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Panasonic Plasma / Television Monitor Review

Model: Panasonic TH-42PWD3U, TH-42PDW4UY, and the PT-42PD3-P Plasma Displays
Description:42" Diagonal Plasma Monitor/TV, Widescreen 16:9 Format,
Color: Color: Charcoal Black or Silver. Color reviewed: Charcoal Black
Warranty: 1 Year Parts and Labor
Reviewer: Robert Wiley
Original Review: 01-12-2001
Updated: 02-30-2002

Copyright © 2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007 PlasmaTVBuyingGuide.com. All Rights Reserved.

Most similar product to compare: NEC 42MP3 , Fujitsu PDS 4229

MODEL DIFFERENCES

TH-42PWD3U (3) vs. TH-42PDWD4UY (4)

The (4) replaces the (3) in August 2001 as the new model. There are very few differences to note as follows: For review purposes everything is still accurate. The differences are minor and apply to a commercial display setting application.

  1. The brightness is now 780 cd/m2 (was 650 cd/m2)
  2. The structure of the panel/bezel has been redesigned to adapt better to a multiple screen display setting
  3. The unit has an improved remote control with enhanced menu functions notably image reversal (to further prevent phosphor burn in on display units)
  4. The unit has 2X2 and 3X3 multiple screen display setup options for plasma walls/displays.
  5. The new unit has a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) input selection (optional board available in fall of 2001).

That's it. Same pixel resolution. Same converter/scalar. Same contrast ratio. Basically, the same unit at a lower price.

PT-42PD3-P
This model is the consumer only version of the TH-PWD4UY. It is sold through consumer retail outlets. The units are exactly the same except the PT-42PD3-P comes in a dark silver color and the TH-42PWD4UY only come in charcoal black. Prices are normally higher for the consumer version. EMI (radiation) output ratings are the same for the units.

INTRODUCTION

The ultimate test of all plasma display monitors is how well they show when they are actually tested for video quality. Forget the native pixel resolution, the built in progressive scanning converter, the astronomically unrealistic contrast ratio figure shown. The specifications are provided by the manufacturers wanting to sell their product. Comparing TV's of any kind side by side with the same input source at the same starting point is the way to truly understand how the signal information is converted, processed and shown. Call it the eyeball test.With plasma display monitors the differences are much more apparent than with conventional CRT direct view televisions due to pixel formation and lighting considerations.

After having some difficulty with annoying noise output from the first generation model Panasonic Plasma displays the TH-43PWD3 is just an excellent unit. And it is virtually silent. From a few feet away I could not hear the unit with the sound off. The unit also runs very cool due to the low power levels it requires (under normal use Max. Amps 4.0) It should run for many years and gives a 30,000 hour time frame before phosphor burnout starts to occur. The unit is very sound technically. Panasonic, striving to get ahead of the game in the plasma market purchased Plasmaco Technologies in Y2K, not only acquiring the company's leading technology but also their leading plasma technology engineers.

PICTURE - 97


panasonic th-42pwd3u

Since plasma monitors are primarily visual devices the picture displayed is really omnipotent in consideration for which one to purchase. There are a few other considerations (listed in this review under “Other Considerations”) but image quality is of primary importance. The Panasonic showed the best picture I have seen on a plasma display. With higher end signals of HDTV 1080I or progressive scan 480P the unit is unmatched though the NEC 42MP3 is very close now. This was the unanimous feeling of all three reviewers.

Images are sharp and crisp for all input signals we tried. Color reproduction was superb but the words most often used to describe the unit’s on-screen image versus the other flat screen TV’s was, “deep, rich and clear.” I know the description of the picture sounds a bit like a good cabernet but those were the words as I canvassed the group. The reason behind the superior performance from the top end signals is due to the unparalleled black levels and contrast caused in part by the new Real Black Drive System the company has incorporated. Though I don’t buy the advertised contrast ratio Panasonic lists (3000:1), I do believe they have the best technology in showing video imagery. We tested the contrast ratio at 723:1 ANSI which is still far better than other models.

With progressive 720P, 1080I, or 480P I would not hesitate to pit the Panasonic TH-42PWD3 against any CRT direct view set. I think it is actually worth the extra $3500.00 for the Plasma with a 42" diagonal viewing area compared with the high definition Panasonic Direct View CT-WX34X50 (34" viewing area).

Our plasma monitor tests were conducted with several inputs including the RCA DC10 high definition decoder box and the Toshiba SD6200 progressive scan DVD player. When changing the signal from the DVD player to 480I from 480P a visible drop was noticed in the picture quality on this plasma TV. With this plasma unit, use of a progressive scan DVD player greatly enhances the picture. Panasonic has incorporated an excellent 3:2 pulldown conversion chip for film and video processing. The new PWD4UY also upconverts satellite and cable signals to progressive scan quality, thus giving much better picture quality than before on television grade signals.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS - 90

I am happy to report that all noise related problems that affected the first batch of the Th-42PWD4U have been corrected. The unit runs virtually silent. The additional “Y” in the new model number of TH-42PWD4UY reflects the modification from the early model.

The onscreen graphic user interface on the TH-42PWD4UY is excellent and easy to use. There are options available for color temp adjustment, sharpness, color, picture, brightness, tint, and picture. There is a sound adjustment menu if you are using the built in 8 watt amplifiers from which the outputs are neatly placed on the lower right and lower left back of the unit. The five aspect ratios options include Zoom, Normal (for 4:3 picure), Full, Just (displays 4:3 picture at its maximum size but with aspect correction applied), Panasonic Auto (used to handle a mix of 16:9 and 4:3 programming). I like to adjust the color on almost any input signal I’m watching and I found the Panasonic’s color adjustments for red, blue and green to be simple, straightforward and effective.

The monitor has plenty of inputs for all sorts of connection. S-video, composite video, audio L&R, a row of 5 BNC connections for component/RGB, a serial port, a 15 pin VGA, a DB25 Tuner in connection, and the two speaker output terminals from the built in amps.


The above picture shows the Panasonic TH42PWD4U (bottom right) in relation to the Pioneer PDP503CMX (top right) and the Samsung SPK-4215 (bottom left) plasma TV displays.


The bezel comes in a dark charcoal gray or silver (consumer version only). It's pretty straightforward and not creative I must say. Most of the 42" plasma monitors look fairly similar (except the new Sony 42B1U) so I don't deduct anything for its looks even though it is not my favorite. The construction is solid which is the main consideration. The outputs allow for the cables to be easily hidden and routed out of the bottom of the unit. The unit is 3.5 inches in depth and around 69 pounds light.

The remote control is a simple little device - looking unimpressive, but the onscreen menu more than makes up for it.



(The above is the Panasonic TH-42PWD3U vs Sony PFM42B1U)


Additional Images
(Note: Color reproduction in the review photographs may be unrealistic)

SPECIAL FEATURES

VALUE RATING - 94

While slightly more expensive than some competing models Panasonic makes up the difference with performance. At a recent price of $5600 it is a great buy in the plasma TV market.

OVERALL RATING - 94.5


Panasonic TH-42WD4U Review by Alan Schuchman from Colorado on 8.29.01
Q:  Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.

A:  Incredible! Right out of the box with no tinkering I found the picture to be fantastic (I previously had a 35" Sony CRT, and my roomate had a 53" Panasonic projection--the plasma beats both hands down). The clarity is crystal clear from corner to corner--you lose nothing no matter where you look on the screen (unlike most tv's where the edges and corners lose clarity in my opinion). The set comes with three separate picture settings -- they adjust the brightness and sharpness for various viewing conditions (they are also adjustable for personal taste and will save your changes). FYI, I run an S-Video feed for Direct TV and component hookup for DVD. I watched Apocalypse Now for the set's maiden voyage and was duly impressed. This is a movie which has intense colors (green jungles, red explosions) and dark blacks (interior of Kurtz's compound) -- the set performed beautifully

Q:  What are your general comments on your Plasma TVs/LCD Monitors? How do you like it?

A:  I love it. Can't imagine using anything else, except for a 50" plasma. I had also purchased an HDTV receiver thinking I would want even the few channels available to take advantage of the set, however, regular broadcasts (Direct TV) and DVD's look so good I returned the HD box until more becomes available. Filling the 16x9 screen really changes the viewing experience to more of a theater feeling. You can definitely notice some distortion or loss of clarity on some of the aspect settings, but the monitor has a setting that essentially only adjusts the aspect of the sides of the picture and does not distort the center--this works great!

Q:  How would you best describe the design and looks of the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor?

A:  I hung mine on the wall and it changes the look of the entire room. Simply beautiful, on or off. It is like a piece of art and really draws the eye to it even when off

Q:  Plasma TV Inputs used? A:  1 Component using RCA - BNC Cables

Q:  How long have you had the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? A:  Less than 1 Month

Q:  What is the Plasma TV/LCD used for? A:  Home Living Room

Q:  Please explain how the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor was installed.

A:   I used the wall mount. It was quite simple to hang. I drilled holes in the wall and ran the cables behind the wall--highly recommend it for asthetic reasons. Gives the monitor a very clean art-like look

Q:  Where did you purchase your Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? How was your buying experience?

A:   DTV City. Experience was great. They were very responsive to my anxious calls concerning delivery date. The monitor arrived within 3 days of DTVCity receiving it!

Panasonic TH-42PWD3 Review by Robert Siniscalchi from FL on 3.30.01
Q:  Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.

A:  We find the clarity and color to be superb. Much better than we ever anticipated. We had selected the Panasonic based on the reviews in DTV City website. We had been considering the Sony. We were concerned about Plasma TV's regarding the brightness but find absolutely no isuues with the Panasonic. Frankly, I couldn't ask for more!!

Q:  What are your general comments on your Plasma TVs/LCD Monitors? How do you like it?

A:  WE LOVE IT. The first movie we watched was a wide screen version of "Analyze This" and it filled the entire screen. We felt like we were part of the movie. We are really happy we decided to buy now rather than wait. We now get to enjoy it rather than saying "someday" we'll own a Plasma.

Q:  How would you best describe the design and looks of the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor?

A:  We have the black case and stand. We designed a built in book case and TV area for the set and it fits and looks just perfect. I tried to enclose a digital photo but was unable to do so

Q:  Plasma TV Inputs used? A:  1 Composite & 1 Component using RCA - BNC Cables

Q:  How long have you had the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? A:  Less than 1 Month

Q:  What is the Plasma TV/LCD used for? A:  Home Living Room

Q:  Please explain how the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor was installed.

A:   We are using the Panasonic TV stand set atop a built in tv / bookshelf / display cabinet next. The TV looks part of the 'Built In

Q:  Where did you purchase your Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? How was your buying experience?

A:   We bought it from DTVCity off the internet. We had a very helpful sales person who assisted me through the purchase decision and later with some questions on the installation. I would highly recommend DTVCity - in fact I happen to mention to a co worker in Atlanta that I bought the Plasma off the internet and he told me he did likewise - also from DVD City. He bought a Sony and was also pleased with the buying experience. We returned the speakers because they didn't fit well in the spot we designed. Richard assisted us with no problems.


Panasonic TH-42PWD3 Review by Jason DeSalvo from NJ on 3.27.01
Q:  Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.

A:  Awesome

Q:  What are your general comments on your Plasma TVs/LCD Monitors? How do you like it?

A:  We bought the Plasma TV due to space considerations and thought we would have to sacrifice image quality and contrast. Boy were we wrong. This TV compares to the best sets I've seen!

Q:  How would you best describe the design and looks of the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor?

A:  Attractive. Fits in well with a modern decor. Sleek.

Q:  Plasma TV Inputs used? A:  1 Composite & 1 Component using RCA - BNC Cables

Q:  How long have you had the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? A:  Less than 1 Month

Q:  What is the Plasma TV/LCD used for? A:  Home Living Room

Q:  Please explain how the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor was installed.

A:   I mounted it using the flat wall mount. I performed the installation myself. It took about a half an hour.

Q:  Where did you purchase your Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? How was your buying experience?

A:   Plasma Depot. They were really great to deal with in every way. I will recommend them every chance I get


Panasonic TH-42PWD3 Review by Bob Spofford from NM on 6.6.01
Q:  Describe the picture of the plasma TV/LCD monitor in terms of clarity, color reproduction, contrast and brightness.

A:  Clarity & Color Reproduction & Contrast and Brightness: On high-quality sources it is superb. It is also a real lesson in the psychology of vision. Numbers-oriented videophiles will say that with a native resolution of 852x480, this set isn't capable of "true" HD reproduction. By the eyeball test, however, it is the BEST HD picture I've seen on any 42" plasma (and I've seen them all.) The HD picture has the sparkling clarity and almost 3-dimensional feel that, to me, is what separates HD from even good SD. Also, the difference between real 1080i HD signals (e.g. CBS) and Fox's 480p broadcasts is dramatic even though the numbers types will say that you shouldn't be able to see a difference on a monitor with this resolution. This visual performace is probably the result of terrific contrast on this set and the fact that it reproduces a real, "hard" black, where the best most other plasmas can do is dark gray. The brightness is great. No problem using it in a brightly-lit room (a BIG change from the rear-projection set I upgraded from.)

Reproduction of DVDs, especially using the component inputs is about as close to HD as you can get from disks: lovely rich color and sparkling clarity in the details.

On lower-quality sources like satellite and tape, the picture is comperable to a very good direct-view set, though a little flatter in contrast than the badly over-driven look you see on most people's CRT TV's. When DirecTv chooses to give a signal good bandwidth, as they do with some of their movie channels, it gets close to DVD quality, and you really see the difference with this set.

Other than the contrast, the biggest difference between the Panasonic and other plasmas I've looked at is the absence of noticable "jaggies" or on regular NTSC signals. These are so bad on many plasmas that an outboard scaler is required just to get a viewable picture. The Panasonic picture, right out of the box, would thrill anyone but a very, very high-end perfectionist. (Not quite out of the box, actually. The factory picture settings are are a little washed out on SD pictures. Turn the brightness down quite a bit, the "picture' up a little and the sharpness up a lot, and you see what the set is capable of. For more discussion of optimum picture settings, check the threads in the Plasma section of AVSForum.com)

One other point along this line: certain NTSC sources - my old, but very high-end laser disk player, for example - produce a better picture on the Panasonic using their composite video output than they do from their S-Video output. (This is worth checking when you install it.) This indicates that the Panasonic uses better chips for things like Y-C separation than a lot of outboard gear.

Q:  What are your general comments on your Plasma TVs/LCD Monitors? How do you like it?

A:  I love it! It's more than just the great picture, it's a completely different experience from "TV". Part of it is the psychology of the picture just hanging on the wall like a painting. Part, I think, comes from the total lack of flicker. We don't realize how annoying that is until we see a picture without it. Part of it is that all titles and graphics - even on a bad picture - are ROCK SOLID, like they were painted on the screen. Overall, the experience of watching HDTV (and even some DVDs) on this plasma is as big a step up from regular TV as color was from B&W. It's just obvious that some day all TV will be like this

Q:  How would you best describe the design and looks of the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor?

A:  Unobtrusive. A plasma is pretty much a plasma as far as looks are concerned. It sure is a converastion stopper, though. EVERYONE who walks into our family room sees it hanging there and says something like "Is that one of those . . . ?" followed by the obligatory demo. Luckily, there's always something on the HD demo channel (#199) that just blows them away.

Q:  Plasma TV Inputs used? A:  1 Composite, 1 S-Video & 1 Component using RCA - BNC Cables

Q:  How long have you had the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? A:  Less than 1 Month

Q:  What is the Plasma TV/LCD used for? A:  Home Living Room

Q:  Please explain how the Plasma TV/LCD Monitor was installed.

A:   Hung on the family room wall using the flat wall mount, with all the wires routed through a hole behind it so that nothing is visible hanging down. The center-channel speaker is sort of disguised by some books and pictures on a table under it so that you really get the "hanging picture" effect. All the other electronics are several feet away inside a converted bar, and all the other speakers are mounted unobtrusively up near the ceiling. It other words, it's a "stealth" home theater, which gives it a very high WAF (wife approval factor)

Q:  Where did you purchase your Plasma TV/LCD Monitor? How was your buying experience?

A:   Plasma Depot. This was certainly the largest purchase I've ever made over the internet, and they were very reassuring to deal with. They called the next morning to confirm order details and my credit card, then they sent an e-mail with all shipping details including both tracking numbers and phone numbers for the shipping companies (the plasma and the mount came from different places.) Both shipments arrived ahead of schedule, and the company delivering the plasma was very good about calling first to arrange delivery details. Overall, it couldn't have been better.

The most important thing on the website is to show price and in-stock availability. I have no use for sites that ask you to call for this info. It's not just a convenience issue, having all the info on the site projects a sense of honesty and professionalism. (And they were NOT the cheapest price I found - you were the best combination of a good price with a site that felt like good people running an honest business.) Also, the references to your sales to business were very reassuring. I work in advertising, so I know that plasmas are selling at a furious pace for business settings, but I doubt anyone could run a reasonable business (yet) just selling these things to consumers.



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