Panasonic TH42PZ85B

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

Wanted to thank everyone for the advice they gave in regards to my post "Newbie needing help" LCD v Plasma and which tv to go for.

Well after much deliberation i decided against my first choice of a Sony KDL40W3000 and instead went for a Panasonic TH42PZ85B and a Sony DAV-IS10 and i have to say im delighted with my choice,They weren`t the cheapest option out there but i got a great deal from "Vaughans" in Haverfordwest and i would recommend anyone in Pembrokeshire thinking about getting a new tv to go there first they are as competitive as any internet site.

Outstanding tv and well woth every penny.Being one of the first in the uk to own one i was a little nervous about getting one but i have nothing but praise for this tv.Well done Panasonic a cracking tv,and once again Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[professorhat]

Good to see it's worked out for you and the forum's have been of help. What kind of sources have you got going in to your TV? Would be interested to know it's performance on SD compared to HD if you have anything?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,
Currently no Hd sources connected to the tv but i have a ps3 on order so i will let you know what the Blu-ray performance is like.
Only using sd Sky+ at the moment hopefully sky HD soon, Also not using the Digital tuner at present as freeview not available in my area at the moment.
Hopefully there will be a full review and test of this tv in What Hifi very soon.

 

[Anonymous]

hi mark

youll probably be getting innundated with questions until the whfi team do a test on this tv!

im just about to order this tv with john lewis (been waiting since end of jan for a nice big flat tv!) like yourself im going to be mainly using it with the sky+ box - how do you rate the picture with this source?

ant

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,
I Dont mind the questions at all,glad to be of help.
With regards to the picture quality of Sky+ i have to say fantastic, i am very impressed with the motion handling and the depth of the colour and picture in general, bearing in mind my previous tv was a 28" Panasonic Quintrix 100hz crt. so it had i think alot to live up to.
Being a big sports fan i was a little worried how the tv would handle the football and Sky Sports News channel - but i had nothing to fear it really is 5 star.
It would be nice to sit this tv along side the Pioneer 428 and conpare the two.
Dvd playback it also fantastic and it is hard to see how blu-ray will beat the picture quality, but im looking fwd to finding out once my Playstation 3 arrives.

 

[Anonymous]

Hay mj, (loser) what terrible choice of home cinema system. You should have gone for a Beko 765gh and a Candy 564578h system instead, brilliant.

watch out for the whiplash?!?

 

[Anonymous]

yo yo

 

[professorhat]

Erm, firstly sorry about the idiot who's posted above, nothing to do with me, but as a forum addict I feel it necessary to apologise about this sort of thing.

Anyway, interesting to see your comments about Sky+ and your previous TV. That should help a few people on the forum who've been unsure about upgrading to an HDTV because of the SD performance compared to their old Panasonic Quintrix sets (I also still have one!). Main reason I asked my initial question actually - although I'd love to buy one, I can't justify having two HDTVs in my living room!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Prof,

Dont worry about Dertdiggler and his opinion mate,each to their own i say!
Im more than happy with my choice so thats all that matters.

As to getting two hd sets in your living room well multi-tasking! Playing PS3 games on one and watch HD movies on the other set at the same time, sounds like a great idea but might need to sweet talk the Mrs, Or tell her you bought it for her for when your gaming.
lol.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Mark, i`ve seen this one about on forums but haven`t spoken to anyone who owns one, yet

I was previously looking at the Kuro ranges because of the blacks. How do the blacks compare on the Panasonic?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Russ,

I went to a few local retailers and did see the Kuro range in particular the pioneer 428xd after Clare and a few others mentioned on a previous post of mine.Unfortunetly i was not able to compare them side by side. The Panasonic did however grab my attention over the Pioneer in both picture quality and stlying. I will say that the retailer i saw the pioneer in (Comet) was only displaying images from a hard disk and couldnt tell me if the image was hd or sd. I was able to get a viewing showing a Blu-ray film (Ice Age) although this did look stunning the panasonic for me had the edge.The Blacks on the Panasonic look equally as good if not better and the depth of Colour and image in general on the Panasonic sold it for me. You may feel different and im sure many Pioneer owners will but its only my opinion.Once i get sky HD and my Playstation 3 it should be even better.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi all, new to this site so fortgive me if i sound like a dud!

Got a TH-42PZ85B over the bank holiday weekend and all i can say is wow, simply amazing tele. I have tried it with both HD (1080p, 720p) and SD and it performs brilliantly in every aspect. The HD source was my laptop through DVI-HDMI cable, the picture was crystal clear and pin sharp, faithfull colour reproduction on both 1080p and 720p. The high contrast ratio makes even dark films like "The Matrix" look stunning, also works equally well at the other extreme with bright films like "Hero". WIth a screen this size you really can see the difference between the two. Even when displaying SD content from a normal Sky+ box, sorry guys no HD Sky reviews, the picture was clear and vibrant but as with everything some programs were better than others. Haven't tried a blu-ray player in 24p yet so can't commit on that but if the rest of the tele is anything to go by it shouldn't let me down. I was a little concered at the price but if you haggle with the dealer you can get a good discount.

If there are any other questions you want answering let me know and i will try to answer them.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi

The big question!

How much did you pay?

Regards

 

[Anonymous]

having seen both side by side, id stand by the pioneer... for the SD quality

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="enverity1"]
Hi

The big question!

How much did you pay?

Regards
[/quote]

I bought it from a local retailer "Vaughans" In Haverfordwest,They have a great reputation locally and although i may of paid a little more than if i had bought online,for the 5 year warranty and peace of mind i think i did ok.
For the Panasonic 42PZ85B and the Sony DAV-IS10 and an Ixos hdmi i paid £1650

 

[Anonymous]

I got mine from a local Panasonic retailer just for peace of mind as dealing with Comet and Currys can be a nightmare, i also got the 5 year warranty just in case and it cost me £1219. They were asking £1299 with a 1 year warranty but with a little bit of haggling i knocked them down, which you are not going to get at a highstreet retailer.

 

[Anonymous]

Please help!

I was going to buy a 42pz700 tomorrow for £1600.

How does the new 42pz85b look compared to the pz700 as it is coming in a lot cheaper.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="_Graham_"]

Please help!

I was going to buy a 42pz700 tomorrow for £1600.

How does the new 42pz85b look compared to the pz700 as it is coming in a lot cheaper. [/quote]

Postpone that purchase. PZ85 is definitely a better set overall.

 

[Anonymous]

I bought pz85 over the weekend. Saw it next to the pioneer 80 and although wasnt quite there with blacks, the motion handling was superb and really couldnt notice much difference. Wanted the full hd for my ps3

I paid £1080 with haggling (from £1200 on tot crt road london)

Watched a hd american gangster from my hard drive and was blown away

SD pictures really good as well

definetly recommend

 

[Anonymous]

Ok so I have taken the plunge and opted for a PANASONIC TH42PZ85B 42inch PLASMA IDTVI bought on the strength of a strong recommendation from a sales guy at John Lewis, who to be fair had significantly more knowledge than the average 19 year old, heavily hair gelled teenager at CometCurry's who generally appear uninformed, unqualified and uninterested in the nuts and bolts of what make a good large screened PLASMA TV.I paid a little more than I wanted but got a 5 yr guarantee and am taking delivery on Thursday, I figure it was the right choice given what I see on these boards and ultimately ticks all the boxes (1080p, 24p Full HD etc etc)I await my TV with nervous anticipation and excitement...will keep you posted!

 

[Anonymous]

JL just price matched at £1,043.90 on a TH-42PZ85B, so ordered it and it arrives next Tuesday with 5 yr warranty and free delivery, can't be bad eh. Looking forward to it.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Stupot,

What does JL stand for. I am looking to buy PZ85 as well and the price you mentioned blew me away.

how can i living in greenwich get the same deal

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="AliRaza"]
Hi Stupot,

What does JL stand for. I am looking to buy PZ85 as well and the price you mentioned blew me away.

how can i living in greenwich get the same deal
[/quote]#
stands for john lewis
theyll price match sound and vision bolton

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, yes it is John Lewis, Cheadle Cheshire in my case as it's nearest to me. The lowsest I found it anywhere was digitaldirect, however JL (sorry John Lewis) won't pricematch a web dealer only, so Sound and Vision of Bolton was the lowest that has a shop you can physically walk into. Sorry Sound and Vision, but that 5yr warranty from JL is more reassuring. JL originally said they had a high a high demand of price matches and it could take up to 10 days to confirm, however they rang back within around 4 hours!

 

[SpiceWeasel]

I got mine delivered on Tuesday, and so far it's excellent. Only tried sky and digi tuner from the tv, but the picture is very good. My HDMI lead arrived today so im going to hook up the ps3 and see whats what.

Also the sound is very good especially in BBE VIVA virtual surround. Setting up is a doddel , and the menu's are very easy to navigate, good remote as well.

Just make sure to turn off "IFC". It's only mean't for 24fps material,blueray etc. It's set to on as default though

EDIT: also when you recieve it all you have to do to get it out of the box , is to unclip the white plastic box's at the bottom 4 sides of the box. Pull them out and lift the box up. The base stays on the floor and the top part of the box comes away.