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Panasonic TH-42PWD8UK 42"
Plasma EDTV

Product Description

Panasonic's Plasma represents a major leap forward in plasma display technology. The thin, flat, large-screen plasma display delivers the world's highest levels of brightness and contrast. Its sharp pictures and natural, true-to-life colors make for an extremely impressive viewing experience. These units come equipped for ready connection to today's advanced video sources, including HDTV, DVD, and personal computers.

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If you subscribe to Consumer Reports--as I do (5 year subscription)--see my review on this magazine--note that the Panasonic plasmas are rated not just a little, but much higher than any other brand name within the comparable price range. Panasonic has plasma down. You must pay thousands more to get a better picture. This is the bottom line at this time. Perhaps things may change in time, but not quite yet. I am not affiliated with Panasonic and am merely summarizing my extensive and thorough research into plasma and lcd televisions.

Now, as to the question of lcd versus plasma, it is also a given at this time that plasma offers a superior picture which must be the primary concern of a videophile. Enough said on this account. If television picture is less important to you than ... whatever (?) --power consumption perhaps?, then you may consider lcd. I considered lcd tv's long and hard, and really wanted to believe in lcd technology, but in the end concluded the larger screen lcd tv's are drastically overpriced while offering poor performance. Perhaps technology will change this scenario one day, but I doubt it.

Now, if you accept my position that Panasonic plasma is the way to go for high def, the next question is, which Panasonic plasma to choose?

Mainly it depends on how much you wish to spend. The more money, the higher definition and the bigger screen you can afford. I found that the best price/performance ratio was to be had with this humble EDTV model. I do not wish to sign up for HDTV at this time due to the higher cable costs, so my motive in buying a higher def TV is mainly for watching DVD movies in their native resolution. I can personally attest that this EDTV is excellent (and is rated excellent by Consumer Reports) for DVD movies of all stripes.

Prior to purchasing, I researched the th-42pwd8uk so much online that I knew its name by heart. Daily I entered this name in Google to read reviews, and observed that it was widely acclaimed for an excellent picture at a reasonable price. At its current price, there is only one serious competitor to the th-42pwduk, and it is the retail version of the Panasonic 42", which has a silver case rather than a black one. The other brand names, Sony, Samsung, Phillips et al, have not at this time received comparable ratings for those units in the same price range (below $3000). A consensus has emerged placing the crown of achievement upon Panasonic's head.

This is the professional version of the 42" Panasonic plasma EDTV; not to be confused with the higher-resolution, and correspondingly higher price HDTV. Also, not to be confused with the ugly silver version of the 42" EDTV being sold at the retail chains. Panasonic has a wide array of models and it gets quickly confusing sorting them all out. I studied them all and settled on this one being the best for my purpose (combined PC / TV use).

The most important difference to keep in mind is that, unlike the retail version, the th-42pwd8uk boasts a VGA connection and is readily connected to any PC, a point many reviewers have sadly overlooked, bedazzled as they are by its amazing TV picture. It also has what many consider to be a more attractive appearance with its neutral black case that does not detract from the decor of a sophisticated home. The price is slightly lower than the silver version, though if you buy the Panasonic stand (TY-ST08K) you pay an extra $200 (including shipping). With the stand, the prices become about the same.

The advantages of the silver-colored retail version of the 42" Panasonic plasma EDTV are that it can be obtained locally at the big chain stores, and already has everything you need built in: speakers, tuner, and stand. I submit, however, that the speakers are of limited value since most people paying big bucks for higher def will connect their sound to an existing surround-sound system. I also find the tuner of limited value to folks who are not subscribed to high-def. The stand is just ugly. And then you calculate the not-inconsiderable addition of sales tax.

What decided the issue for me is that th-42pwd8uk has a VGA connection and simply looks more attractive. I really did not want the silver retail monstrosity in my living room. The stand feet make it look like a robot from a bad 1950s sci-fi movie.

Naturally, you should be nervous buying this unit online--which is why I did my research--but if you buy from a highly reputable dealer, I think you may be very pleased, as I was. I watched "Lord of the Rings" on this monitor and the picture was simply outstanding. If you play many DVD movies, this is definitely the choice for you.

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Source: Amazon.com