Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic TH-42PZ77U 42" 1080p Plasma HDTV

I got the TH-42PZ77U from sears on October 6, 2007. I have it for 2 days and have seen 3 movies and about 20 hrs of TV on it. List price $1800. Discount at sears -$400 so $1400. I opened a sears card and got another 150 off. Net price: $1250 for 1080p 42" with anti glare and anti reflecive screen with 2 hdmi ports and a remote that actully lets me control the dvd player (sony) and the cable box (scientific atlanta). The picture quality is outstanding, I have been researching plasma's for over 6 months now and this is the best price-quality deal I found. Make sure you buy a upconverting DVD player to get full benefit of the 1080p or a blue ray if you got $500 to spare with $50 DVD's. I settled for a Sony upconverting DVD player with HDMI output. On the "just" picture/aspect ratio mode, you dont even have to deal with the grey side bars and the picture does not appear to be stretched a lot. The sound qulaity is also excellent; I have bose speakers and surround sound set up but dont use it with this TV- there is no real need. I compared the 1080p and 720p side by side and could see a difference; my wife couldn't. If you read the professional reviews, they will also tell you that for a 42" TV there is a visible improvement on the 1080p only if you watch it from 6-10 ft distance. 12' at the most. beyond that, it is very difficult to make out any difference for most people. I got the 1080p simply because in my mind I coud see a difference and because the price difference wasnt big ($150). Also keep in mind that a lot of programming will be in 1080p within the next yr so to me it made sense. Go to http://www.cnet.com/4520-7874_1-5137915-1.html for understanding 1080p and 720p differences. 1080p is better than 1080i. AT present, Sears has the best price deal I could find. Great buy so far. Way cheaper than a LCD with no compromise.

Near the beginning of October I read the reviews here, noting particularly the one by Anuj Saran [first one that appears for this TV at this web site]. I found the rebate form online and I went to Sears on the following Friday to check out the sale. I bought it that night, had it delivered on Sunday, had the digital cable by Wednesday night, and have been enjoying it since.

Setup was a snap; The menus are easy to follow; the user manual easy to follow, though some information is literally in small print.

I am a huge (NFL and college) football fan. I can't watch games now unless they are in HD-TV. It's that addictive. The plasma doesn't show any blurs; the detail is amazing. Not into sports? Well, my wife likes to watch Home & Garden TV. She thought this TV was just for sports. Now she's got me hooked on HGTV-HD.

The SD card slot for digital photos is great; you can view a photo slide-show with ease.

BTW, after a few weeks I went out and bought HDMI cables. While the picture quality increase was ok, the audio enhancement was unexpectedly good, and I've got only two cables on the back of the TV now: One to the DVD and one from the cable set top box. HDMI cables aren't cheap, but I now recommend them (when you can afford them).

I told you how the menus are easy to follow and use. I experimented and made a few changes. Some days later I noted an annoying line along the edge of the screen on a few channels. I called Panasonic and they were very helpful. They helped me find the setting I had changed.

Another thing I want to mention is the anti-glare screen. Previously, I could see the reflections of the TV-room lamp in any TV I had bought. Thanks to the anti-glare coating on this TV, there's no more annoying reflection. Yes, there's still a slight reflection, but it's barely noticeable. What an improvement.

In short: I highly recommend this TV.

I found this hidden gem after MONTHS of research. I was going to wait until after the Holiday season, but if I found the right TV at the right price, I'd be willing to pull the trigger.

So I'll come clean right now... I bought the TV from Sears during their VIP event for an incredible deal. However, the reviews are not as good on their site and I want to contribute my two cents to the review community. I would've bought it here, but I don't like the hassle of shipping.

Moving on, the tv is AMAZING. The colors and resolution are very, very vivid and sharp. I don't have a fancy connection: regular CO-AX cable. My DVD is not upconverted, but I played Tomb Raider II yesterday and Angelina never looked so fine. My Wii with component cables also look awesome. But that's a given for Panasonic 1080p, right?

People have noted that this TV lacks enough or relevant inputs... which is true-- a Sammy has more inputs. However, for my use purpose, I do not intend on using this TV as a monitor. Two HDMI inputs are plenty for me... I do not yet own a HD or Bluray player. When I finally do realize the potential of this 1080p sucker, I'll probably rewrite this review. Until then, here are some final tidbits that may interest you:

1) this TV is HEAVY. Actually, it's not more than most plasmas, but if you're reading this review, you're probably buying your first plasma. Be sure to have a friend help you with this. My wife tried helping, but her 105 lb frame couldn't handle the 80 lb package with me.

2) the SD slot is SLOOOOOW. I don't plan on using it much, but if you do, be aware that all images take at LEAST eight seconds to render. We tried watching our honeymoon pictures from the SD slot... we stopped after ten pictures.

3) The remote is not as bad as people say. So it's not super fancy, but the controls (aside from the channel/volume left vs. right switch) are fairly intuitive. As are the settings.

4) Burn-in is an outdated phrase. We played the TV three hours straight when we got it. We viewed it on 4:3 with the black bars... no burn in.

5) Quick reaction time. Not sure what super tech-nerds call it, but when you turn on the TV and change channels, the delay from the tuner is very quick. My family has a Sony projection that I bought for them and it has a major "loading time." Then again, I know that's how projections are.

6) I was in the market for the Sammy 720p 42" and Panny 720 42" as well. The reason I did not go with them is because of the price. I paid for my 1080p for what I saw as the market price for 720p ($1000). I would've been happy with my 720p, since I don't have any inputs that utilize the Full HD functionality. However, if you can step up from a 75U to a 77U and get 1080p for $30 more (like I did), it's a no brainer.

I hope that helps. Cheers in the holiday season!

Panasonic has long been a leader in plasma technology and the new 77U series is no exception. The new TH-42PZ77U has a full 1920x1080 (1080p) panel that is now rated @10,000:1 contrast ratio and 100,000hrs to half brightness. What really sets the 77U series apart is the new "anti-glare" screen coating which differs from the "anti-reflection" coating on the other models. Some will say that the anti-glare degrades the picture quality versus the others...I say it doesn't matter if the set is unwatchable during the day in a brightly lit room. The 77U series is for people who can't (or don't want) to control ambient lighting and would normally choose an lcd because of this. Now you can have the superior black level and more natural colors of plasma in any room that you choose!

Pros:
1. Styling, gloss piano black around the bezel and thin speaker strips on the edges.
2.Outstanding picture quality for HD sources..especially Blu-ray/HD-DVD or even Xbox 360/PS3. Some will say that 1080p is overkill for 42" but text (especially with 360,PS3) seems to be a little sharper vs my 720p set.
3. Decent speakers...there are better integrated speakers (for example on the more expensive 700U) but there are also much worse. Most people will use a surround reciever anyway.
4. Panasonic plasma Concierge, which is a hotline setup just for plasma owners. You can get setup/adjustment tips as well as technical support. I have not used Concierge but past experience with Panasonic support for a dvd recorder was surprisingly positive.
5. The price...shop around and you'll see what I mean. Try to get a similar value with an lcd without going for an "off-brand"..it can't be done.
6. Plasma doesn't suffer from lcd "motion blur" during fast action sports. Watching football in HD is a wonder to behold

cons
1. Anti-glare coating takes away some of the picture "pop" or brightness. However that doesn't mean that the PQ is bad...and it is a good tradeoff to be able to watch a football game on a sunny afternoon.
2. As already mentioned, the speakers are just average (not bad though) but won't be an issue for most people
3. Not a set for tweakers...the adjustments for PQ are limited but should be enough for the average consumer. If you want to fine tune the picture you'll have to delve into the service menu which can be a risky affair if you don't know what you're doing.

All in all..another fine plasma from Panasonic. I rate Panasonic just below the more expensive Pioneers, yet just above Samsung which seems to suffer from more quality control issues and quirks. If you can easily control ambient lighting and/or reflections don't bother you...I recommend the 700U (or the more expensive Pioneer Kuro) over this 77U. However if your situation is like mine, you'll find that the 77U is perfect as a way to avoid going lcd and save some money in the process.

I agree with your posting 100%. I recently purchased this TV at Sears for 1399. I have also researched plasma TV's for the past several months and really wanted the 50 inch, but it was a 1000 more than this badboy. At 42 inches, this TV looks pretty massive and the picture quality is extremely nice even with a regular DVD. My next step is to evaluate and upscaling DVD, HD DVD, or Blueray player. If you're looking to get a high end 1080p plasma, this TV beats them all.