Panasonic TH42PZ85 - Any review yet?

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andrew Everard"]

Panasonic delivered the 37in LCD version, not the 42in plasma.

We're still waiting for all the other models in the range to be delivered, and will bring you a review of the 42 in the magazine as soon as we can.

[/quote]

Hallo Andrew,

well, thanks for the effort, it's really appreciated that this review was previewed on the web site. Nevertheless you may understand my disappointment since as indicated by many, there are quite some differences with the expectations, considering that most of us are keen to know the details of the performances of the plasma, like GG, black levels, IFC behaviour (I give for granted that the native handling of the 24fps will make the 1080p movies smooth and trobulefree).

Having the above said, and acknowledging the fact that you guys are in Panasonic's hands as we all are in terms of tv delivery

, I wander why Panasonic has gone for such approach with so much pressure from the users....do you feel like they are hiding something and/or they need more time to re-think their marketing strategy that e.g. kept the top notch models only for the US and not for EU?

thanks for your thoughts on this...

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Hello all , 1st post

Sorry if it's a bit long winded..... but deep breath here goes.

I've been looking for a new tv to replace my 8 year old Pany 32" quintrex 50hz,still going strong btw. After I got a free PS3 with my new phone contract and trying it on my brothers 40" sony bravia W2000 well let's just say my old tv was deffinately in need of an upgrade.

So after many hours of research on whathifi,the intrawebs and various user reviews, I decided to take the plunge and order the new Pany 42" PZ85. I needed to find a retailer that offered a 0% 12 month deal and decent price,warranty and service.

I know john lewis have a free 5 year warranty which would be the cheapest 5year deal. But they don't do a 12 month 0% option.Seeing as I havn't got a spare £1300 burning a whole in my pocket that was no good for me

So after a few more hours I think this was the best current deal out there. Ordered from www.tribaluk.com . £1205.99 inc vat & free delivery and another 2 year like for like replacement if it cant be repaired warranty (3 years in total).Plus the 1st year you have accidental damge as well.

They had very good customer feedback on various price comparison sites etc. You have to pay a £20 admin fee when you settle the bill before the 12 months or you get stuck on 2 years at 29% interest. Anyway this worked out the cheapest option with the cheapest like for like replacement warranty I could find and the lowest admin fee's for 0% deals. Some sites where charging anywhere from £30- £65 plus some had an extra set up fee. Also 1 thing to look for is the price of the extended warrantys, these vary hugely.Check out the terms as some have some very grey areas when it comes to repairs/replacement

Also if you enter the code 300APR08 when ordering you get a further £10 off. It's amazing what you can find on the web

All I have to do now is print off the forms they e-mailed me ,sign them and send them back then wait for delivery.Supposedly in stock acording to website .I'll post when it arrives and compare it to my brothers sony W2000. I'll be interested to see the sd content from sky compared to my current crt. And GT5 prolouge in 1080P, also spiderman blue ray box set should be a good test.

1 question though , whats the best hdmi lead to buy for under £50 ? I know you can get some dirt cheap leads but I want a lead to make the most of the new tv.

Sorry make that 2 , being new to plasma is there anything I need to take into account when 1st using it ? running in period ,settings etc ? There's so many myths it's unbelievable.

Current set up : Denon AVR2105 ,Toshiba 370 dvd, PS3 ,sky sd , mission M33i M3C2i M3DSi , chord carnival silver plus cables ,various QED audio leads,half decent scart.

Thanks for your help

 

[professorhat]

Hi there, to answer your two questions:

1. In my opinion, best HDMI for under £50 is the QED Qunex HDMI-P. You don't have to buy from there, just thought it was easier to show you exactly the lead I was talking about!
2. Well, the jury is out on this one - I didn't do any running in on mine and it's fine after 2 years. However, if you want to be safe, they recommend running it at low contrast and brightness levels for the first 100-200 hours of use. I think the PZ85 has a Cinema mode which should work for this. If you choose to do this, once it's done, find a DVD or Blu-Ray with the THX Optimizer tool on it (comes on the region free Blu-ray of Terminator 2 which is what I used) and run this to get your settings spot on for movie watching.

Hope this helps!

EDIT - oh and GT5 Prologue looks superb in 720p, let alone 1080p - enjoy!!

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Thanks for the advice professor.

I think what I might do is "borrow" my brothers £15 hdmi lead, and go to a local store and see if they can compare the 2 leads on a plasma. Im expecting the QED lead will be a huge improvement. Well I would hope so for £50 ish.

Can't wait to try GT5 in 1080p. Being a GT addict I can definately recomend the proper licensed GT4 force feedback pro steering wheel and pedals. I've had mine for a few years now and was still using it with GT4 until the new one came out.The difference from using a pad is unbelievable. You feel all the bumps in the road,when your car is sliding etc. As close as you can get to the real thing. Oh and if you want a work out try doing a lap of the nordschleife in somthing quick like the 950+bhp 350Z. The wheel tries it's hardest to rip your arms out of their sockets,and by the end you deffinately need a breather. Tried it on GT5 on the weekend and if anything I would say it feels even more life like than before.

Im not sure what the price is now but I paid £65 for mine and I have to say its the best £65 I have ever spent.

 

[Andy Clough]

[quote user="Halpha"]Having the above said, and acknowledging the fact that you guys are in Panasonic's hands as we all are in terms of tv delivery

, I wander why Panasonic has gone for such approach with so much pressure from the users.[/quote]

I don't think there's anything sinister going on, rather there are so many new Panasonic models we aren't going to get them - or be able to test them - all at once. As I've clarified elsewhere, we were initially promised the TH-42PZ85 but in the end got the 37in '85' LCD model and also have the TH-42PX80 which is the lead First Test in our June issue (on sale May 1st).

And yes, this time Simon really has received the 42PX80, seen it and tested it! But my lips are sealed.

 

[professorhat]

[quote user="SpiceWeasel"]Being a GT addict I can definately recomend the proper licensed GT4 force feedback pro steering wheel and pedals.[/quote]
Yup, still got this from my GT4 days as well. I'm still struggling to beat my lap times I set with the pad with the wheel though... think I need a proper chair to sit in rather than the current kitchen chair / ironing board arrangement!

 

[Anonymous]

my th42pz85 arrives tomorrow cant wait

got it from dixons with the deal and free weekend delivery yey

 

[SpiceWeasel]

[quote user="little_alien"]
my th42pz85 arrives tomorrow cant wait

[/quote]

Let us know what you think once you have it setup.

Professor, lmao at the ironing board. I find the couch with an extra cushion behind and a 20 odd year old pine bedside table thingy with the door taken off works a treat.It's suprisingly sturdy and the wheel clamps just fit inside. I would love to get one of those proper racing seat setup's but the size of them put me off. You can't exactly stash it away when you arn't using it.

Im very suprised you arn't quicker with the wheel.Have you set the wheel to work in 180 degrees instead of the full 900... like a F1 car ? Off the top of my head I can't remember the button names (over a mates at the mo), but on the bottom center of the wheel you have the 4 buttons. If you hold down the bottom left,top right and r3(right finger gear change) together it will change modes. You will see one of the green lights turn off on the wheel.This makes it much easier as you don't have to turn the wheel for 5 mins to get around a corner.

It takes some getting used to after a pad,or the full 900 deg. But once you get the hang of it you'll be faster. On the 2nd rally stage I was 8 seconds faster a lap than with the joypad or the wheel in 900 degrees.

 

[PJPro]

[quote user="professorhat"][quote user="SpiceWeasel"]Being a GT addict I can definately recomend the proper licensed GT4 force feedback pro steering wheel and pedals.[/quote]
Yup, still got this from my GT4 days as well. I'm still struggling to beat my lap times I set with the pad with the wheel though... think I need a proper chair to sit in rather than the current kitchen chair / ironing board arrangement![/quote]
Do people still have ironing boards?

 

[professorhat]

[quote user="SpiceWeasel"]Have you set the wheel to work in 180 degrees instead of the full 900... like a F1 car ?[/quote]

No, I hadn't heard of this before - will have to look into this, thanks!

[quote user="PJPro"]Do people still have ironing boards?[/quote]

Yup, I do my ironing on it.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Andy Clough"]

And yes, this time Simon really has received the 42PX80, seen it and tested it! But my lips are sealed.

[/quote]

hmmmm....how could we unzip those lips???

I have narrowed my issues with the 11g panels to few things, probably the most critical being the green ghosting of the high(er) contrasted ones, but maybe a hint on whether or not this is an issue also on the px80 would help a lot...

thanks for any bit of previewed info

cheers!