Home Theater

Panasonic TC-P42S2 Viera 42 Plasma HDTV Review

Panasonic says their TC-P42S2 Viera 42 Plasma HDTV “delivers sharp, detailed image and remarkable brightness – all with lower power consumption”. Nice to say…but is it true?

Overall Thoughts & Points From Misc. Customer Reviews:

Panasonic strives to provide clean, clear, and detailed 1080p viewing in the TC-P42S2 by utilizing a combination of their 600Hz Sub-field Drive and NeoPDP technologies.

600Hz Sub-field Drive takes each of the 60 frames shown each second, and reduces them even further into 10 individual “sub-fields” each. This means each is shown for just a fraction of the time the original frame was. NeoPDP then uses a large electrical discharge to shorten the display time for each frame, and the result between the two is minimal afterimages, and overall a much cleaner and clearer motion.

This Viera 42 model also comes with the Viera Image Viewer (view your HD JPEG photes directly on the TV by simply inserting your SD card into the slot) and Game Mode (when toggled, automatically chooses optimal viewing settings for gameplay). Viera Link will also let you operate several devices including a Blu-Ray player, home theather, cameras, and more with just your Viera remote. However, this only works if these devices are connected via HDMI cable, so you’ll need to pick up some extras if you plan on using this function.

Panasonic was able to back up their claim of lower power consumption by achieving an Energy Star rating.

Customer reviews at Amazon.com, Best Buy.com, and Pansonic’s website were for the most part overwhelmingly positive – all but a scant few were 4 out of 5 or higher.

Many customers noted how good the picture quality on the TC-P42S2 right out of the box. Some took time to tweak to their own specific desires/settings, while many just left ‘stock’ or picked from one of the present viewing modes. Mutliple customers also noticed how good blacks looked on this model (even in more brightly lit areas) and a few also took the time to point out that while ghosting with plasma TVs is always a consideration, that there was not even a hint of it with this model.

A few customers did say that they’d like additional ports on the TV (namely a USB and ethernet), but noted that some of the need for a USB port could be gotten around if you were using a console gaming system. As what seems common with Viera models, sound was ‘Ok’, and it was recommended that to have sound that matched the picture quality, you should hook this television up to a home theater system.

In all, most customers were very happy with their purchase – especially considering this model was much cheaper compared to the top-of-the-line models.

The Panasonic TC-P42S2 Viera 42 Plasma HDTV comes with the TV itself, a removable stand, remote, remote batteries, and assorted paperwork/instructions.

TC-PL42S2 Details and Specifications:

Misc. Details:

• 42-inch Plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution; 1080 lines of moving picture resolution
• 600Hz Sub-field Drive technology for superb full-HD motion; 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
• VIERA Image Viewer for JPEG image slideshows directly from an SD memory card
• Inputs: 3 HDMI, 2 component, 2 composite, 1 digital audio output

Product Specific Specs:

• Series: S2
• Screen type: Plasma
• Screen size: 42 inches
• Native resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
• Contrast ratio: Native: 2,000,000:1
• Shades of gradation: 6,144 equivalent
• Receiving system: ATSC/QAM/NTSC
• HDTV display capability: 1080p, 1080i, 720p
• EDTV display capability: 480p
• Speakers: 2 full range, 20W total power; surround sound capabilities
• Image viewer: JPEG compatibility
• Aspect control: Normal, Just, Zoom, Full, H-fill
• Optional wall-mounting bracket: TY-WK4P1RW
• Multi-lingual menu: English/Spanish/French
• Energy Star qualified: Yes

Connections:

• HDMI: 3 (1 side)
• Component (Y, PB, PR): 2; each with audio input
• Composite A/V: 2 (1 side); each with audio input
• Digital audio output: 1

Dimensions:

• TV with stand: 40.6 x 27.8 x 12.1 inches (WxHxD); 55.1 pounds
• TV without stand: 40.6 x 26.1 x 3.7 inches (WxHxD); 50.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 63 pounds

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