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Panasonic on
12 13th, 2009 |
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41.6″ screen (measured diagonally) * widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) *
- 41.6″ screen (measured diagonally)
- widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio
- built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required)
Price:Too low to display
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 | | 42 | | Offer by: Buy.com USA and Buy.com CA | | Price: USD 12.50 |  | |
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The biggest problem with this unit, as with plasmas in general, is the reflection off of the glass of any lights near the viewer while sitting directly in front of the TV. To remedy this, I no longer use the table lamp sitting next to me. Instead I turn a table lamp on further off to the side so it doesn’t reflect directly back into my eyes. This is rather inconvenient if you are leisurely watching TV and want to read, if only during the commercials. Another minor problem is the distracting reflections off of the shiny bezel and base from lights positioned in other parts of the room (my lamp off to the side). Over-all, the picture itself is 5 star fantastic! I gave it only 4 stars because of the reflection problem. I wish they had it on a stand which would tilt and rotate so that the viewing position could easily be optimized to minimize the reflections. You can buy stands that tilt (and maybe rotate) but the one I looked at which tilted was quite expensive. The sound is unimpressive but I compliment it by also playing it through an amplifier with external speakers.
Rating: 4 / 5
Background:
My 10 year old panasonic television was not cutting it anymore with the new HD content that is so widely available. The built in media area that came with my house only allowed a 42 inch television in the space provided. Seating is about 12-15 feet away. I watch lots of sports, movies on occasion and some television shows. I was looking for a centerpiece to build my home theater around. In the future I hope to add a bluray player with streaming Netflix, and a media center Linux computer.
Decision:
I kept reading that for a 42″ television that you are sitting more than 10′ from you shouldn’t waste your money on anything over 720p. I agree with this, but this tv was only $250 more than the 720p and had many other features that increased the quality of the picture far above the 720p models. This picture is definitely better than the 720p panasonic televisions and to me it is worth the extra $250, not to mention the psychological bonus of knowing that you own the best possible option at a great price. I love finding great deals on exceptional products that are not mainstream and in my opinion plasmas are no longer mainstream due to the relentless marketing efforts for LCD and LED.
Product:
The product was packaged securely upon arrival and looked like it would be able to withstand anything the delivery guys could throw at/on it. Setup was quick and easy. IT DOES NOT COME WITH AN HDMI CABLE, which sucks. It took me 30 min. to put it on the stand and get it connected to my components. Menu’s are easy to use and relatively intuitive. One nice thing about this television is that there are plenty of guides on how to configure it to achieve the optimal picture, you can reference the G15 or the G10 guides online. The picture is stunning, upon turning the set on my wife exclaimed ‘ how did we live without this for so long?’. The bezel and screen are very nice and shiny, which inevitably means lots of fingerprints. The sound is not good at all, but if you are buying this television you should be planning to hook it up to external speakers to get the most out of your HD experience.
Conclusion:
So far I am very happy and will update the review as I spend more time with the television.
Rating: 5 / 5
Ordered a few weeks ago and I am happy with this tv. The sound isn’t great, but I have external speakers so it doesn’t matter. The 42inch looks huge in my living room compared to my old tv. I couldn’t imagine needing anything bigger than this. The picture in 1080p mode (blu-ray) and with HDTV (1080i) is very good and difficult to find fault with. I was considering the new line of Led tvs before I settled on this one. For under $1k I can’t imagine that I am missing anything by choosing the plasma instead. I won’t feel bad when I move this one to the basement in a few years b/c I didn’t overspend.
Rating: 4 / 5
We got this model because of the audio out and the viera DSL link and are very pleased. It is worth the money and effort to get the G15 for those reasons. Viera will bring in movie streaming from Amazon for 3 bucks so competes with cable pay per view without the high cable charges which go on month after month even when you are not watching.
Rating: 5 / 5
great Tv .I liked it so much I bought a second one.It replaces a 2 1/2 year old LG (life’s garbage) that turns off by itself after a minute or 2.NEVER EVER BUY AN LG…YOU WILL BE SORRY.
Rating: 5 / 5