Panasonic TH-42PZ85B - 42" Widescreen 1080p Full HD Plasma TV - With Freeview, Viera Link & SD Card slot

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

I finally made a choice of a replacement TV

After much agonizing I eventually opted for the Panasonic TH-42PZ85B. I had almost bought a Sony in their 3500 range but backed away when I saw the Freeview quality. My choice was driven by the fact that I use mainly Freeview at present and I must say the results from the Panasonic are better than I hoped for.
The set is well packed but will require two people to fix to separate stand. Be aware that the only cable supplied is the power cable. Remote control is well laid out with large buttons. The electronic guide is easy to navigate and has some welcome features such as allowing to focus on the days program list for a single channel.
I have connected via HDMI cable to a DVD player that can upscale and DVD replay is stunning. Watching sport is a joy because of the clarity even at high motion. I use the set on the normal setting with a slight tweek to brightness. Not even a hint of burn to date.
Only negative is the standby power consumption. So worth switching off when not in use.
I am looking forward to getting FreeSat and getting the very best from the set.

(3 out of 5)

Great picture, poor sound

I purchased the TH42PZ85B about a week ago, this review is based on my initial impressions.

First of all I am very impressed with the picture quality, both standard and high definition look good. The range of colour is also excellent. The set has built-in freeview, this is the first time I have watched freeview and I am also very impressed with the picture quality.

The remote control is well designed and the menu systems are fairly well laid out. The built-in freeview receiver means that you can look at the programme guide with the touch of a button. One issue that I have with the TV guide is that there is a large advert in the TV guide on the left of the screen. I am not sure whether this is related to panasonic sets only or if that is a characteristic of all freeview sets.

The reason that I have given this set only 3 out of 5 is the sound performance. When connected to a Sky High Definition box, I can watch both HD and SD channels. As mentioned the picture on HD channels is excellent, however, there are serious lip sync issues which are very irritating. Note this is only an issue on the HD channels. A search of the internet of lip sync issues for panasonic sets confirms this is an ongoing issue, so buyer beware!

(5 out of 5)

Ever so pleased with this TV

Going on the back of lots of good magazine reviews, I went ahead with this TV. Bought from John Lewis in the end; although it's a little cheaper here they give a free 5 year warranty. Pricing changes all the time though so do check. And once you buy a new TV, stop checking. It's depressing how much cheaper they are the following month!

Here's why I chose this make & model:

- Panasonic consistently gets good reviews for plasma screens, and this one scores very highly.
- This screen is very bright, fine for my dual-aspect lounge.
- It is full high definition - 1080p 24p etc.
- It has lots of inputs. I have a Freeview recorder, two games consoles, and DVD player. There are still some spare.


Here's what I discovered after plugging it in:

- The picture is awesome - even with normal definition broadcasts. Motion is smooth and colours rich. It's not grainy even up close either. Try that with an LCD.
- The on board digital tuner is spot on.
- The remote control is well laid out and has nice big buttons.
- The sound is... well, it's ok. See below.
- High definition gaming is awesome!
- Smart metal and glass TV stands are very cheap at eBuyer.


Sound. Here's where my old 36" CRT TV scored highly. It had a big enough case (over a metre deep!) to hide large speakers and a subwoofer within. Physics dictates that plasma and LCD screens simply can't. I knew this but even so the sound is not great. So I have bought an Onkyo A/V amplifier Onkyo TX-SR606 AV Receiver (Black) and hooked it up with decent speakers. I think this, or getting a home cinema system is a must.

However overall I really cannot recommend this TV highly enough. So impressed. It's a solid five star product.

(5 out of 5)

Great TV, Great picture

Finally decided to go plasma over LCD for the 42 incher, just think the texture of the picture is better, colours are fantastic, sound is totally fine in my 15'x15' room. If sound is an issue you can add an amp and speakers or buy the 800 model, my thoughts are that it is totally fine, sometimes I feel sound set ups take over the picture... you have a 42" screen and wembley arena sound, it's just wrong, the sound is too big for the picture !! I read about the lip sync issues and believe it is the broadcast, I have not experienced it yet but have on my Toshiba (new) in another room, only on the odd occasion and only sky, I dont think it is the TV's doing at all, 99.999% of the time everything is great, so highly recommended. Picture is brilliant.

(4 out of 5)

Great buy...

Great TV at a good price. Delivered on time and to the room of my choice. Well packaged. Takes two to lift it out and set it on the base. Set up is a breeze. Remote control is well layed out. Picture quality for TV and DVD is superb. Sound quality could be better - seems to lack some depth or richness in audio, hence 4 stars.

Overall, very pleased with my purchase.