Ru55e11

Hi all

I'm looking to replace my 50" rear projection with a 42" plasma which I intend to wall mount.

Has anyone bought a 42" plasma recently which they would recommend?

How important is a decent screen resolution? What about contrast ratio?

Is HD compatibility worth the extra cost?

And considering we've got Sky, need I bother with an intergrated Freeview box?

I'm liking the Panasonic TH42PV500 but don't know if to spend less and get something not HD ready but just as good otherwise.

Any and all advice appreciated

<Russ>

john sugar

I Have ordered the Pana TH42PE50. i dont get it till the 4th though

John57

I've had a 42" Panasonic Plasma for over three years - brilliant TV .... and the new ones look good too !

If you can go for HD ready as it's the newest model which tends to be the best picture and will have the best connections.

One thing to remember though is that the picture is only as good as the signal that goes in. Sky is better than cable IMO. DVD's are great with - on mine - a component connection and progressive scan but if you go to 50" and are to close the picture won't look too good.

FWIW I am going to downsize to 37" when I caan afford it .... 42" is a bit too big for my room.

Rapid17

I have had a Panasonic TH 42 PV500 for about six months and am very pleased with it. Before i bought it i saw the same model in a Panasonic shop showing A high definition picture from some sort of computer and it was awesome. The best i have ever seen. Geoff.

Mog

Just bought this Panasonic and it is great, but be aware that the floor mounted stand which holds all the other TV/Audio/Xbox stuff you have is £500

Mog

davegtt

Panasonic Viera owner here, love it to bits, brilliant TV. If buying now Id probaby go with HD ready (be aware that lots of TVs are HD Compatible, i.e. have the HDMI connection but the resolution isnt good enough for true HD images, theres a difference between HD Ready and HD Compatible)

If you want anything better than the Panasonics, look no further than Pioneer, theyre the best 2 companys on the market for Plasmas, nothing else is good enough IMO.

Ru55e11

Thanks for the replies guys.

I've found the Panasonic TH42PV500 online for £1978 inc VAT & Delivery. Then there's the cost of a wall mount and some decent gold cables. All in I'd be talking £2200ish.

For a simular set-up not HD ready it'd cost £6-700 less. Considering hi-def isn't here yet and when it does arrive it'll cost a fortune, is it really worth it?

How do people rate Hitachi, Phillips, LG, Samsung?

<Russ>

hades

Got to admit that the best I've seen was the panasonic too, better than the others you mentioned.

Hi-def in some formats will be coming within a matter of months from sky (potentially 720p for films and 1080i for sport, IIRC). Rumour had it that it will be ~£400 and about £10/month, which is not cheap but not half as much as the TV. £200 DVD players can now do hi-def upscaling - not as good as the real thing, but better than standard def, and I think the hi-def DVD technology (bluray or whatever becomes the standard) is only a year or two from reaching mass-market pricing and availability. If you're spending lots of money on a TV, unless you expect to replace it in 2-3 years (more expense), I'd go hi-def now. I also think if you're prepared to wait 2-3 years you'll get a lot better for a lot less cash, but isn't that always the way with technology?!

AudiMan

Russ,
Mate of mine just bought a Hitachi 42", he does more research on things like this before he buys than anyone I know, and seems to be really up on home cinema stuff, said he looked at 90% of the 42's available and the Hitachi was the best.

Ian

Sub97

I recently bought the 42PE50. You can get them with a stand now for around 1300. The way I saw it, I'll save the extra 900 quid a PV500 costs and put it towads a proper HD plasma in about 5 years time when they are actually upto true HD resolutions, and HD TV is the norm.

I'll probably get the latest Panny proper HD set for less than the 900 quid a "halfway house" one would have cost me extra now. No offence to anyone with a PV500 - this is all my opinion/ideas