Panasonic Viera TH-42PZ80U 42" 1080p Plasma HDTV | 
| Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
List Price: $1,299.99
Buy New: $989.00
You Save: $310.99 (24%)
New (39)
Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 671
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 42
Shipping Weight (lbs): 70.6
Dimensions (in): 41.3 x 3.7 x 26.7
nv:Display Area: 42"
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Contrast Ratio: 20000:1
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
Signal Compatibility: 1080p
Input Video Signal: ATSC
Input Video Signal: NTSC
Speakers: Yes
Inputs: S-Video
Inputs: Audio
Inputs: Component Video
Inputs: HDMI In
Inputs: SD Memory Card Slot
Inputs: Analog Audio Input
Outputs: Composite Video
Outputs: Analog Audio
Outputs: Digital Audio Out
Power Consumption: 573W
Power Source: 120VAC, 50/60Hz
Unit Dimensions (WxHxD): 41.3" x 26.7" x 3.7"
MPN: TH-42PZ80U
Model: TH-42PZ80U
UPC: 037988241972
EAN: 0037988241972
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | 1920 x 1080 Resolution | | • | 1000000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio for the Brightest whites and darkest blacks | | • | 4096 Shades of Gradation for spectacular Color Reproduction | | • | Viera LinK™ HDAVI Control lets you operate all of your home theater components by pressing a single button on your TV's remote control | | • | GalleryPlayer allows you to enjoy the world's finest high definition art and photography on your Panasonic HD plasma TV |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
When it comes to Color depth, the Plasma screen offers the most vivid color and contrast than virtually any flat-panel TV. Panasonic 1080p capable plasmas match the most advanced Pixel Resolution and image-processing technology with an ability to beautifully reproduce fast-moving images. So every detail is rendered with amazing clarity, and all the action is delivered with unbelievable fluidity. 1080p also delivers amazing color reproduction resulting in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. What you get is warm, accurate skin tones, deep blacks, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds for color that's as rich and bold as life itself. GalleryPlayer allows you to enjoy the world's finest High Definition art and photography on your Panasonic HD plasma TV. Use the free GalleryPlayer Software to purchase and Download the images you like, and then play them on your Panasonic HDTV right from your PC. Sign-up is easy and free. Plus, you get a free collection of high definition images to enjoy right away in your home or office. Share your JPEG photos taken with a Lumix or any SD-compatible Digital-Camera on your Panasonic plasma using the built-in SD card slot. Simply insert the SD card, which is about the size of a postage stamp, into the SD slot on the TV and enjoy a photo slideshow with Photo Viewer. For added convenience, EZ Sync HDAVI Control lets you operate all of your Home Theater components by pressing a single button on your TV's remote control. 16 - 9 (Widescreen) Aspect Ratio G11 Progressive 1080p HD Plasma Display Panel Type Motion Adaptive 3D-Y/C Digital Comb Filter Two Full-range (L,R) Speakers, 20Watt (10% THD)(8ohms, 70Hz-17kHz) Integrated ATSC Tuners ATSC / QAM / NTSC Receiving System SD Card Slot, Photo Viewer Input Ports - 3 x HDMI (1 Front), Analog 2 x Audio Input (for HDMI), 3x Composite Video (1 Front), 2 x S-Video (1 Front), Audio Input (1 Front) (for Video), 1
Amazon.com Product Description--March 10, 2008
With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings an astonishing 1,000,000:1 contrast ration to the table. advanced pixel resolution and image-processing technology with the plasma TV's natural ability to beautifully reproduce fast moving images, so every detail is rendered with amazing clarity, and all the action is delivered with a high degree of fluidity.
What's New This Year?
- Super Contrast--native contrast ratios on the PZ85, PZ800 and PX 850 series are 30,000:1, double last year's 15,000:1.
- Dynamic contrast ratios are up to 1,000,000:1.
- new anti-reflective filter; lead-free "Tough Under Force" panel is resistant to impacts and scratches
- Built-in SD card slot with Photo Viewer/Gallery Player software
- x.v. Color and Deep Color (HDMI 1.3 features)
- 24p native reproduction
- Game Mode auto-adjusts image quality suitable to games and includes anti-image retention
- Viera Link is now compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems
- At least 3 HDMI inputs on all models (4 on PZ800 and PZ850 series)
- THX Certification on PZ800 and PZ850 series
Which Viera is Right For You?
Click here to see a comparison of step up features on each Viera series.
One Sheet of Glass Design Beautiful, elegant, and functional -- a single pane of glass covers the entire front of the television, including the bezel. This design reduces or eliminates the "halo" effect that can occur around lettering and logos with traditional 3-pane designs
| | Amazing color reproduction The incredible black reproduction of a Panasonic High-Definition Plasma TV results in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. So you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. For color that's as rich and bold as life itself, look to a Panasonic Plasma TV. |
| | Consistent brightness from any angle A Panasonic Plasma combines anti-glare and anti-reflection technology with the natural light-emitting properties of plasma, to give you a super-wide viewing range with a crisp, beautiful image from almost any angle. |
 | Smooth, graceful motion When you're watching sports or movies with fast-motion graphics, you want a TV that can keep up with the action. With over 900 lines of moving picture, self-illuminating plasma displays eliminate afterimages in fast-action scenes. So whether you're watching a sporting event or an action-packed movie, you'll always get the most impressive viewing experience possible. |
 | 24p native reproduction Movies are shot at 24 frames per second. Unfortunately, TVs operating at 60Hz can only refresh 20 times per second, which means they must drop every fifth frame. With its 2008 Viera PZ85, PZ800, and PZ850 models, Panasonic introduces 24p native resolution, which means 24 frame per second movie content is reproduced frame for frame exactly, making for true-to-source smoothness of motion. |
 | 1,000,000:1 Contrast The Panasonic's Real Black system (a pre-discharge suppression system) and improved panel production processes combine to reproduce outstanding blacks with superb contrast. Each image is richly expressive, from bright scense, like scorching desert landscapes, to dark cave scenes. Compare the image produced by conventional HDTV on the left to the Real Black image produced on the right |
 | More Colors Viera HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. - Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals
- Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately
- Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors
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 | Deep Color Where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color.
- Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors
- Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors
- Enables increased contrast ratio
- Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white.
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Connectivity Viera flat panel HDTVs interact with an array of high-definition devices and services, making it easy for consumers to access and enjoy content as never before. As of 2008, Viera Link is compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems.
| Videos and stills recorded on SD cards can easily be viewed via the SD slots on Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc players and Viera HDTVs. | Viera Link means easy connectivity via HDMI cables. Finally, consumers can easily operate their Blu-Ray Disc players, DVD recorders and home theater systems with a single remote control device. |  |  |
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| | Equipped with an RGB input terminal, VIERA can connect with your PC and serve as a large-screen monitor. | 4 HDMI inputs to connect all of your devices directly to your television.
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 | Long Life Panasonic plasma panels are rated to last 100,000 hours, which is about 30 years of regular or 11 years of non-stop usage before the brightness of the display is halved. |
 | Get Full HD with Blu-Ray Disc Players A Panasonic 1080p plasma television is able to render 1920x1080 pixels, but standard DVDs have a resolution of just 720x480. Blu-ray discs output true 1080p High-Definition resolution and have a storage capacity ten times greater than standard DVDs, so no pixel gos to waste. |
| Screen Size
Measured
Diagonally
| 1080p
Full HD
1920 x 1080 pixels
| Native
Contrast
Ratio
| PC Input
| THX
Cert
| 24p
| Speakers
| HDMI
Inputs
| One Sheet
of Glass
Design
| Swivel
Base
| Shades
of
Gradation
| H.264
Codec
| Digital
Cinema Color
| Studio
Reference
Mode
| Pro
Setting
Menu
| Serial
Port
| Standard Features | TH-42PX80U
| 42 inches
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| 15,000:1
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096
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| - 480 Hz Sub-field Drive Technology
- Anti-Reflective Filter
- Viera Link HDAVI Control
- Built-in SD Card Slot w/Photo Viewer
- Deep Color Technology
- x.v. Color
- 3D Color Mangement
- Sub-Pixel Controller
- Motion Pattern Noise Reduction
- Anti-Image Retention Mode
- Game Mode
- Scratch and Impact Rsistant Panel
- 100,000 Hours to Panel Half-Brightness (>30 years @ 8 hours/day)
- Lead-free Panel
| TH-50PX80U
| 50 inches
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| 15,000:1 |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-42PZ80U
| 42 inches |  | 20,000:1
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-46PZ80U
| 46 inches | | 20,000:1 |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-50PZ80U
| 50 inches | | 20,000:1 |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-42PZ85U
| 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-46PZ85U
| 46 inches | | 30,000:1
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-50PZ85U
| 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-42PZ800U
| 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | TH-46PZ800U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | TH-50PZ800U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | TH-58PZ800U | 58 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | TH-46PZ850U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | | | TH-50PZ850U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | | | TH-58PZ850U | 58 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | | | TH-65PZ850U | 65 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 5,120 | | | | | |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Incredible August 16, 2008
Peter (Clemson)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
At 42 inches, this TV is right in that range for people who are deciding between Plasma and LCD and having owned both technologies, I would consider this TV better overall, but not for everybody. The pz80u has deeper blacks than any LCD in this price range and is able to get just as bright and white. Looking at the TV on the showroom floor, the picture may look somewhat dim but thats because the standard settings set the brightness and "picture" settings very low. Colors are beautiful, well saturated and pop more than most LCDs. Black levels are very good and unless you are viewing content in a completely dark room, there is not much more you could ask from this TV, and even then it performs very well and better than any LCD. SD content is scaled very well and looks very good although it is slightly fuzzy in some instances due to the fact that there is considerably less information to show from a 480i or 480p signal.
All of the lighting in my room is behind the TV (two windows and a lamp) so I have had no issues with glare or reflections. If you do however have a room with lots of external lights which can't be moved, you may be able to see reflections on the screen in dark scenes as the screen is relatively shiny.
I use my pz80u mostly for gaming and am yet to notice even the slightest bit of image retention or "burn-in" even after several long sessions of Call of Duty and Gears of War. I would still not recommend leaving a still image on the screen for any extended length of time, but even brand new, gaming is not a serious risk of image retention. Also for those interested, Guitar Hero played on this TV very well requiring only a 4ms lag calibration (which is basically nothing).
For anyone considering the pz80u and the pz85u, I would recommend the 80u. Although the 85 does have a higher contrast ratio, if you compare the two sets side by side, there is little or no noticeable difference and for a $200 price bump, you are really only getting a VGA input which does not even support a 1920x1080 resolution. If you plan on connecting a computer to this monitor (and be careful of leaving an image on the screen too long if you are) I recommend using a DVI to HDMI cable to get a full 1920x1080 resolution. I have done this and it looks beautiful and the image is crisp and clear.
This is definitely a great TV with a bright and beautiful picture and I would recommend it to anybody who has a room without lots of lights as that is the only advantage any LCD has over plasma. For the price, the pz80u is probably one of the best deals out there right now.
great tv so far July 7, 2008
al (petersburg va)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is my fourth HDTV that I kept since they came out ( I have returned more than you would believe) so I've had a chance to evaluate a few sets and I know what is and is not acceptable. I have hdtv in most of my house now and have utilized technologies which are better for different applications and locations. The quest for a 40-42 inch den tv began last year in the summer. I bought a top brand 42" lcd from a local retailer. The tv did not perform as it was susposed to- it had terrible vertical and horizontal banding. I took it back and got another tv of another brand which was worse. After a few rounds of this nonsense and arguing with the store manager who was not nice at all I got my money back and decided to wait a while. I simply could not understand why I got multiple bum sets in a row and was very nervous about buying any tv again. We are talking serious mura defects (uneven brightness caused from unequal dispersion of the liquid crystal or uneven pressure when pressing glass layers together during manufacturing) and one even would only make green snow on the screen. These tv's were either abused in transit or should have gone to the trash heap and never left the factory. I only wanted a decent tv.
A friend recently told me plasma HDTV was much better now than in the past. I had previously stayed away from plasma because of the short lifespan and the horror stories about image burn in. I researched and he was very right. This tv is rated for 100,000 hrs they say 8 hrs a day for 30 years right on the box and burn in is not much of a problem anymore on this brand of plasma as long as you use common sense and allow a reasonable break in period at moderate settings- and don't be stupid and pause a game for hours and leave it on the tv screen. I honestly don't expect to use it 30 years before getting whatever is newer at the time but if it lasts me 10- 15 years I would be thrilled.
So I went to a different local store and bought one of these after looking at everything they had. Everything about this tv is better than lcd. The viewing angles are very good on this. The picture quality is not often matched- especially in this price range. The specs on this tv are almost too good to be true, especially at this price point.
I play ps3 on this and have no problems. If burn in was such a risk you could not game do you really think they would give the tv a game mode?
I found I had to tweak the factory settings quite a bit to get the ideal picture out of this, I know how so if you don't get a pro or a guide of some type.
I would highly reccomend this tv to anyone else who is very picky about their electronics. I took back many tv's to the store and sold a couple to friends before I found this wonderful tv. BB told me to go shop somewhere else since I brought back one too many I guess last year. I'm glad I did listen to them. This tv was the real deal on the first try. Consistent picture from corner to corner. And it just works like it is susposed to.
Lcd is ok if you play nothing but games or have a super bright room. However if you watch movies some nights, game others, watch broadcasts on others, or just want the best all around picture this plasma is it. The picture really is very good. All colors,even blacks just are so real. Never will I look at tv the same way I used to. Now that I have stepped up to this level I simply must stay here. I thought lcd had a good picture in the past now I find them inferior.
As long as it continues to work as good as it does now I will be very happy. At least I can just sit back and enjoy finally!!
 volume control June 20, 2008
S. Piazza (Calif)
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
volume control on external speakers is fixed.. chat help with tech rep was no help. volume only controls unit's volume not external receiver and speakers. audio w/fiber optic installed correct. have to use another remote to control volume which is a pain....
Stunning HDTV, great value, low power consumption June 14, 2008
M. Hadeishi
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
We bought this as an upgrade from a Sharp Aquos 32" LCD HDTV --- an excellent television, but a bit too small for our new, larger living space. I first looked at 46" and 50" sets, but they use a lot more power, and after looking at units in the store decided the 42" was quite large enough (70% more viewing area than our old TV). For environmental reasons we wanted low power consumption --- usually plasmas lose out there, but Panasonic comes through --- only 170 watts, as measured by an independent test, which is less even than some of the similar-sized LCD TVs tested by that same outfit!
The picture is stunning --- though our old Aquos looks great, this Panasonic blows it away in terms of contrast, black levels, and overall picture quality. Properly adjusted, the DirecTV HD channels look fantastic --- much better than they do on the Sharp or most other TVs I have seen. (DirecTV tends to compress its HD channels quite a bit --- yet on this Panasonic, after adjusting it, the image looks very clean and cinematic.)
Blu-Ray discs are unbelievable --- Planet Earth on this set is tremendous. Another thing I really like about the set is it passes through Dolby 5.1 sound from the HDMI connector to the optical digital out --- which I then pass into my Logitech Z-5500 THX speakers (an inexpensive way to get surprisingly good home theater sound) --- the Sharp didn't pass through the signal from our PS3 Blu-Ray player.
As others have noted burn-in and ghosting are mostly non-issues with the new plasma sets --- some basic precautions will prevent any problems, and this Panasonic set comes with some display "reset" patterns to cure any burn-in issues you might face.
The number of connections is extremely handy --- with 3 HDMI connectors I have enough for my DirecTV box, my PS3, and a front connector for the occasional times when I hook up my MacBook Pro via a DVI-HDMI cable.
There's not much to say about the built-in speakers --- serviceable but not great --- but who uses the built-in speakers on their HDTV? I certainly don't...
The picture out of the box definitely needs adjustment for optimal results --- I set the black levels to dark, turned up the Picture (contrast) and brightness, lowered the color and sharpness, in Standard mode. Fiddle with it a bit and you can get a stunning picture.
This set is cheaper than most LCD sets of the same size, and the picture quality is better. Definitely recommended.
 Great tv! June 11, 2008
criminy
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After a few weeks of online research, visiting big box retailers, and talking to friends, I took the plunge and bought the Panasonic 42PZ80U. I've had previous experience with Panasonic and so I went with what I knew. Since I got it last week, I've been amazed at the quality. The picture is excellent, the build feel is excellent, the menus are intuitive, and I've had no problems with burn in, etc. Even on break in settings, my xbox 360 (with HDMI cable) is astoundingly clear and beautiful.
What I've learned from the experience:
First, don't trust what you see on the floor at big box retailers. All the settings get screwed up, so you can't make good comparisons. Instead, go with reviews by professionals and peers; there's a really useful AV forum out there that you can find if you type in your top product models.
Second, the GalleryPlayer feature, which I was really into as an added perk, has some hitches. GalleryPlayer (GP) is an independent company contracted with Panasonic and other manufactures. Distributing the images requires downloading GPs software and buying images. No problem, right? Well, you also need to buy a specialized Panasonic SD card reader that protects the copyright of the images and runs $50. You can get deals online, of course, but i just want to put it out there.
In sum, I got an AWESOME plasma at 1080p for under twelve hundred - While you can get even better TVs if you drop more than $2000, I definitely recommend the 42PZ80U as a great buy.
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