The Panasonic TH-42PZ700U is one of the most expensive 42-inch plasmas on the market, but it's also the best-performing flat panel of its size we've ever tested. The high price can be blamed squarely on its native resolution–it's the first and only 42-inch 1080p plasma–but the picture quality has little to do with all those pixels. Instead, we noted its deep black levels and realistic shadow detail along with a commendably clean image.
Of course, we could complain about other aspects of its performance, namely its color accuracy, but that's not enough to spoil an excellent picture. If you have the cash to burn but don't have the space to go bigger, the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U fits the bill perfectly.
Design
Basic, glossy black defines the style of the Panasonic TH-42PX700U and its larger cousins in the TH-PZ700U series of 1080p plasmas. The 42-inch screen is surrounded by a rather thick black frame, with the top edge angled back slightly from the main front plane. Its sides are augmented by a pair of inch-wide speakers with tiny perforations for better blend-in, and its bottom edge is raked back to match the top. A central flip-up door hides inputs and controls, while a smaller door to the right conceals the memory card slot. Panasonic includes a matching pedestal stand.
Including the stand, the TH-42PX700U measures 42.5 inches wide by 29.8 inches high by 14.6 inches deep, and weighs 99 pounds. Remove the stand and it measures 42.5 inches wide by 27.2 inches high by 5.5 inches deep, and weighs 83.8 pounds.
We really liked Panasonic's remote. Its layout is basically the same as last year's model, but the somewhat larger buttons feel much better. Its keys–of which there are just the right number–are arranged quite logically, and although there's no backlighting, we appreciated the ease with which we were able to locate buttons by feel. The remote can control as many as three other devices. Panasonic's internal menu system is intuitive enough, although we disliked the ease with which you can inadvertently erase your picture settings.
Features
As we've mentioned, the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U's main claim to fame is its pixel count. It has a native resolution of 1,920×1,080 pixels (or, 1080p), the highest available today, and significantly higher than the 1,024×768 resolution commonly available at this screen size. As we found, however, you'll have to sit quite close to the screen to appreciate the benefits of 1080p (see below). All of those pixels allow it to resolve every detail of 1080i and 1080p sources, while all other sources, including 720p HDTV, DVD, and standard-definition television, are scaled to fit the pixels.
Otherwise, the TH-42PZ700U has the feature set of a perfectly normal flat-panel HDTV. It incorporates a good number of picture adjustments, although there is one missing piece–it lacks the ability to fine-tune color temperature beyond the three presets. We did appreciate that the three overall picture presets are adjustable, and there's a fourth adjustable mode labeled "Custom" that's independent per input.
There are a few advanced controls we mostly disabled for critical viewing. The color management control is said to enhance blue and green, but we found that color balance was more accurate when it was turned off. A setting labeled C.A.T.S. supposedly adjusts brightness to optimize contrast on the fly, so we left it off. There are three kinds of noise reduction settings–more on their effects below. In addition to a selector for 3:2 pulldown, you can choose between two HDMI black levels. Light was our preference, as Dark obscured details in shadows.
In addition to the five aspect ratio modes for HD sources, there are four for standard-def. Although the Panasonic lacks a specific mode designed to perfectly match incoming 1080-resolution signals to the 1080p panel with no overscan (a setting known as "dot-by-dot" on some HDTVs), you can achieve the same effect by selecting the Full mode and choosing Size 2 from the HD size selection of the Other adjust section of the Picture menu. We'd prefer the option to be easier to change–you'll want to switch to Size 1 if you notice interference or lines at the extreme edge of the image when in Size 2 mode–but at least it's there.
Convenience junkies will be bummed by the lack of picture-in-picture. Like many HDTV makers this year, Panasonic offers a version of control-over-HDMI, branded EZ-Synch, that allows other so-equipped Panasonic devices to be controlled via the HDMI connection using an on-screen interface and the TV's remote. We were disappointed, however, by the lack of features to combat burn-in–features that can be found on many plasmas, including Panasonic's own professional models.
Somewhat surprisingly for an HDTV in this price range, the TH-42PZ700U's connectivity suite includes not three HDMI inputs–as found on many high-end HDTVs this year–but just two. There's also a VGA-style PC input (1280×1024 maximum resolution), a pair of component-video inputs, two AV inputs with composite- and S-video, an RF-style antenna input, and an optical digital output for the ATSC tuner. A panel on the front flips up to reveal controls and another AV input with composite- and S-video, while a second panel hides a slot for SD, SDHC, and miniSD (adapter required) cards, allowing you to display JPEG digital photos on the big screen.
Panasonic also makes a pair of larger plasmas in its 1080p series: the 50-inch TH-50PZ700U and the 58-inch TH-58PZ700U.{mospagebreak}
Performance
At the end of our testing we were convinced that the Panasonic TH-42PX700U produced the best picture of any 42-inch flat-panel display, plasma or LCD, that we've reviewed so far. The credit doesn't necessarily go to the set's high resolution–in fact, depending on how close you like to sit, those extra pixels don't matter at all–but rather to its deep blacks, excellent shadow detail, and clean image. We'd definitely like to see more-accurate color, but that's our only real complaint.
Prior to setup we adjusted the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U's picture for optimal quality in our darkened theater. The Cinema preset came quite close to our ideal 40 ftl of brightness, and the Warm preset, the default for Cinema, produced a color temperature that approached the 6,500K standard (see the Geek Box for details), although it was skewed a bit toward green. As a result we didn't have to change the picture settings too much from the Cinema default. Click here for our complete user menu settings, or check out the Tips & Tricks section above. The Panasonic didn't contain user-menu fine controls for color temperature, and we did not perform a service-menu calibration, so there are no "after" numbers listed in the Geek Box below.
Next, we sat back to compare the TH-42PZ700U against some other flat-panel HDTVs. We didn't have another 42-inch plasma on hand for direct comparison, but we did have a couple of LCDs, namely the 46-inch Samsung LN-T4665F and Sony KDL-46S3000, as well as our reference display, the Pioneer PRO-FHD1 50-inch 1080p plasma. For the main section of our evaluation, we chose to watch Ghost Rider on Blu-ray, played from the Samsung BD-P1200 at 1080i resolution.
Black level performance is one of the most important ingredients in picture quality, so we always discuss it first, and by that measure Panasonic TH-42PZ700U got off on the right foot. Its shade of black was among the deepest we've seen, better than either the Sony or the Pioneer. Although the Samsung's image was objectively a bit darker overall, its relative lack of uniformity (the Samsung's sides are slightly brighter then the middle of the screen) made the Panasonic appear slightly darker to the naked eye, especially in the film's numerous nighttime scenes. The Panasonic's deep blacks were evident in the dark letterbox bars above and below the image, in the night sky as Mephistopheles approaches the tent of young Blaze, and in Mephistopheles' dark suit and the shadows of the tent background, for example.
Details in shadows was excellent as well; we could make out the folds in the suit and the depths in Blaze's black hair, and the rise from black up to shadow seemed quite natural. Also, unlike many Panasonic plasmas we've tested, the TH-42PZ700U maintained a constant level of black–black areas did not abruptly become brighter when the rest of the picture brightened–earning it a passing grade in the relevant Geek Box test.
Color accuracy was about average with the Panasonic TH-42PX700U. Like many Panasonic plasmas, its primary color of green measured quite a bit too yellow, while red was also somewhat off. Color decoding was also bit below average–the set's decoder undersaturated green and also introduced a small amount of red push, so we had to back off the color control slightly to achieve the most accurate-looking skin tones. As a result, colors appeared less saturated than we observed on the reference Pioneer, but they were still quite lush. When Roxanne and mature Blaze have it out on the freeway, for example, her face appeared very slightly yellower and less realistic then on the Pioneer, as did the grass in Blaze's cemetery. Overall, the set's deep black levels helped its colors appear rich and well-saturated nonetheless, and we weren't overly distracted by the inaccuracies we mentioned.
We've complained about false contouring on some previous Panasonic plasmas, such as the 42-inch TH-42PX77U, but the TH-42PZ700U handled gradations in brightness quite well. We did see traces of contouring in the most difficult areas, such along the edge of the backlit silhouette of the Caretaker when the picture fades to black, but for the most part the image was smooth. We also noticed less video noise, which appears as roiling motes most visible in very dark areas, than on most plasmas we've reviewed, although the Pioneer was again a bit cleaner overall.
As expected, the Panasonic delivered superb detail, from the amazing sculptured CGI chrome and flames on skull-head Blaze's bike, to the texture of the cement on the gravestones. When we checked the set's resolution we found that it fully resolved every line of the 1080i test pattern from our Sencore HDTV signal generator, and handled 1080p/60 and signals as well (it could not display 1080p/24 from the Sencore, and the Samsung BD-P1200 would not allow us to select its 1080p/24 mode, so we assume the Panasonic cannot handle 1080p/24–not a big loss in our book anyway). It's worth noting, as always, that on a smaller screen the benefits of 1080p native resolution are less obvious than on a larger screen. For example, to be able to discern between the vanishingly thin one-pixel-wide lines of the Sencore's pattern, we had to sit about four feet from the screen. Any further back and they blended together, losing the benefits of 1080p.
In our 1080i de-interlacing test, courtesy of the HQV disc on HD DVD and Blu-ray, the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U performed about the same as most other displays we've tested. It passed the test for video resolution, preserving every line of detail, and failed the test for film resolution. As usual, we looked for evidence of the failure in real program material, and in this case we actually found some. As the camera rises over the freeway after Blaze and Roxanne's post-helicopter-jump kiss, the RV in the foreground evinced moiré artifacts that looked like artificial diagonal lines across the horizontal grille, on all of the displays except the Pioneer (which aces the film resolution test). When we switched to 1080p resolution, letting the Blu-ray player handle the processing, there was no moiré (except on the Sony, which has its own issues with 1080-resolution sources). Long story short, we recommend using a 1080p source, if possible, with the Panasonic, but its lack of proper 1080i de-interlacing isn't a major issue.
We were also anxious to check out the Panasonic's glare-reducing screen, and in general it performed about as well as that of the Samsung HP-T5064. In other words, while it attenuated some of the light that hit the screen, the glare-reducing coating wasn't nearly as effective as that found on the screen of Panasonic's TH-PX77U plasmas or standard matte-screen LCDs, like the Sony.
Next we observed standard-def sources delivered at 480i over component-video from the HQV test disc, and the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U turned in an above-average performance. The color bars pattern revealed that the plasma resolved every detail of the DVD format on the vertical axis but not the horizontal, which might contribute to the slightly softer details we saw in the stone bridge and grass from HQV's detail test. The Panasonic did a fine job removing jagged edges from diagonal lines, however, and it smoothed out the stripes in a waving American flag quite well. The set's various noise reduction settings cleaned up the snowy-looking skies and sunsets nicely without causing undue softness. The Panasonic also passed the 2:3 pulldown detection test, although it was slower to engage film mode than many HDTV we've tested.
As a PC monitor connected via the VGA-style input, we found the TH-42PZ700U's performance a bit disappointing compared to most flat-panel LCDs. It cannot handle 1,920×1,080 resolution signals via VGA; when we fed it that signal, the desktop was overscanned significantly (it didn't fit on the screen, so we had to scroll to see the edges of the desktop). The highest signal it scaled properly was just 1,280×1,024, and due to the scaling the edges of text appeared soft and the entire desktop was stretched quite a bit (the manual indicated that the set will also handle 1,366×768, a wide-screen resolution that should look better, but the TV would not allow us to select that option with the video cards we used). We had much better luck connecting our PC's DVI output to the TH-42PX700U's HDMI input. In this configuration the plasma displayed every detail of a 1,920×1,080 resolution source, text looked quite sharp, and overscan was nonexistent. In other words, if you plan on connecting a PC to this display, you'll have better luck going digital and monopolizing an HDMI input.
The good: Produces a deep shade of black with excellent shadow detail; clean image with little noise or false contouring; solid, standard-def picture quality.
The bad: Expensive; too small to exhibit benefits of 1080p; slightly inaccurate color temperature; primary color of green skewed toward yellow; no anti-burn-in modes.
The bottom line: For those who can spare no expense, the Panasonic TH-42PZ700U plasma offers the best picture quality in its size class.
TEST RESULT SCORE
Before color temp (20/80) 6,200/5,795K – Average
Before grayscale variation +/- 492K – Good
Color of red (x/y) 0.658/0.332 – Average
Color of green 0.267/0.661 – Poor
Color of blue 0.148/0.063 – Good
Overscan 0 percent – Good
Black-level retention – All patterns stable Good
Defeatable edge enhancement – Yes Good
480i 2:3 pull-down, 24 fps – Yes Good
1080i video resolution – Pass Good
1080i film resolution – Fail Poor
Reviewed by: David Katzmaier
