Panasonic TH-46PZ80U

The 46 inch Panasonic TH46PZ80U Plasma TV comes with many features that will satisfy any movie lover who is looking to create a home theater to provide the perfect entertainment center for the home. Panasonic has added an anti-reflective screen on all of its 2008 models  to reduce the amount of reflection. According to Panasonic, this is an improvement over the anti-glare screens on their previous models.

Features

The Panasonic TH-46PZ80U is a 1080P 16:9 format TV and has a native resolution of 20,000 to 1. When it comes to dynamic contrast, Panasonic claims it is capable of at least  1,000,000 to 1. And in performance tests with standard definition DVD sources, it actually creates deep, robust blacks and faithfully reproduces scenes with a fine balance of shadow and light. On HD sources like blu-ray, the TH-46PZ80U’s natural color palette looks even more stunning. Despite the vibrant and crisp picture, the Panasonic does not overcook its presentation. Also impressive is its super-wide viewing range. Image colors look rich from almost any angle. The TH-46PZ80U will beat almost any LCD in rendering deep blacks but the tradeoff is that it is not as bright as some of the better LCD TVs.

All movies are shot at a frame rate of 24 fps (frames per second). It is then converted to the 30 fps of a TV signal using a process called ‘Telecine‘. Many newer HDTVs can detect this and restore the film-like picture quality using a process called 3:2 pulldown. The TH-46PZ80U is one such display. It did an excellent job of detecting the Telecine signal and recreating the film look of a 24 fps source.

The 2 built-in speakers provide a reasonable sound quality. It won’t give you earth-shattering sound effects, but if you’re not an audiophile, the speakers should be adequate. For a TV of this caliber it makes sense to couple it with a home theater system for a more involving movie experience.

Actual user review:
“In my personal opinion, plasma beats best LCD models like Sony and Samsung. So, if you are still shopping, simply go to the store, and devote some time to comparing TVs and chose the one YOU like. Like many other consumers, I was hesitating choosing between plasma and LCD TVs. Initially, I was inclined to LCD (Sony 120HZ), but after spending quite a time in one of the electronic giant stores comparing different brands, I chose the Panasonic plasma. If you like ‘movie-like’ picture and fantastic sharp quality of this 420HZ, 1 million to 1 contrast ratio Plasma, I’d recommend this Panasonic. Just don’t forget to buy decent HDMI cable and Blu Ray player and you’ll be blown away. Even SD regular TV channels look great. It’s amazing. Period.” – SP (NY,USA)

 

User-Friendliness
The menu system is easy to navigate, aided by a good-sized remote and thumb-friendly button layout. The TH46PZ80U comes with 3 HDMI inputs (two at the back and one under a flap on the front of the unit) and 2 additional Component Video inputs, useful if you have more HD sources.

If you own a digital camera that uses an SD memory card, you can take advantage of the slot provided to display your favorite photos.

Conclusion

The TH46PZ80U continues Panasonic’s trend of making impressive plasma TVs. It’s an awesome set, and at street prices below $1300 it is great value too.

• “I was worried about motion blur on an LCD but equally concerned about glare and dimmer picture on the plasma. When I saw this tv at I friend’s I was sold. Now that I have it, I will swear by it. Glare has not been an issue and the picture is plenty bright enough. The picture is great and, with a little adjustment, the colors are right on. LCDs seem a little cold to me and the colors here are very warm. Unless you are an electronics nut and plan to have more than two or three devices hooked to the TV, there are more than enough connections, both in front and on the back. The sound is very good and the TV is nice looking.” – H.Glenn (NC,USA)
• “The TV set-up is simple. The connections are straight-forward. There are plenty of inputs on the back, but the HDMI inputs are the best way to go. Component cables should be your minimum, however, as you can’t get 1080 with the “RCA” single yellow video input. The onboard tuner will decode HD channels through the coaxial input if component/HDMI cables aren’t available. The remote control is easy to use, with intuitive options and onscreen menus. Switching aspect ratio is a single button press to cycle through the available views. Many HD broadcast signals still output 4:3 images, especially for older shows, so we have found the “just” setting to be best at filling the screen without distorting things too noticably. Input selection is also a simple button press. The TV input changes automatically when the blu-ray is powered on or off. Viewing angle is virtually unlimited. Picture is best from 8-10 feet away, but sitting closer is no problem. Football games have been the most fun so far, especially games where snow is falling. Watching Dark Knight as our first blu-ray experience was also an eye-opener, as we got to see the full 1080P potential for the first time. Overall the picture is amazing, and the TV a perfect size for our average-ish living room.” - Durman (CA,USA)

Average User Rating:

 

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