Panasonic TH-37PX80B - good buy?

[quinny123]

Hi

Buying my first Plasma / LCD and after a bit of advice if possible.

I think i've decided on the above model, or possibly the 42PX80, and appreciate any advice/comments on my choices.

Will be used with SKY+ box and Phillips 5980 DVD player. No gaming, but might use SKY HD at some point. Closest person sits approx 6' away from tv, furthest approx 18'.

Do i have anything to worry about re image retension / burn, using loads more power compared to LCD, and product life / reliability not being as good?

Is it right that plasma's (this set especially) handles SD sources better than LCD?

After reading several arguments about 1080i / 1080p etc, does it really matter when using SD sources, and even on SKY HD at this sort of screen size?

Lastly, i'm going up from a 32" Toshiba CRT. With those sort of distances from TV, would you recomment the 37" or 42" model?

Sorry to ask so much. Though buying a new set would be easy!

thanks
gary

[audiphile76]

Originally Posted by quinny123

Hi

Buying my first Plasma / LCD and after a bit of advice if possible.

I think i've decided on the above model, or possibly the 42PX80, and appreciate any advice/comments on my choices.

PX80 has best value for money for its price range. SD is fantastic and HD is also good. Here are some professional reviews and user reviews

Reviews:
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-TH42PX80
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/television...9296024,00.htm

User reviews on avforums
37PX80
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...postcount=1076
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=137
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...7&postcount=95
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=189
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=271
42PX80
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=166
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showp...&postcount=382

Will be used with SKY+ box and Phillips 5980 DVD player. No gaming, but might use SKY HD at some point. Closest person sits approx 6' away from tv, furthest approx 18'.

I think you have a big difference between closest and farther viewing distance. You cannot get best of both worlds. You need to sacrifice something at one of these distances. To watch at 18" you will need a huge tele maybe 50" and higher. If you sit as close as 6" you need smaller panel if you intend to watch SD.

Do i have anything to worry about re image retension / burn, using loads more power compared to LCD, and product life / reliability not being as good?

By using moderate contrast and brighness levels you can minimise the risk of any retentions. I have had my 42PX80 for 6 months and over 1000 hours of viewing. Never had serious issues so far. Ofcourse you cannot use plasma as carefreely as you wish. PX80 and other models from panasonic have a panel life of 100 000 hours. This is a long time. Product life is thus solid and there are no reliability issues if buying a Panasonic product

Is it right that plasma's (this set especially) handles SD sources better than LCD?

After reading several arguments about 1080i / 1080p etc, does it really matter when using SD sources, and even on SKY HD at this sort of screen size?

Plasmas handle SD better than LCDs. HD ready panels from Panasonic will handle SD even better than FullHD panels from Panasonic. SD on 42" 1080p panels i have heard are quite decent. If you go for bigger 1080p panels, faults maybe magnified leading to more detection by human eye.

Lastly, i'm going up from a 32" Toshiba CRT. With those sort of distances from TV, would you recomment the 37" or 42" model?

Sorry to ask so much. Though buying a new set would be easy!

thanks
gary

I went up from a 28" CRT to 42" PX80. In the beginning me and my wifey were like "WOW! thats huge" A month later we were like......we should have got a bit bigger.

Good screens tend to shrink with time. Get the biggest possible and biggest that is affordable.

Many have regretted not having got a 42" after having the 37" for a month or so

[rewerb]

Originally Posted by audiphile76

Good screens tend to shrink with time. Get the biggest possible and biggest that is affordable.

Many have regretted not having got a 42" after having the 37" for a month or so

I second that, went for the 37" myself, should have got a 42"

[BigBANGtheory]

I bought a 42PX80 yesterday after months of pondering, I am 100% pleased with my purchase.

Upgraded from a 33" and then a 27" CRT.

I would say the 37PX80B maybe a better choice than the 42 if your viewing distance is less than 7ft. It all depends on what you are used to I guess...

[RickyBobby]

I've had my 42PX80 for about 6 weeks now and I love it. Went up from a 26" CRT. Brilliant picture (and I'm in a poor reception area) for freeview and my movie collection looks great on it!

[quinny123]

Thanks for your replies everyone

I've decided on 42PX80 and getting it next week. Hope i made the right choice

[audiphile76]

Originally Posted by quinny123

Thanks for your replies everyone

I've decided on 42PX80 and getting it next week. Hope i made the right choice

Good choice with the model and the size
Hope you will enjoy every minute of your viewing experience