Panasonic TH-42PX50U: Overview of a Review

A review by Robert Heron in PCMag.com describes the merits and shortcomings of Panasonic’s TH-42PX50U plasma television. Categorized as an entry-level model, it is priced at $2,999.95 and is quite capable of displaying the finer points of high-definition television, albeit not fully.

One of the shortcomings of the TH-42PX50U is the lack of DVI or VGA inputs, so it wouldn’t do as well as other, comparable brands if used as a computer monitor. The lack of a second digital video input is also disappointing; a user with several video components that have digital outputs will find himself constantly removing one device to plug in another device – unless he buys a switcher.

Image quality is quite good for the price. But compared with a Westinghouse plasma TV, the picture on the Panasonic model was less clear. And in terms of contrast ratio, the Panasonic TH-42PX50U didn’t do as well as the Dell W4200HD plasma TV.

But all in all, it’s a pretty good plasma display panel. The default picture quality is pleasing; three presets pave the way for optimizing the picture for lighting conditions; automatic color management is respectable; the remote control is very user-friendly.

The Panasonic TH-42PX50U is beautifully sleek, and it’s great for watching DVD movies. But according to Heron, it falls just a bit short of displaying true HD qualities.