Panasonic TH-42PX60E

Author's product rating:   

How is the Picture Quality?	Excellent
How is the Sound Quality?	Good
Range of Features	Excellent
Durability	Excellent
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Brilliant picture
Disadvantages:	slight blurring when letters move very fast, horizontaly across screen

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

All of the Panasonic PX range have great pictures but which one to choose? This model gives the best value for money - the 37" is only £100 cheaper and the 50" is extravagantly expensive. So the choice is between the 42" PX60 and the 42" PX600. These sets are basically the same except that the PX600 has a SD reader and a better sound system, not that the PX60 sound system is bad. But do you want to pay £500 to £600 more for a sound system that can be bettered more cheaply by attaching external loudspeakers? So, for me, the choice was obvious.

For those thinking of a LCD screen, it still holds that plasma screens of this size give a better picture with much better contrast. The picture on this plasma is truly fantastic. The only problem is that when letters are run very fast across the screen, there is slight blurring. I didn't find this a serious problem and it has to be said it is much worse with LCD TVs.

The TV can be hung on a wall but, at 30kg, you need a strong wall and a sturdy wall bracket. The thought of it falling off doesn't bear thinking about so I opted for the attractive stand. It can also be bought with a pedestal.

Setting the TV up is simple using Auto-Setup but there was one little hiccup. If you are using a Panasonic recorder with Q-link, you are instructed to connect it to AV3 and the TV is supposed to download relevant information to the recorder during the setup process. The trouble was, I found that the default AV setting is AV2, not AV3. So, after going to the setup menu and changing it from AV2 to AV3, I had to dig out the manual for my recorder to find out how to download the information from the TV. Easy to do but annoying nonetheless.

You will discover in the picture menu four different viewing modes - Dynamic, Normal, Cinema and Auto with Normal being the default, as you would expect. Within these settings you can change the contrast, brightness, colour and sharpness. The N button on the remote control will return any changes to the original setting.

And it is very advisable to make some changes. All plasma screens will last longer if the contrast and brightness is not set too high. This is particularly important in the first 200 hours of use. Plasmas had a reputation of not lasting as long as LCDs but the differential has narrowed considerably with this TV having a half life of 60,000 hours which is a lot more than a cathode ray tube TV can manage.

Anyway, intially you should select the Normal viewing mode and move the contrast from the default setting of 100% to 50%. Like other manufacturers, Panasonic set the contrast at maximum so that it competes with other makes in the showroom. In the living room, such a high level is not necessary. I tried moving the contrast down to zero and , amazingly, the picture still looked good which shows just how good this TV is. Whatever you do, don't use Dynamic while the TV is being run in. Likewise, the Colour Management setting which adjusts colours to vivid ones, should be kept off. Brightness can be reduced by going to the Setup Menu and setting the Power Save option to on. Plasmas use quite a lot of power - this one 270W - so any saving is welcome.

But the Side panel brightness should be kept to "High" to prevent after-image or burn in. Plasmas used to be badly affected by this condition but there have been large improvements in recent years. To be on the safe side, don't leave a still image on the screen for any length of time and use an aspect ratio that fills the screen - auto aspect is fine.

With all these adjustments, the picture is still fantastic. After the run-in period, I intend to change the viewing mode from Normal to Auto. In this mode, the contrast is set at about two thirds and the C.A.T.S (Contrast Automatic Tracking System) sensor on the front of the TV senses ambient lighting in the room and adjusts the picture accordingly.

Finally, I would just like to say that this is a is wonderful TV as you would expect from a respected brand such as Panasonic. You won't regret getting it. Prices have fallen considerably so now is the time to buy one.