greatest , it turns out it's not . While 2010 models will get Netflix Watch Instantly capabilities , the 2009 models reportedly don't have sufficient DRM protection and will not get this upgrade . I'm not sure I buy this explanation , since Amazon on Demand doesn't seem to fear Panasonic's customers will be somehow recording their streams . Given the fact that Netflix isn't pay-per-view , I'm guessing they would care even less than Amazon would . Panasonic appears to be merely giving their new toys more features than their old toys while placating those of us who gave them $1000 four months ago by blaming someone else .
By far the biggest problem with this set , however , is that Panasonic is effectively running a bait-and-switch operation . You know that great picture their plasmas come with ? Those dark blacks and great contrast ? Well , by this time next year your expensive new HDTV will look worse than sets that sell for half the price at WalMart . Panasonic , you see , has programmed their tv to gradually increase their black levels . ( [ . . . ] )
They didn't let us know before we ponied up all this cash that they had irrevocably programmed our expensive TVs to degrade in quality . There is no fix in sight and they're now being sued . ( [ . . . ] )
CNET says : I were buying a plasma TV right now , I would avoid the 2009 line of Panasonic plasmas .
I agree . It's too late for me , but for all you out there doing your pre-purchase research . . . consider yourself warned . And don't buy used Panasonic sets , obviously .
029 4 This starts out as a great TV . Everything looks good . The sound isn't great , but I'm using a stereo for everything so I don't mind .
There are two big problems with this TV .
The first is that despite Panasonic's claim that their VieraCast service is future-proof and upgradeable to the latest and greatest , it turns out it's not . While 2010 models will get Netflix Watch Instantly capabilities , the 2009 models reportedly don't have sufficient DRM protection and will not get this upgrade . I'm not sure I buy this explanation , since Amazon on Demand doesn't seem to fear Panasonic's customers will be somehow recording their streams . Given the fact that Netflix isn't pay-per-view , I'm guessing they would care even less than Amazon would . Panasonic appears to be merely giving their new toys more features than their old toys while placating those of us who gave them $1000 four months ago by blaming someone else .
By far the biggest problem with this set , however , is that Panasonic is effectively running a bait-and-switch operation . You know that great picture their plasmas come with ? Those dark blacks and great contrast ? Well , by this time next year your expensive new HDTV will look worse than sets that sell for half the price at WalMart . Panasonic , you see , has programmed their tv to gradually increase their black levels . ( [ . . . ] )
They didn't let us know before we ponied up all this cash that they had irrevocably programmed our expensive TVs to degrade in quality . There is no fix in sight and they're now being sued . ( [ . . . ] )
CNET says : I were buying a plasma TV right now , I would avoid the 2009 line of Panasonic plasmas .
I agree . It's too late for me , but for all you out there doing your pre-purchase research . . . consider yourself warned . And don't buy used Panasonic sets , obviously .
030 4 I'm the kind of guy who does a lot of research before he buys anything , and a new TV is no exception . I looked at plasma and LCD , different manufacturers including LG , Samsung and Sony , as well as different retailers . Even though the buzz is that plasma is a dying technology , there is nothing to indicate that in this TV .
I got a plasma for its smoother motion and deeper blacks . I had a friend with an LCD who lost a quarter of his screen when the pixels froze , and I'd heard some other interesting things about LCDs . Anyway , I did the research and this model was a good fit for me .
The picture is great , very sharp and clear with DirecTV HD service . I haven't noticed any blurring or other image quality problems . I also use the TV for an Xbox 360 , and the picture quality again is amazing . For the price and the features ( the VieraCast is pretty cool too ) , this set should be your choice if you're looking for a plasma .
031 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I decided to take the plunge into HDTV . At first I got a Sony LCD ( 42XBR6 ) . The picture was generally very good , but I noticed a persistent green tinge in certain scenes , usually in dark areas . I learned this is called creeping moss or dynamic false contouring . I tried having the set repaired , and even got a refurbished replacement from Sony . I was still having problems , and thought maybe it's me and not the TV . However , I decided to try the Panasonic plasma based on reviews at CNET .
From the very beginning , the Panasonic TC - 42G10 plasma has been great . The picture is beautiful . I kept the picture setting on standard , and adjusted the controls to below 50 , for the first 100 hours , for break-in . Frankly , I liked the picture so much , I now use the standard setting for most viewing . I use the THX setting for movies ( HBO , Starz , DVDs , etc ) . Colors are incredible and the black levels are stunning . I also have a small Samsung LCD TV . While the Samsung picture is very nice , it really doesn't touch the Panasonic ( although , to be fair , the Samsung is a 720p 26 screen ) .
I like to watch things in full screen , even standard definition broadcasts . With the various format settings ( full , Just , zoom ) , you can fill up the screen without much distortion .
The Sony had tons of settings . I scoured message boards and websites looking for the combination that would give me that perfect picture . You have far less options with the Panasonic , but I don't really need them . I marvel at the quality of the picture and am glad I made the switch ( a friend took my Sony , and he seems pretty happy with it ) .
032 4 I decided to take the plunge into HDTV . At first I got a Sony LCD ( 42XBR6 ) . The picture was generally very good , but I noticed a persistent green tinge in certain scenes , usually in dark areas . I learned this is called creeping moss or dynamic false contouring . I tried having the set repaired , and even got a refurbished replacement from Sony . I was still having problems , and thought maybe it's me and not the TV . However , I decided to try the Panasonic plasma based on reviews at CNET .
From the very beginning , the Panasonic TC - 42G10 plasma has been great . The picture is beautiful . I kept the picture setting on standard , and adjusted the controls to below 50 , for the first 100 hours , for break-in . Frankly , I liked the picture so much , I now use the standard setting for most viewing . I use the THX setting for movies ( HBO , Starz , DVDs , etc ) . Colors are incredible and the black levels are stunning . I also have a small Samsung LCD TV . While the Samsung picture is very nice , it really doesn't touch the Panasonic ( although , to be fair , the Samsung is a 720p 26 screen ) .
I like to watch things in full screen , even standard definition broadcasts . With the various format settings ( full , Just , zoom ) , you can fill up the screen without much distortion .
The Sony had tons of settings . I scoured message boards and websites looking for the combination that would give me that perfect picture . You have far less options with the Panasonic , but I don't really need them . I marvel at the quality of the picture and am glad I made the switch ( a friend took my Sony , and he seems pretty happy with it ) .
036 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I absolutely loved this TV when I got it . Set up was easy and I had the Olympics on and looking great ! On day number 2 , I was watching a blue ray movie and the TV just turned itself off . It died . I tried to get it to reset while my son searched the internet for troubleshooting tips . A red light on the TV would blink 7 times , wait , and then blink 7 more times repeatedly . My son said , Here it is dad - I found an article called ' Panasonic's 7 blinking red lights of death ! ' and the symptoms were exact . ( I thought this was hysterical at the time . . . ) I've waited over 2 weeks for a repairman to come and fix it , but the part is backordered . Apparently that part is in demand for some reason . ( I wonder why ? ? ? ) Even so - I LOVED this set when it was working and hope to have my problem resolved and my TV nightmare ended soon . Meanwhile I have a Panasonic surround system , a Panasonic BluRay player , and a Linksys Media Center expander sitting in the floor waiting to hook up to a working PANASONIC TV ! ! ! If they fix it , I'll get over my misery . If they don't fix it soon , I'm going to replace it with something that works . I've had a Sony in another room for 4 years and it works great . . . tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock . . .
037 4 I absolutely loved this TV when I got it . Set up was easy and I had the Olympics on and looking great ! On day number 2 , I was watching a blue ray movie and the TV just turned itself off . It died . I tried to get it to reset while my son searched the internet for troubleshooting tips . A red light on the TV would blink 7 times , wait , and then blink 7 more times repeatedly . My son said , Here it is dad - I found an article called ' Panasonic's 7 blinking red lights of death ! ' and the symptoms were exact . ( I thought this was hysterical at the time . . . ) I've waited over 2 weeks for a repairman to come and fix it , but the part is backordered . Apparently that part is in demand for some reason . ( I wonder why ? ? ? ) Even so - I LOVED this set when it was working and hope to have my problem resolved and my TV nightmare ended soon . Meanwhile I have a Panasonic surround system , a Panasonic BluRay player , and a Linksys Media Center expander sitting in the floor waiting to hook up to a working PANASONIC TV ! ! ! If they fix it , I'll get over my misery . If they don't fix it soon , I'm going to replace it with something that works . I've had a Sony in another room for 4 years and it works great . . . tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock . . .
038 4 If you are looking to spend around 1000 bucks and looking for an excellent picture quality , look no further . Plasmas are the way to go over LCDs nowadays and this tv proves it . I bought a mitsubishi 120hz lcd before , tried sony xbr , samsung and have checked with many other tvs my friends have - the G10 beats everyone of them in picture quality . I have a home theater , so the tv sound didnt matter to me . The out of box picture settings are just about right , no need to change anything . Movies ( especially bluray ) are awesome in THX mode . No one tvs in this price range is THX certified .
So go for this TV , I highly recommend it .
039 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
After a lot of research , I chose the Panasonic VIERA G10 Series 42 in . 1080p Plasma HDTV . I was nervous about buying something like this online , but my experience was very positive , my TV arrived in perfect condition , I had no problem with the online purchase at all . The TV itself is incredible , the picture is sensational , luckily we recieve most of the channels I like to watch in HD , so my every day viewing is awesome ! I don't own a Blueray disc player ( yet ) , so I can't comment on DVDs , but I'm betting that I would be impressed with those as well . All in all , I can't say anything negative about the TV or the purchase experience .
040 4 After a lot of research , I chose the Panasonic VIERA G10 Series 42 in . 1080p Plasma HDTV . I was nervous about buying something like this online , but my experience was very positive , my TV arrived in perfect condition , I had no problem with the online purchase at all . The TV itself is incredible , the picture is sensational , luckily we recieve most of the channels I like to watch in HD , so my every day viewing is awesome ! I don't own a Blueray disc player ( yet ) , so I can't comment on DVDs , but I'm betting that I would be impressed with those as well . All in all , I can't say anything negative about the TV or the purchase experience .
041 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Popped in Uncharted and Gears 2 , which I feel are the gold standard for graphics in video games , and the picture quality is stunning . Just make sure that you turn down the contrast and sharpness from 100 to 50ish in the game mode , it really makes a difference . I was just looking around the level , smiling like an idiot . amazing . One caveat , the TV does NOT output 1080p through component cables , only HDMI , despite assertions to the contrary on some websites . Regular cable TV looks OK ( once again , turn the contrast and sharpness waaaay down ) , Blu Ray movies are breathtaking , Planet Earth on Blu Ray plus this TV = WOW .
042 4 Popped in Uncharted and Gears 2 , which I feel are the gold standard for graphics in video games , and the picture quality is stunning . Just make sure that you turn down the contrast and sharpness from 100 to 50ish in the game mode , it really makes a difference . I was just looking around the level , smiling like an idiot . amazing . One caveat , the TV does NOT output 1080p through component cables , only HDMI , despite assertions to the contrary on some websites . Regular cable TV looks OK ( once again , turn the contrast and sharpness waaaay down ) , Blu Ray movies are breathtaking , Planet Earth on Blu Ray plus this TV = WOW .
043 4 Although the shipping options don't show it , the standard shipping is the White Glove version . The delivery people ( CEVA Logistics ) called me for a convenient delivery date and time . They showed up promptly , brought in , unboxed , and turned on the TV to verify the condition .
The TV itself is quite good . So far , mine has no annoying buzzing nor any dead pixels . The THX mode is the best setup ( without any fiddling ) for watching movies . It can be improved through a calibration though .
044 4 I picked up this television a couple of weeks ago and have been very pleased with it . This is the first Plasma television I've owned and I love it ! Researching this television I learned more about Plasma's , like the history of burn-in issues , that they don't work well in brightly lit environments , and that they are a lot more affordable now than in years past . Image burn-in issues are perhaps fully resolved with the newer Panasonic Plasma's . They even have a feature accessible in the menu where you can sweep the image processor's , or pixels , clearing any possible issues out . My other televisions are a 17 Samsung LCD from 2003 which actually run me several hundred dollars more than this machine , and a 1080p Sony projector which is a joy to own . On the negative side of my projector , it is virtually unusable during the day , and bulb life can vary , depending upon whether I use a lamp directly from Sony or a cheaper alternative . A Sony bulb will last several years with 10 hrs . a week use , but will run several hundred dollars . A cheaper bulb might only last 200 - 300 hrs . I would recommend 1080p projector : you get a great 113 image , and the projector itself is unobtrusive , out of sight when not in use .
So I wanted to get a better television for regular use ( during the day , casual viewing , etc . ) and I started off with a 32 Samsung LCD , which I liked a good deal , but was not satisfied with the image quality when viewing regular DVD's , which is important to me . The images frequently exhibited a waveryness quality , or a digital noise quality , where parts of the picture were not solid , especially as the camera would pan , creating movement in a scene from the camera's perspective .
I thought about just getting a nicer LCD , but there were no televisions for under $1,000 which garnered universal praise . It seems as though the LCD television I would want may cost quite a bit more , as many run into the $2000 range and up .
Then I began to learn about Plasma televisions , and how there are some pretty nice ones for under $1000 ( in some cases $300 - $400 under ) . It doesn't seem as though 1080p for a screen of this size or smaller is really a big deal , but it didn't really cost much more for the price that I got this one , and why not ? If the price isn't much different , then why not go for 1080p , even if the difference in image quality is small . I do own a nice Sony Blu Ray player ( 5000 ES ) and I want the image to look as good as possible , but I think I would be happy with this televisions equivalent in 720p .
I am very impressed by how well made this television is . The build , the image quality , etc . I would not recommend this television to be used in a brightly lit environment . The screen is quite reflective and I tend to draw the blinds as it were when viewing it . It is not nearly as bright as The Samsung 32 350 LCD model I tried . There is a vivid mode which does make it much brighter , but it is virtually unwatchable if you care about crisp lines . Things tend to bleed together in that mode in a very unfortunate way .
I tend to use the THX mode for most viewing and it looks great . But you can customize your own settings to brighten things up a bit if you need to .
Just at the time when I was settling in on this purchase , reports online were coming to the fore describing problems with the black levels over time , where the picture would arbitrarily brighten at certain intervals in a pre-programmed order to compensate for the aging , and maturing of the plasma display materials . This was resulting in a reduced image quality over time , where the black levels would not be as good as when the television was new , and consequently the leading review site online changed their review of this television ( and perhaps relevant to other related plasma models from Panasonic's 2009 range ) to say that they no longer recommended this television . This report was almost enough to stop me from making this purchase , but at this price point , well under $1,000 , there is not a perfect television . Samsung has a very well reviewed plasma television in this range ( price , size , 720p vs . 1080p ) and should be worthy of consideration , but I just decided to go with this one and am hoping for the best . Not everyone has had the same experience of diminished performance ( perceived or otherwise ) with this set over time and again , for the price it is worth it to me . If I were spending 2 or 3 times what I spent on this , then it would be a different story . As it is ,
I needed a good television and I'm very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to others . The image quality is stunning .
To be honest , if they continue to make significant improvements in regards to reliability and quality over the next 3 - 5 years , and televisions of this type continue to be this affordable or even more so , then I'll replace this one if it should somehow fail , or diminish in quality . I hope this one lasts a long time , but I'm willing to live with the risk , however slight it may be . Better value at this price is not obvious to me right now , and I just want the nicest television I can get for this price and this one does not disappoint .
I picked mine up through 6thAVE for the best price going , and it arrived double boxed in perfect shape , free UPS shipping and zero tax . I can't complain . The 720p Samsung and Panasonic plasmas are very well reviewed , and I'm planning on getting one of those for my father sometime soon depending upon price / availability .
045 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I have now used a Panasonic g10 42 incher for 9 months and I am thoroughly satisfied . At $1,000.00 it was a very good value . It has a very good picture and the best example has been NBCs HD broadcast of the Olympics . I have cable , and I use a high quality HDMI cable from the Motorola HD tuner directly into the Panny . For sound , I use a Toslink cable from the cable tuner into a Pioneer Elite receiver . As a former Sony XBR user , I wish the picture adjustment options were more extensive , but that's a minor complaint . The Panny had a slight green bias , as has been reported , when I first used it but that's seems to have subsided with burn in . I know Panasonic makes a higher level model but it would take a lot to convince me that the $1k g10 can be beat for the price .
046 4 I have now used a Panasonic g10 42 incher for 9 months and I am thoroughly satisfied . At $1,000.00 it was a very good value . It has a very good picture and the best example has been NBCs HD broadcast of the Olympics . I have cable , and I use a high quality HDMI cable from the Motorola HD tuner directly into the Panny . For sound , I use a Toslink cable from the cable tuner into a Pioneer Elite receiver . As a former Sony XBR user , I wish the picture adjustment options were more extensive , but that's a minor complaint . The Panny had a slight green bias , as has been reported , when I first used it but that's seems to have subsided with burn in . I know Panasonic makes a higher level model but it would take a lot to convince me that the $1k g10 can be beat for the price .
047 4 I just bought this tv and looks very good . I looked at a lot of plasma's and LCD's and decided on a plasma I am just a casual tv viewer . I also bought a blu-ray and will hook this up in a couple of days . I have taken some advise on setings and picture is best I have seen . My Den is bright at times but don't notice any glare .
On of the reviews mentioned that they had manufactering oil on the screen out of the box . No problems with that . The unit was wrapped well and very clean . I also did not have problems with delivery since I picked this up at the store . I got a great deal even better then here on amazon including paying sales tax .
I gues you may take a chance with any tv . I have a 37 inch Samsung LCD and have had no problems . I chose panasonic because side by side the Panasonic picture quality was better .
So far so good . If there is a problem I will update .
050 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
We LOVE this big , beautiful plasma TV . First , we bought a Sony Bravia 40 LCD and were very disappointed with the flat , gray picture and blurry action , so we returned it . ( The LCDs use a special setting in the store displays , so they look incredibly vivid in the stores , but they actually look flat and dark in household lighting . ) I did a lot of online research ( which I should have done before we bought the LCD ) and learned that plasmas are better and Panasonic makes great plasmas . For some reasons , the plasmas always look lousy in the stores , but we trusted our research and ordered this plasma online without seeing one in person . It's amazing ! I'm so happy with it . I was disappointed with the slightly dark picture for one day , until I switched to the GAME mode of picture , which is incredibly sharp , clear , and colorful . We don't play games on this particular TV , but the game-picture-mode is the one we prefer for everyday watching . I would highly recommend this TV to anyone . Love it !
052 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I recently bought this tv and the experience has been great all around . The tv itself is completely amazing . The picture quality is jaw dropping , with beautiful colors , deep blacks and amazingly vivid detail . I have seen lots of other HDTVs ( including ones I have owned ) and this tv beats them all hands down . I really couldn't be happier with the quality of the picture this tv produces . All of the reviews were spot on in this regard .
The external aesthetic look of the tv is also very nice . It looks classy and the build quality seems a step above .
The experience of ordering from Amazon was simply a pleasure . I ordered the tv on a Monday night and received it early Thursday morning , only a little over two days later . I couldn't believe how fast it got to me . The price was great and the tv got to me in perfect condition . Amazon is the best .
I couldn't be happier with the tv or the buying experience . A + + +
053 4 I recently bought this tv and the experience has been great all around . The tv itself is completely amazing . The picture quality is jaw dropping , with beautiful colors , deep blacks and amazingly vivid detail . I have seen lots of other HDTVs ( including ones I have owned ) and this tv beats them all hands down . I really couldn't be happier with the quality of the picture this tv produces . All of the reviews were spot on in this regard .
The external aesthetic look of the tv is also very nice . It looks classy and the build quality seems a step above .
The experience of ordering from Amazon was simply a pleasure . I ordered the tv on a Monday night and received it early Thursday morning , only a little over two days later . I couldn't believe how fast it got to me . The price was great and the tv got to me in perfect condition . Amazon is the best .
I couldn't be happier with the tv or the buying experience . A + + +
057 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
We just got this TV and it lived up to all our expectations and more . We chose plasma because it could be viewed at any angle and , indeed , my husband sits right up close and at right angles to the set and he sees the screen fine . We have a Mac computer and we already had the Airport Extreme router . I just had to get the Airport Express router to plug in by the TV with an ethernet cable and after a little fiddling with the settings , voila , we had a wireless connection . I love that Viera Cast has now partnered with Amazon . We just downloaded two rentals from Amazon videos on demand through Viera Cast and it worked perfectly . The first one I accessed directly from the Viera Cast page on the TV and it streamed down immediately for instant watching . But the second one I accessed from the computer on the Amazon website and downloaded it into the Amazon library so I could watch it later . Then I accessed the Amazon Library from Viera Cast on the TV to watch it later on . That way gives a little more versatility . I highly recommend this set .
061 4 I was ready to buy my first HDTV in the spring and while I tend to usually enjoy doing pre-purchase product research , I found that finding the right TV is very difficult . I can only afford a purchase like this once ever 6 - 8 years so I had to get my money's worth .
I bought a Sony LCD first , an open box KDL - 40V4100 . Since it was my first HD set , I knew there would be an initial wow-factor . After that wore off , I started to get annoyed by the amount of motion blur and how hard it was to see fast-moving scenes in blu-ray movies ( Dark Knight ) . I returned that set on the 28th day of the 30 day return policy . Somehow I ran across the new 2009 Panny models and specifically the G10 series . For a hundred bucks more than the Sony , I bought this television .
The difference is remarkable . In fact , the picture quality on this TV is almost TOO good . Let me explain . My only option for cable service ( monopoly much ? ) is Time Warner . As many of you know , TWC has notoriously poor HD service . After you watch a couple blu-rays on this TV , everything else is almost hard to watch . Forget about the SD channels , even the HD ones will start to look inferior . This is a positive in my book seeing as how I will not be buying a new TV for quite some time . I find TWC's service to be a joke . The SD channels aren't even worth paying for , they look downright unwatchable . At least I know that my TV is capable of reproducing the best picture out there .
The only reason I subtracted a star is that Panny skimped on the PC input , not allowing it to run at full resolution . I don't mind using a DVI-HDMI cable for my computer , but between that , the cable box and my PS3 , I'm already out of HDMI inputs . Ideally , I would like to see it match the Sony with 4 HDMI inputs and a full 1080p PC input . Other than that , the TV is perfect .
062 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Appearance : The T.V is very aesthetically pleasing . It has a superb black glossy finish .
Ease of Use : The T.V is very easy to use , especially the Viera Cast . You can also figure out the T.V if you so chose to do , without reading the owners manual , although , I would still suggest reading up .
Picture quality : So far the picture quality is amazing , I have read forums claiming that the black levels brighten after sometime . We shall see .
Sound Quality : The speakers could be better , but who uses just the T.V speakers now a days anyway ?
Other thoughts : 42 inch T.V is a perfect size for me . Also the T.V sits very firmly in the stand ( you actually have to screw it in )
063 4 Appearance : The T.V is very aesthetically pleasing . It has a superb black glossy finish .
Ease of Use : The T.V is very easy to use , especially the Viera Cast . You can also figure out the T.V if you so chose to do , without reading the owners manual , although , I would still suggest reading up .
Picture quality : So far the picture quality is amazing , I have read forums claiming that the black levels brighten after sometime . We shall see .
Sound Quality : The speakers could be better , but who uses just the T.V speakers now a days anyway ?
Other thoughts : 42 inch T.V is a perfect size for me . Also the T.V sits very firmly in the stand ( you actually have to screw it in )
064 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
After a month of viewing mostly over the air broadcasts I am quite pleased with the overall value this tv represents . After the first few weeks of break-in , during which some change in contrast and color saturation seemed to be occuring , I have been able to tweek the custom settings to achieve a picture quality which is as good as I have ever seen in all respects except color accuracy . I have seen only a couple of tv's with what I feel are slightly more accurate color ( but these were both quite a bit more expensive ) .
Others have made mention of poor sound but I must disagree . No tv with small built-in speakers will provide clean wide range sound . However , this one is the clearest and cleanest sounding of all the tv's I have ever owned .
065 4 After a month of viewing mostly over the air broadcasts I am quite pleased with the overall value this tv represents . After the first few weeks of break-in , during which some change in contrast and color saturation seemed to be occuring , I have been able to tweek the custom settings to achieve a picture quality which is as good as I have ever seen in all respects except color accuracy . I have seen only a couple of tv's with what I feel are slightly more accurate color ( but these were both quite a bit more expensive ) .
Others have made mention of poor sound but I must disagree . No tv with small built-in speakers will provide clean wide range sound . However , this one is the clearest and cleanest sounding of all the tv's I have ever owned .
071 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I purchased this set about a month ago , and I still can't believe how great a display in 1080p Blu-Ray or 1080i ( Verizon Fios ) appears in all it's glory . From NFL football to movies , there is definitely a wow factor LCD does not have . Deep brillant colors that are amazing . And , the g10 42 came with a free blu-ray player and a total price of under $730.00 !
Thank you Amazon.com for a speedy delivery and set up at no charge , as well no sales tax .
Now if Panasonic would only add Netflix , it would be just perfect .
072 4 I purchased this set about a month ago , and I still can't believe how great a display in 1080p Blu-Ray or 1080i ( Verizon Fios ) appears in all it's glory . From NFL football to movies , there is definitely a wow factor LCD does not have . Deep brillant colors that are amazing . And , the g10 42 came with a free blu-ray player and a total price of under $730.00 !
Thank you Amazon.com for a speedy delivery and set up at no charge , as well no sales tax .
Now if Panasonic would only add Netflix , it would be just perfect .
073 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
It was delivered into my home , unpacked , checked out as scheduled . My son hooked it up to cable and no adjustments were needed - an excellent buy .
075 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
This tv is the best I've ever owned.The blacks are black and the reds are right where they're supposed to be . It ' what I expected from Pansonic because I have owned them before and they always produce a good product.I watch a lot of football and the picture keeps up with the action .
The delivery by Amazon was terrific.They called beforehand on delivery day and asked if they could come early.When the fella got here he set it up , showed me some of the features and left.Total elapsed time : 15 min .
076 4 This tv is the best I've ever owned.The blacks are black and the reds are right where they're supposed to be . It ' what I expected from Pansonic because I have owned them before and they always produce a good product.I watch a lot of football and the picture keeps up with the action .
The delivery by Amazon was terrific.They called beforehand on delivery day and asked if they could come early.When the fella got here he set it up , showed me some of the features and left.Total elapsed time : 15 min .
079 4 After a whole year of waiting , researching , and having a hard time picking a TV , this was what we went for , and it has been a great purchase .
From the white glove delivery service ( via CEVA ) which delivered our TV on a Sunday leaving it all plugged and ready to go , to the size , the colors , the blacks , the resolution , the various inputs , the controls , the menus , to the so-called Viera Link , the Amazon on-Demand access , YouTube , Weather widgets , all of them have delivered their promise .
Our only complaint is actually towards the cable company , which doesn't have enough HD channels yet to make us enjoy it even more .
We are very very happy with our purchase , and we highly recommend it to anyone trying to get a flat screen TV .
082 4 A few weeks ago , I finally decided to replace my ancient tv with an HDTV . After a lot of research , I decided on the P42G10 .
My experience started off on the wrong foot when my set arrived a week after ordering with a cracked screen . I refused delivery and arranged for a replacement to be shipped . I had better luck with this one ; it arrived a few days faster than the first one , and was in perfect condition .
The set itself is beautiful and the picture is amazing . I play a lot of video games , so I was worried about burn in / image retention with plasmas , but after being convinced by multiple reviews stating that it was no longer a problem with newer sets , I am pleased with the results . Despite multiple hour gaming sessions , I have not experienced the slightest bit of image retention .
I haven't messed with calibration yet ( since I've been told to wait until after a few hundred hours of use first ) , but since the picture is already flawless , I can only imagine how much better it will look .
In conclusion , I do not regret purchasing this tv . If anything , it has exceeded my expectations so far . My only wish is that there was another HDMI slot on the side ( only 1 of the 3 are on the side ) . But that is far , far from being a deal breaker .
083 4 Ordered TV on Friday , May 8th - received Tuesday May , 12th ( just in time for my birthday ) . CEVA Logistics delivery guys were great , TV is FANTASTIC . Great picture and sound right out of the box ( haven't hooked it up to my stereo system yet ) . I will be tweaking the picture settings but found that the default settings looked great . SD picture also looked pretty good !
This is my first HD set I've had for home and researched many models , I believe I made a great choice and would strongly recommend the TC-P42G10 to anyone else shopping for one . For the price & feature set you can't go wrong .
If anything I find that the remote is not all that intuitive , but I'll be using a universal remote most of the time anyway .
086 4 I've had the TV for several weeks . It's my first flat-screen TV . Just a few impressions :
1 ) I decided to get plasma as opposed to LCD because everything I read said that plasma is better if you are watching tv from an angle . Even so , I was a little concerned that the tv didn't come with a swivel stand . I put it on a cart with wheels so I would have a way to position the tv for optimal viewing no matter where someone is sitting in the room . It turns out that I have never had to move the cart . Everything I heard about watching plasma from an angle is true . It's fabulous ! ! !
2 ) The sound is terrible , but I have the impression that's true for most , if not all , flat-screen tv's . It's just disappointing to spend all that money on a tv and then realize I have to spend more money on a home theater system before I'll be really happy with it .
3 ) I'm watching TV through Comcast HD cable and movies on blu-ray . Blu-ray is great , so I think that means anything visual that's not absolutely perfect is coming from Comcast .
4 ) The main reason I had for getting the G10 as apposed to one of the less expensive Panasonic models is the number of inputs it has , including PC input . But it turns out that the blu-ray player has pc input , and if I get an a / v receiver that will probably have pc input too , so if I had it to do over again I might have gotten one of the less expensive Panasonic plasma models .
But in general , I love the TV and am glad I bought it .
087 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
UPDATE ( 6 / 8 / 2010 ) : So far , the replaced Panasonic works fine . Several weeks ago , however , I received a customer satisfaction survey card with a name on it . Rather than checking that I was very unhappy , I Googled the name on the survey , got an e-mail address , and sent an irate e-mail about the problems I had . Approximately one week later I received a message from Panasonic about my e-mail .
I called her back to speak about the problems . She apologized and said that my situation was not handled properly . She asked if she could compensate me for my trouble with a free HD card . I told her I would rather have a free extended warranty for peace of mind .
She agreed to provide a free one-year extended warranty . I received the extended warranty in the mail last week .
- - - - - - - - - -
UPDATE ( 3 / 30 / 2010 ) : The authorized service company came out this morning to fix my three-week-old TV . In addition to a bad power board , there is another bad part . The TV is now at the shop . I called Panasonic , and the concierge seemed a little surprised when I requested a new TV . I called Amazon , and in less than five minutes , I am scheduled for a swap on Thursday . Amazon is incredible . The jury is out on Panasonic ; let's see if the company built another lemon !
- - - - - - - - - -
After great reviews and a lot of research , I bought the TC-P42G10 on 2 / 28 / 2010 . I received it on 3 / 4 / 2010 . Late afternoon yesterday , 3 / 26 / 2010 , I flipped through the channels , when the TV suddenly turned off ! Now , I can't get it to turn back on . The power light flashes four times , pauses and repeats the cycle ! Sometimes , after I try testing it by unplugging it and plugging it back in , I can't even get the power light to flash at all .
I have owned this piece of crap for three weeks and a day !
The online chat rep . apologized for the inconvenience . This is way beyond an inconvenience !
I asked if Panasonic could get someone to fix it in-home today ( Saturday ) . I received an inflexible , No .
To make matters worse , I was scheduled to get FiOS installed today . Well , I had to postpone that until the jerks at Panasonic can send someone to fix my TV - - the brand-new ( . . . ) paperweight that this awful company built . Panasonic was * good enough * ( note the sarcasm ) to schedule something for Wednesday .
I suggested that given the fact that I currently own a Panasonic electric shaver , Panasonic Blu-ray player and previously owned a Panasonic stereo , the least they can do is get someone out sooner . No , was the answer .
My goal is now to encourage people to avoid Panasonic products . This company could have bent over backwards for me , done something to restore my faith , but instead , they have turned me into a Panasonic hater .
I know I will never buy another Panasonic product again ! I no longer trust the brand or the quality , and I know that Panasonic's customer service will do nothing to keep a customer happy . Each time I look at a Panasonic product , I will wonder if it will work or just quit on me after a few days or weeks .
What a mistake I made , and I highly recommend that people look past Panasonic , especially for TVs ! There are other brands out there that I'm sure will at least turn on !
088 4 UPDATE ( 6 / 8 / 2010 ) : So far , the replaced Panasonic works fine . Several weeks ago , however , I received a customer satisfaction survey card with a name on it . Rather than checking that I was very unhappy , I Googled the name on the survey , got an e-mail address , and sent an irate e-mail about the problems I had . Approximately one week later I received a message from Panasonic about my e-mail .
I called her back to speak about the problems . She apologized and said that my situation was not handled properly . She asked if she could compensate me for my trouble with a free HD card . I told her I would rather have a free extended warranty for peace of mind .
She agreed to provide a free one-year extended warranty . I received the extended warranty in the mail last week .
- - - - - - - - - -
UPDATE ( 3 / 30 / 2010 ) : The authorized service company came out this morning to fix my three-week-old TV . In addition to a bad power board , there is another bad part . The TV is now at the shop . I called Panasonic , and the concierge seemed a little surprised when I requested a new TV . I called Amazon , and in less than five minutes , I am scheduled for a swap on Thursday . Amazon is incredible . The jury is out on Panasonic ; let's see if the company built another lemon !
- - - - - - - - - -
After great reviews and a lot of research , I bought the TC-P42G10 on 2 / 28 / 2010 . I received it on 3 / 4 / 2010 . Late afternoon yesterday , 3 / 26 / 2010 , I flipped through the channels , when the TV suddenly turned off ! Now , I can't get it to turn back on . The power light flashes four times , pauses and repeats the cycle ! Sometimes , after I try testing it by unplugging it and plugging it back in , I can't even get the power light to flash at all .
I have owned this piece of crap for three weeks and a day !
The online chat rep . apologized for the inconvenience . This is way beyond an inconvenience !
I asked if Panasonic could get someone to fix it in-home today ( Saturday ) . I received an inflexible , No .
To make matters worse , I was scheduled to get FiOS installed today . Well , I had to postpone that until the jerks at Panasonic can send someone to fix my TV - - the brand-new ( . . . ) paperweight that this awful company built . Panasonic was * good enough * ( note the sarcasm ) to schedule something for Wednesday .
I suggested that given the fact that I currently own a Panasonic electric shaver , Panasonic Blu-ray player and previously owned a Panasonic stereo , the least they can do is get someone out sooner . No , was the answer .
My goal is now to encourage people to avoid Panasonic products . This company could have bent over backwards for me , done something to restore my faith , but instead , they have turned me into a Panasonic hater .
I know I will never buy another Panasonic product again ! I no longer trust the brand or the quality , and I know that Panasonic's customer service will do nothing to keep a customer happy . Each time I look at a Panasonic product , I will wonder if it will work or just quit on me after a few days or weeks .
What a mistake I made , and I highly recommend that people look past Panasonic , especially for TVs ! There are other brands out there that I'm sure will at least turn on !
090 4 I purchased mine on April 3 , 2009 . This morning , the wife turned it on , watched some French Open , then turned it off from the master switch . Later , I tried turning it on and noticed that the red power light was still illuminated and wondered why she hadn't turned it off . The remote wouldn't do anything and the master switch , when held in for ten seconds , would turn the light off and then it would come back on ; but still no picture or sound . After reading several posts here , sounds like I too got a lemon .
I was on the phone with Panasonic tech support and then concierge service for over an hour , only to be told that since my set was two months out of warranty , they could do nothing but recommend a service provider in my area . Since they know this is a common problem , I think they should have made an exception .
Then , luckily , I remembered I bought it with my AMEX Gold Card , which doubles the manufacture's warranty . Called AMEX and they were so helpful and kind . The service dude is coming out on Monday . Hopefully , if it is the power board that is broken , there won't be a long wait time like some have reported .
My mom and sister have Panasonic Plasmas , but this is the last Panasonic product I will ever buy !
I'll update this post as soon as I hear something . Buyer beware !
091 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
We really love our new TV . We are somewhat electronically challenged but it was easy to set up and just love the picture quality and the sound is beautiful . My brother has had one for several years and has no problems with it at all so that was a huge selling point for us as well . Can't wait to see football games this fall !
093 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Received the G15 instead of the G10 . The only difference is the thickness , the G15 is slimmer . The picture on this TV is absolutely amazing , the best I have ever seen . My friend has a new Samsung LED LCD that cost him over $2,000 and the Panasonic , which cost me $800 , has a better picture .
097 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I purchased a Panasonic G10 Viera 42 in 1080p plasma TV from amazon a few weeks ago . The set is outstanding . Highly recommend it and am fully pleased with my purchase . Only downside is the on-board sound is mediocre at best , but I don ; t consider this a major draw-back , nor does it lower my overall impression of the product to a significant degree . I purchased this set based on reviews of its picture quality . I am not disappointed . My plan ( and others I suspect ) is to add off-board speakers tailored to my budget and desire sometime in the future , Users wanting exceptional sound will always buy external speakers as it is , so no loss there .
098 4 I purchased a Panasonic G10 Viera 42 in 1080p plasma TV from amazon a few weeks ago . The set is outstanding . Highly recommend it and am fully pleased with my purchase . Only downside is the on-board sound is mediocre at best , but I don ; t consider this a major draw-back , nor does it lower my overall impression of the product to a significant degree . I purchased this set based on reviews of its picture quality . I am not disappointed . My plan ( and others I suspect ) is to add off-board speakers tailored to my budget and desire sometime in the future , Users wanting exceptional sound will always buy external speakers as it is , so no loss there .
101 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Me and my wife shopped around a lot before we decided to buy a new tv . We seen a lot of good tv's at decent prices , but most of them did not have the hook-up for the pc . The G10 is everything we were looking for in a new tv , and Amazon gave it to us at the best price . We are very pleased with the picture quality and the sound quality of the HD .
106 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Excellent Product - W / HDMI connection , picture is crystal clear ! - Warehouse Deal came looking brand new - couldn't see any blemishes - Watching NFL Football in HD is ASTOUNDING ! ! ! - Get This Panasonic At Discount Price Right Now !
108 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
Bought this set for a secondary room in the house . The picture quality is great and the TV just flat out kicks butt . I bought two panny's with this being the smaller size of the two . A definite good buy if you are looking for this size set .
110 4 I m very pleased with this tv , first I purchased the samsung b630 but the picture was bad on that tv , so I went with this plasma , I m so glad I went with this , the picture way better then the samsung , I so happy with the purchase , I can ` t wait until the regular football season starts ,
stop thinking and go for it , you will be very pleased with this tv , love it
112 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
For the past few years I have been looking at and comparing new flat screen HD TVs . I don't make large purchases on a whim or without careful thought and research . I finally decided this year was the one for me to make the purchase . I have family who purchased their TV from Amazon last year and couldn't have been happier with the purchase and service they received . I went to big electronic stores to see the pictures in person and talked with salespeople about details and made my selection . Great TV and great service from Amazon !
114 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I thought something was wrong with the set , but a call to their center was a good customer experience . They walked me through setting up components and video . Nice picture .
119 4 After doing much research and finally pulling the trigger and buying Panasonic's V10 plasma model , I was shocked to recently find many widespread reputable reports that black levels on Panasonic 2008 and 2009 model plasmas may double or in some cases triple after approximately 1000 hours of use .
At this point I can only wish I had found this information before I made my purchase , so I'm passing it on to anyone else who may be considering any of these models .
My V10 picture is fantastic at the moment , but I can only wait in fear that I may have spent $2K dollars on something that will lose one of it's best qualities after only months of normal use .
The issue is described and commented in detail here :
[ . . . ]
[ . . . ]
Good Luck ! ! ! !
120 4 Did quite some research before buying , between plasma & LCD , different brands / models . The main thing attracting me is plasma better at playing action movies . My expectation was high and I'm not disappointed .
Got the Panasonic G10 42 plasma TV . 42 is pretty good for my relatively small apartment . watched a few Blue-ray discs , just love it .
un-beatable vedio . vedio quality better than probably everything I saw in Bestbuy local stores .
The price is reasonable ( though relatively more expensive than similar LCDs . but I feel it's worthy ) .
the speaker is not bad . I would say much better than my older CRT TV : ) of course , you would want a real audio system for good home theatre ( I got the Panasonic SC-BT300 1250W 7.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Sound System , very good )
123 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
This is our second plasma in the house after Pioneer , I was bit hesistant before to purchase this panel but after spending significant amount of time doing reviews , I decided to take the plunge . To tell you the truth , I feel stupid now that I spent a fortune a year ago for same quality panel , the video quality is amazing . . . I still need to do the tweaks for best picture quality but out of box quality itself is amazing .
Didn't know the panel didn't have a headphone jack , something we use it quite often but other than that it is a very good unit . It does have an audio out for right and left channels , we use that as a work around to connect our wireless speakers ( from iSyphony - you can find this at [ . . . ] ) that are about 25 feet from the panel .
124 4 This is our second plasma in the house after Pioneer , I was bit hesistant before to purchase this panel but after spending significant amount of time doing reviews , I decided to take the plunge . To tell you the truth , I feel stupid now that I spent a fortune a year ago for same quality panel , the video quality is amazing . . . I still need to do the tweaks for best picture quality but out of box quality itself is amazing .
Didn't know the panel didn't have a headphone jack , something we use it quite often but other than that it is a very good unit . It does have an audio out for right and left channels , we use that as a work around to connect our wireless speakers ( from iSyphony - you can find this at [ . . . ] ) that are about 25 feet from the panel .
128 4 I bought this same TV at Sears for $720.00 and it was a 50 . So for another $20.00 you can get a larger TV . I also seen this same TV at Wal-Mart just recently & for the 50 it was $699.00 .
So far I've been pleased with my purchase . This TV was easy to set / hook up and the picture quality is real good !
Just wanted to say this is really not The Best deal out there for this model TV .
129 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
After researching and looking at both plasma and lcd tvs , I decided to go with a plasma . I chose a 42 inch Panasonic G10 . I am extremely well pleased with Amazon . I ordered on a Monday and the set was sitting in my home by Friday afternoon . Unfortunately , the tv did not come with a hdmi cable . The hdmi cable I ordered through Amazon shipped on Wednesday but did not arrive until Saturday so the delivery man could not check out the tv at delivery time .
Operation of the tv has been relatively seemless . Although the picture quality is very good , it is not as bright as I had hoped . If I were to buy a second high definition tv , I would probably go with a lcd or led model .
130 4 After researching and looking at both plasma and lcd tvs , I decided to go with a plasma . I chose a 42 inch Panasonic G10 . I am extremely well pleased with Amazon . I ordered on a Monday and the set was sitting in my home by Friday afternoon . Unfortunately , the tv did not come with a hdmi cable . The hdmi cable I ordered through Amazon shipped on Wednesday but did not arrive until Saturday so the delivery man could not check out the tv at delivery time .
Operation of the tv has been relatively seemless . Although the picture quality is very good , it is not as bright as I had hoped . If I were to buy a second high definition tv , I would probably go with a lcd or led model .
131 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I bought the G10 and the speakers gave off a weird sound , but Amazon sent me a new one . Luckily , I called within the first 30 days of signing for the TV . The new one is better but the speakers are pretty lame . They point downward in the bottom of the set . I don't know who designed it , but speakers sound better if they point toward the listener .
My older Panasonic 42 plasma EDTV had two speakers that hung on the sides and sounded great . The new one does not have external speakers that you can run off the TV . So in order to get decent sound , you have to have a separate receiver and speakers , which is tough when you have limited space . And uses more electricity .
The new G10 is also much louder than my old EDTV , it has little fans built into it , which are louder than they should be .
The picture is nice and of course better than my old set , but I don't think it is as good as our 50 Pioneer that is almost 2 years old . I think Panasonic put all of the money into the screen and not the whole package .
I'm not sure if I would buy another one , but I would definitely buy anything from Amazon , it is an awesome company and takes care of it's customers .
132 4 I bought the G10 and the speakers gave off a weird sound , but Amazon sent me a new one . Luckily , I called within the first 30 days of signing for the TV . The new one is better but the speakers are pretty lame . They point downward in the bottom of the set . I don't know who designed it , but speakers sound better if they point toward the listener .
My older Panasonic 42 plasma EDTV had two speakers that hung on the sides and sounded great . The new one does not have external speakers that you can run off the TV . So in order to get decent sound , you have to have a separate receiver and speakers , which is tough when you have limited space . And uses more electricity .
The new G10 is also much louder than my old EDTV , it has little fans built into it , which are louder than they should be .
The picture is nice and of course better than my old set , but I don't think it is as good as our 50 Pioneer that is almost 2 years old . I think Panasonic put all of the money into the screen and not the whole package .
I'm not sure if I would buy another one , but I would definitely buy anything from Amazon , it is an awesome company and takes care of it's customers .
133 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
One of the selling points of this set was the upgrade-ability of the Viera Cast platform . Panasonic has announced Netflix for the upcoming 2010 models , but says it will not be coming to earlier generation sets , belying the infinitely upgradeable description given at model launch ( see CNET's David Katzmaier's article for more info ) .
138 4 This review is from :
Panasonic VIERA G10 Series TC-P42G10 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV ( Electronics )
I have this running for 3 weeks . Should have got the 46 inch for my livingroom . The picture is quite nice , clear , colors good , reception from cable-non digital . A number of features outside of just TV , DVD viewing that doesn't concern me . For what it is suppose to do , it does the job very well . Bought it with the Panasonic Blue Ray player , with a [ . . ] rebate . So , with Amazon Prime free shipping , about [ . . ] delivered - delivery was also quite convenient - no problems . If there is problem with receiving rebate or TV , DVD player in near future , you'll hear from me again . But as of now , this TV is , I feel after researching 20 - 30 sets at Sears , Best Buy , etc , best quality for the money . No 5 stars because only God , his mother and my mother , and that nun from Calcutta deserve 5 stars . Panasonic is absolutely fortunate I gave them 4 stars - [ . . ] . God's peace and good health to you and yours .
140 4 My unit arrived with manufacturing grease or fluid all over the screen . In fact , Panasonic supplies a wiping cloth with the TV to remove the fluid , instead of having clean manufacturing processes .
Once the TV was set up , I was very pleased with the performance .
However , within 30 days , the TV would not turn on . I called Panasonic , expecting exceptional customer service based on their representations of Concierge Service . Immediately it was clear the person did not give a darn . I've received much more pleasant service at Walmart and McDonald's ( I'm not joking ) .
Per Panasonic , the service indicator on the front of the TV showed that repair was required . It would take up to a week or longer for service . I wanted a replacement instead of repair ( because it's less than 30 days old ) , but they would not provide me with a loaner . Plus , they will not provide replacements unless you've purchased the TV directly from Panasonic and not through any other seller .
Additionally Panasonic service is not performed by Panasonic but rather by servicers who are contractors .
I paid a lot of money for this TV , and now I'm forced to send it back to the seller . I would never pick a Panasonic product over another brand after this lack of service . Get this TV only if you want to play roulette with $1,100 of your money ( maybe it works great , but if it doesn't you're out of luck ) .
144 4 I just purchased a 42 inch Panasonic - TV - # TC-P42S1 and The darned thing doesn't have an RCA Audio out so I can use my Amplifier . I'm wondering if there is a way around this problem .
I'm happy with the unit except for this lousy problem . If not I'll have to buy a new Amplifier with a HDMI cable inlet .
R W Laferty
Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P42S1 42 - Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
