Panasonic’s 42-inch TH-42PX50U takes TV viewing to new heights–and big-screen cabinet sizes to ever-smaller proportion. The 1,024 x 768-pixel gas-plasma TV offers a 16:9 widescreen dimension to match the aspect ratio of your favorite feature films and an HDMI input for direct-digital connection with high-definition sources. Not that you necessarily need them–the set’s built-in ATSC (DTV) tuner pulls HD signals (480p/720p/1080i) right from the airwaves, and its QAM tuner is fully compatible with unscrambled HDTV cable reception. A standard analog NTSC tuner receives standard-definition (SD) programming.

The set’s authorized CableCARD port means the set will also receive digital cable television systems services directly from a compatible cable operator without requiring a bulky, external cable box. You’ll enjoy plug-and-play convenience wherever you are.

A plasma screen renders vivid colors like you’ve never seen before (as in, up to 8.85 billion in this case), extremely wide viewing angles (wider, even, than those of most LCD screens), and easy placement due to a plasma monitor’s slim profile–the TH-42PX50U is a mere 3.8 inches deep, one of the slimmest plasmas around–perfect for desk or wall mounting. Brightness tends to be extremely uniform across plasma screens, which are also impervious to the picture distortion and negative color balances that afflict CRT monitors when placed near lighting or sound systems. The TH-42PX50U’s contrast ratio is rated at an extraordinarily lifelike 3,000:1.

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) offers uncompressed digital data transmission between compatible devices, as between the TH-42PX50U and a DTV satellite receiver. Other connections include dual HD component-video inputs, 2 each composite- and S-video inputs, and a set of composite-video-based AV outputs simplifies hookup with an external AV receiver and speaker system.

The TV’s internal stereo speakers are powered by 8 watts per channel. Special surround processing creates spacious 3D effects from stereo speakers and a selectable audio leveler automatically adjusts the volume level on your TV to prevent wide variations in sound between different TV stations and types of programming.

Other features include V-Chip Program lockout, on/off sleep timers, a remote control, and closed-caption decoding.

Review By reviews.cnet

The look of the Panasonic TH-42PX50U is reasonably attractive and unobtrusive. With the speakers mounted below the screen rather than on the left and right sides, this panel’s footprint is smaller than most. A black bezel surrounds the screen–something we’re happy to see a lot more of, since black around the screen adds to the perceived contrast ratio of the picture and aids in improving real-world performance. The legs and the speaker grille below the screen are finished in silver.

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Review By crutchfield

The Panasonic TH-42PX80U delivers amazing bang for the buck. A few years ago when plasma HDTVs cost $5000 or more, did you ever think you’d see a high-quality model priced this low? Panasonic can do it because they’re among the handful of companies that actually manufacture plasma panels — and they build more of them than anyone else in the world.

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Review By invisionplasma

If you have even a moderately complicated home theater setup, you probably have a pile of tangled cables on the floor behind it. Imagine replacing all those cables with a single cable that carries both digital video and audio at the same time. With the new HDMI standard, that’s exactly what you get. The HDMI connector on this TV accepts high-quality digital video and audio via the same thin cable, allowing you to run one cable from the source to the TV.

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Review By tech.yahoo

Cinema mode is recommended for viewing movies in a darkened room, and that’s what I used it for—movies only. Cinema held comfortable color and brightness levels but softened the detail, hardly what my crew and I wanted to experience during the Super Bowl. We wanted to see the individual blades of FieldTurf and the tiny holes in the jerseys. We auditioned the Normal picture mode, too, but its darker, more subdued overall picture was underwhelming. Once you’ve experience plasma in the rich, colorful Vivid mode it’s hard to go back to more subtle settings.

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Review By reviews.digitaltrends

The 42-inch TH-42PX50U has an attractive two-toned design. The black bezel around the glass minimizes the frame and boosts the contrast. Positioning the aluminum speaker bar at the bottom of the screen rather than the sides shrinks the overall width of the display, which could be the difference between squeezing the TV into a cabinet or not.

The thinness of plasma TVs is a test for industrial designers who are constantly challenged to add more connectors. In this case, functionality pays the price as there are no front or side-mount audio/video inputs. Camcorder users and gamers have to run lengthy cables behind the TV when they want to plug in—an inconvenience at best—and impossible if the TV is mounted to the wall.

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