Panasonic TC-P42U2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review
This is my first HDTV purchase and I'm very happy with it. A friend suggested I go with Panasonic as I'd get the most bang for my buck, and she was right.
The stand was easy enough to assemble and the set looks and feels well-constructed and appropriate for any room decor. The menus are user-friendly and initial setup was a breeze; an explanation is shown for every available option, so people who aren't familiar with funny acronyms don't need to look through the user manual.
The video quality is outstanding. I tested it first with my PS3 (my main reason for buying a tv) and the colors really pop out at you. I was worried that the plasma would be too dark, but it handles both bright and dark colors exceptionally well. Nothing looks washed out or too black. The only complaint is that the screen brightness can be overpowering with the Game and Vivid settings (I'm more a fan of the latter, but it depends on the game), but the brightness can be adjusted and the adaptive lighting seems to work well enough. I would have liked an overall gamma setting, but you can tweak the video to be nearly perfect with the tv options and the video source's settings. Also, the anti-glare works well enough that I can keep one set of curtains open while viewing and the picture doesn't suffer.
Next, I connected my laptop through its HDMI output (most customers probably don't have this but I'll mention it anyway). 1680x1050 resolution seems to work the best as 1920 left the desktop looking too small and making it easier to notice the pixels, and anything smaller doesn't fit just perfectly. I think these are issues with my laptop giving the tv strange resolutions that it's not used to, but these aren't enough to detract from the quality of the tv. I tested a few games at 1280x960 and they looked better than they do on my laptop's screen (anything less than 1680 on my computer is fuzzy). As mentioned before, small portions were cut off of the left and right sides but it was only enough to notice while on menus. I'll definitely be using this tv as a monitor for schoolwork. Movie quality is great with compressed video files, so I'm sure the blu ray will be amazing.
The speakers are sub-par, but they're not terrible. I was still able to enjoy the games without the extra oomph of a solid set with a woofer, but my next priority will be audio.
I'm satisfied with the connections in the back of the tv. I'm only using it for HDMI and occasionally the RCA at the moment, but the optical audio out is convenient if go that route for speakers (I'm not sure if this is standard now but I like it).
Overall, I'm very happy with the tv and would buy it again. The price you pay is well worth the quality you get out of it. Aside from a few minor issues and poor speakers, it's a great HDTV.
Panasonic TC-P42U2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Feature
- 600HZ Sub-field Drive
- VIERA Image Viewer
- Clean touch bezel
- Rated Power Consumption 298 W
Panasonic TC-P42U2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Overview
Panasonic TC-P42U2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Panasonic TC-P42U2 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Specifications
Building on its award-winning 2009 Plasma line, Panasonic's 42-inch VIERA TC-P42U2 Plasma HDTV features a full HD 1080p resolution, 900 TV lines of moving picture resolution, and 600Hz Sub-field Drive for superb motion clarity. This and other models in the U2 line offer Panasonic's VIERA Image Viewer feature, which enables you to play slideshows of JPEG images stored on SD memory cards, as well as the VIERA Link feature for controlling a variety of compatible components--from Blu-ray Disc players to digital cameras--through a single remote.
Adhering to Panasonic's commitment to the environment, this VIERA model--as well as all 2010 models--features improved power consumption and meets the new, more stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements. And you'll get a long Plasma panel life of up to 100,000 hours--more than 30 years of viewing when watched 8 hours a day--before the brightness of the panel decreases to half.
Key Features
|  Panasonic's VIERA U2 series Plasma HDTV. VIERA Image Viewer: View full-HD images with the integrated SD card slot, enabling you to view JPEG photos captured from your digital camera or camcorder on the big screen. Navigate your images via an easy-to-use thumbnail display.
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Key Specifications
| Connections
Dimensions
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What's in the Box
Panasonic U2 series Plasma HDTV, removable stand, remote control (with batteries), operating instructionsPanasonic 2010 VIERA Plasma and LCD Comparison
| Series: | G25 Plasma | S2 Plasma | U2 Plasma | C2 Plasma | U22 LCD | X2 LCD | C22 LCD |
| Models: | TC-P54G25 54" TC-P50G25 50" TC-P46G25 46" TC-P42G25 42" | TC-P65S2 65" TC-P58S2 58" TC-P54S2 54" TC-P50S2 50" TC-P46S2 46" TC-P42S2 42" | TC-P50U2 50" TC-P42U2 42" | TC-P50C2 50" TC-P46C2 46" TC-P42C2 42" | TC-L42U22 42" TC-L37U22 37" TC-L32U22 32" | TC-L37X2 37" TC-L32X2 32" TC-L22X2 22" | TC-L37C22 37" TC-L32C22 32" |
| VIERA Cast |  | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| VIERA Image Viewer | (AVCHD, MPEG2, JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) | (JPEG) |
| VIERA Link | webcam capable | | | | | | |
| NeoPDP Panel | | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| THX Display | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Contrast Ratio | Infinite Black | Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 | Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 | Dynamic: 2,000,000:1 | Dynamic: 20,000:1 | Dynamic: 20,000:1 22": 15,000:1 | Dynamic: 18,000:1 |
| Moving Picture Resolution | 1080 lines | 1080 lines | 900 lines | 720 lines | -- | -- | -- |
| Anti-Reflective Filter | | | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Display Capabilities | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 720p, 480p | 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p | 720p, 480p | 720p, 480p |
| 600Hz Sub-field Drive | | | | | -- | -- | -- |
| 120Hz | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Game Mode | | | | -- | -- | | -- |
| Speakers | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total | 2; 20W total 22": 6W | 2; 20W total |
| Surround Sound | | | | | | | |
| HDMI input | 3 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) | 2 | 3 (1 side) | 3 (1 side) 22": 1 | 2 |
| Component input (Y, PB, PR) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Composite input | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) | 2 (1 side) 22": 1 | 2 |
| PC input | 1 (side) | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Ethernet LAN input | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Digital Audio output | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| iPod Universal Dock | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | | -- |
| Energy Star | | | | | | | |
| Series: | G25 Plasma | S2 Plasma | U2 Plasma | C2 Plasma | U22 LCD | X2 LCD | C22 LCD |
Learn More
Which Size HDTV is Right for My Room?
 | With standard-definition TVs, the rule used to be that viewers would feel comfortable watching a set from a distance of 3 to 6 times the screen size in inches. With HDTV, the resolution is so much better that you can sit closer to a larger TV without noticing the pixels. So with HDTVs, the rule tends to be you can sit anywhere from 1.5 to 3 times the screen size (in inches) for the best experience. If you know the size of the room you have already, where you want to sit, and where your new HDTV should go once you get it, you can figure out the size HDTV you should get.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 19, 2010 05:44:04
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