Panasonic TH-37PX80 performance

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Having taken delivery of my PX80 on saturday and being very impressed I felt I should register for the forum and say a big thank you for all the info I gathered before making my purchase.

The TV is performing brilliantly. After watching SD content on a relative's 37" JVC LCD I'm very glad I went the route I did and opted for the Panasonic. SD is for the most part as good as on my CRT. I have Sky+ and have no intention of taking on Sky HD until there is more HD content available so SD performance was very important in deciding which TV to buy.

Gaming has taken on a whole new appearance, my Xbox 360 and Wii were previously hooked up to a 28" Sony CRT via RGB Scart. I'm now using HDMI and Component and it's like having 2 new consoles.

DivX content streamed via Xbox Media Centre is very crisp through RGB Scart. The XBMC dashboard looks so much crisper and I was able to turn off the flicker filter completely which I used to have set at 1 on my old CRT.

My only minor (VERY MINOR) disappointment was what I understand to be phosphor lag during gaming. I notice it in dark sections while playing Burnout Paradise on the Xbox 360. I have since looked at some of the videos on youtube concerning this 'green ghosting' and I can say that it's not nearly as bad as any of the featured videos.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased. Thanks to all those who have posted on the forum and helped to inform my decision!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Glad we were of assistance, and thanks for the feedback - once all our tests are up online here (in the new-look website), we'll have User Review sections where we can gather all such comments for future delectation...

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mate

im thinking of buying one of these TV`s aswell

bit worried about the whole PLASMA versus LCD thing!

i dont play games at all, watch a few movies and lots of music concerts on DVD

37" is exactly what im looking for, 32" is too small and 40, 42 is too big

is what hi-fi doing a review of this set soon?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the review, and I am glad you are pleased with your TV. This is the model I am thinking of getting so I am interested in your thoughts. I have no doubt you made the right choice of Plasma over LCD.

Did you have the chance to compare the PX80 with the PX70 before you bought? It is nice to know if people think Panasonic have improved things.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Very Annoyed"]

Did you have the chance to compare the PX80 with the PX70 before you bought? It is nice to know if people think Panasonic have improved things.

[/quote]

A friend has a PX70. I decided I needed a new TV after seeing his. I haven't actually compared them side by side though.

He commented on there being three HDMI sockets as the PX70 has two? He also commented on how he was glad I hadn't paid £100 for the pedestal like he had to for his 70!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Tumbleweed, How do you rate the sound on the TV? I have seen one review (CNET) which didnt like it, especially for movies.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi.

Unfortunately I'm no audiophile and only really have my old Sony CRT to compare it to.

I have the sound set to 'speakers up to 30cm from wall' and it's clear and defined enough for me viewing at around 8 feet.

I nudged the treble up a little and I have no problems with listening to speech. I haven't cranked it up yet though so don't know how it performs at high volume.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="rewerb"]
Hi Tumbleweed, How do you rate the sound on the TV? I have seen one review (CNET) which didnt like it, especially for movies.
[/quote]

I would be really grateful if you could advise on this as well please Tumbleweed?

I am really considering replacing my 32LXD700 with a 37PX80 but not sure whether the sound will be as good (don't really want a separate sound system)?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Scotsgirl"][quote user="rewerb"]

Hi Tumbleweed, How do you rate the sound on the TV? I have seen one review (CNET) which didnt like it, especially for movies.
[/quote]

I would be really grateful if you could advise on this as well please Tumbleweed?

I am really considering replacing my 32LXD700 with a 37PX80 but not sure whether the sound will be as good (don't really want a separate sound system)?

[/quote]

Hiya. See my reply above for my thoughts on the sound. One thing I did forget to mention was that I have the sound set to 'music' rather than 'speech'. 'Music' gives a fuller sound which I prefer for most of my viewing, 'speech' is very thin sounding in my opinion. Much like comparing the 'Rock' equaliser preset in Windows media player to the 'Speech' preset.

In the end though, I suppose it's mostly down to personal preference.

Best thing to do would be to take a trip into a nearby AV shop and listen for yourself.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="tumbleweed"]
[quote user="Scotsgirl"][quote user="rewerb"]

Hi Tumbleweed, How do you rate the sound on the TV? I have seen one review (CNET) which didnt like it, especially for movies.
[/quote]

I would be really grateful if you could advise on this as well please Tumbleweed?

I am really considering replacing my 32LXD700 with a 37PX80 but not sure whether the sound will be as good (don't really want a separate sound system)?

[/quote]

Hiya. See my reply above for my thoughts on the sound. One thing I did forget to mention was that I have the sound set to 'music' rather than 'speech'. 'Music' gives a fuller sound which I prefer for most of my viewing, 'speech' is very thin sounding in my opinion. Much like comparing the 'Rock' equaliser preset in Windows media player to the 'Speech' preset.

In the end though, I suppose it's mostly down to personal preference.

Best thing to do would be to take a trip into a nearby AV shop and listen for yourself.

[/quote]

Thanks!

Sadly don't have any shops in my area which has this TV.

Sorry I can't remember whether you said you have separate speakers(too lazy to go back and look!)? If so what do you have?

If I could get away without a separate sound system it would be great.

I suppose it's just a case of try it and see!

 

[Anonymous]

This what TrustedReviews said about the 37PX80 sound

"Turning to the 37PX80B's sound, it again shows a marked improvement over low-end Panny plasmas of the past, with noticeably more power, slightly more dynamic range, and less of a tendency to distort when the going gets tough. There's still a tendency for the TV to overload the mid-range as a result of not having enough bass extension to separate things out more, but this only reveals itself during particularly hefty film action sequences

Verdict
If you can take your LCD blinkers off for a minute, you'll find that the Panasonic 37PX80B is a startlingly good plasma TV for what is, in the circumstances, a crackingly competitive price"

 

[Anonymous]

Hi..

I went into Hughes at the weekend & they had just got the TH-37PX80B set up that day so i asked for a quick demo.

The assistant put on a demo DVD of some Japanese battle bows & arrows type war the sound appeared to be coming from the various speakers that were dotted around the area that the TV situated and it sounded fantastic.

I asked the guy if i could hear it from just the TV's speakers so he tried to work out which speakers it was coming from and in the end had to go & grab the guy who set it up.Unbelievably none of the other speakers were switched on it was just coming from the TV itself the sound was that good!

The one thing i would say though is when i played around with it i turned the base up and it sounded really rough & distorted the base has to be kept at the default setting or lower or the illusion is shattered.
This hasn't put me off buying one though because everything else about the TV was fantastic.

 

[Alec]

"SD is for the most part as good as on my CRT". Thats quite a thing to say. Not that i disagree, i havent seen it, but i might fancy one of these and SD is a big deal to me. Were you watching Sky, Freeview, or just plain old analogue TV for your SD progs...?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="al7478"]Were you watching Sky, Freeview, or just plain old analogue TV for your SD progs...?[/quote]

I watch Sky. Some channels are cleaner looking than others, but the channels that I watch (mainly channel five and E4), I'm very impressed with.

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like this could be the Tv for me then!!! I just have to work out what length of scart and HDmi cable I will need.
Sorry to bang on about the reflection but do you find this to be a problem ?

Thanks everyone.!

 

[Anonymous]

PS!

Is it yet another Plasma 'myth' that there is a running in period where you need to keep brightness and contrast at half?

 

[Anonymous]

this 37px80 sounds like a quality buy for those of us wanting a cracking picture without spending a shedload

 

[professorhat]

[quote user="Scotsgirl"]Is it yet another Plasma 'myth' that there is a running in period where you need to keep brightness and contrast at half?[/quote]
I hope so as I never did this!

 

[Anonymous]

Panasonic told me this wasn't necessary but I think some people did this 'just to be on the safe side'!

It would be helpful if any other Plasma myths could be laid to rest such as regassing.

From what I have read the most difficult bit about setting this TV up is attaching the stand? I'm a bit worried about this as I have a bad back and it will just be my sister and I installing the TV.

 

[professorhat]

Regassing is also another myth - most plasmas have an estimated lifespan of something like 11 years if left permanently switched on, so much longer with just normal use.

 

[Anonymous]

Scotsgirl, I barely notice any reflection at all due to the anti-reflective coating on the screen. It's not quite as non-reflective as the LCD computer monitor I'm using now, but not far from it. Again, referring back to my old CRT, there's no comparison. I don't think the glass on that had any coating at all.

Assembly requires a Phillips screwdriver and someone to help you lift the screen onto the stand posts. Then you just secure the screen to the posts with four more screws and that's it.

Have a look at the manual:

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/customer-Support/download-centre.asp

just type in TH37PX80 where it asks you to and wait for the 20MB download to finish.

 

[Alec]

tumbleweed - many thanks! ive noticed freeview can look eally good (in shops, where they dont often show sky) but i dont have it and am not sure i ever want it at this stage. This telly is definitely an attractive proposition at this stage - tho im yet to see one in the flesh. is there none of that speckled effect you can get on a big lcd (or an lcd you sre just too close to...)?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="tumbleweed"]
Scotsgirl, I barely notice any reflection at all due to the anti-reflective coating on the screen. It's not quite as non-reflective as the LCD computer monitor I'm using now, but not far from it. Again, referring back to my old CRT, there's no comparison. I don't think the glass on that had any coating at all.

Assembly requires a Phillips screwdriver and someone to help you lift the screen onto the stand posts. Then you just secure the screen to the posts with four more screws and that's it.

Have a look at the manual:

http://www.panasonic.co.uk/customer-Support/download-centre.asp

just type in TH37PX80 where it asks you to and wait for the 20MB download to finish.
[/quote]

Thanks ever so much for the info. Very much appreciated.

On my LCD you can see slightly grey borders (on the left and right hand side)on white backgrounds and just wondered whether you see this on the Plasma as well? No big deal. Just curious.

 

[Alec]

Sorry! Does anyone know if all 3 HDMI's are at the back, or is one at the side, as i hear is often the way with TVs with 3 HDMIs. Sorry again, just realised this may be the wrong place to ask as im refering to the Panasonic PX80.

 

[Anonymous]

Scotsgirl - no grey bands at the sides of the screen that I can make out. I have the TV set to auto so it fills the screen with whatever I'm watching. Probably another precaution that isn't required but hey....

Al (Stewie) - The picture on the channels that I mentioned (Channel 5 and E4) is nice and smooth. I think these are high bitrate channels though and as such are a better quality than others like some of the music channels on Sky. I haven't plugged in a terrestrial aerial so I can't comment on the TV's own freeview picture.

Also, all 3 HDMI's are on the back.