The HDTV test review is complete now, and the 42pz70 gets a highly recommended grade....
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-...Conclusion.php
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Pros
Superb motion handling (maintains resolution in motion better than most flat panels I've tested to date)
Excellent black level and shadow detail
Highly detailed image with [Overscan] "Off" to achieve 1:1 pixel mapping (1080 source)
Remarkably clean picture with little digital noise nor posterisation
Solid video mode deinterlacing, including 1080i > 1080p with no loss in resolution
[Colour Balance] "Warm" in [Cinema] mode provides one of the better out-of-the-box greyscale that is not too far from 6500k
Accepts 1080p/24 signal from PS3 (but judders mildly; see Cons)
Wide viewing angle with no visible drop-off in contrast and colour up to 150°
Blemishless screen uniformity
Aesthetically attractive EPG with crisp text and good colour scheme
Classy remote control with a solid weight and gratifying tactile feedback
Inexpensive price – exceptional value for money
Cons
Non-existent film mode deinterlacing (failed 3:2 and 2:2 cadence detection)
Inaccurate green primary
Slight judder with 1080p/24 signal (screen refresh probably not a multiple of 24Hz)
Limited picture controls in user menu (e.g. no fine white balance adjustment)
Only two HDMI 1.2 inputs
Does not accept 1080p signal over component and VGA
No independent input memory settings
Black level fluctuation when screen luminance is zero/ near zero, though it's very subtle
The usual plasma-specific issues of reflection, phosphor trail, buzzing, and propensity for image retention/ screenburn
Conclusion
When buying a flat screen HDTV on a budget, it's important to understand that you have to make compromises: even if you have £5000 to blow, current technological limitations mean that all flat panel television will have some flaws in one way or another.
Which brings us to our next question: how do you decide what ingredients on a television should be deemed crucial, and what can be sacrificed when it comes down to it? For me, it's quite simple: I put every deficiency of a television through what I call the "Outsource Test"... can the shortcoming be rectified by adding an external device?
Faulty internal tuner? Buy a Freeview set-top box, subscribe to Sky, etc. Tinny sound? Get separate speakers. Poor connectivity? Easily remedied by a switch box/ converter. Subpar video processing? A decent upscaling DVD player, a Sony PS3 or – if you can afford it – a dedicated video processor would do.
But there are some things you cannot improve on a television. If I had bought – for example – an LG 42LF65 LCD TV, I would be stuck with poor blacks, motion blurring, backlight bleed and banding, and there would be nothing I could do about them (except replace the TV with a better one).
This is why the Panasonic TH42PZ70B plasma television represents exceptional value-for- money: it excels in the irreplaceable elements of blacks, shadow detail, motion handling, fine detail presentation, screen uniformity and viewing angle. Sending a progressive signal from a decent player device to the plasma should make the glaring absence of film mode deinterlacing a non-issue; and most users would probably never notice the inaccurate green and mild 1080p/24 judder in normal viewing outside of a side-by-side comparison anyway. At an online price of around £1000, the Panasonic TH42PZ70B is a steal.