Panasonic TX-P42G10 Review
NeoPDP technology for a grand? Yes please.
Picture Quality: HDThis is not going to be a very long summary, because I couldn't find anything to complain about here. The TV reproduced 1080p content from Blu-ray at 24p without judder. The quality of the image is astonishingly good, with all of the benefits of Plasma technology with as few of the disadvantages as I've seen in a long time. That is to say, the contrast, depth, and uniformity of the picture were utterly fantastic, as was the inherently wide viewing angle, but inherent Plasma issues – dithering PWM noise (only just noticeable as a “tizzing” in white areas) and phosphor trails – were close to non-existent. I had almost no complaints here whatsoever.
ConclusionWell done to Panasonic for the TX-P42G10. Here we have a Plasma display with contrast performance previously reserved only for the high end, made available in smaller screen sizes, and for an amount of money that, recession or not, is a steal. Granted, value for money is one of the few parts of our tests that's somewhat subjective rather than based on data, but I feel that having newly developed technology (or more properly, refinements to technology), with this level of quality, at a price just over the three digit mark, is exemplary. With retailers such as Amazon and HiFiBitz offering this TV for under a grand, it's really a no-brainer.
Let's not forget the excellent Greyscale accuracy (once calibrated, that is!), the convenience of having both analogue, digital and digital HD satellite tuners in one device, and the fast response for gaming. Even the sound from the TV's own built in speakers isn't too bad - I found it to be totally serviceable for TV programmes and older games.
The only limitations of this display are ones that can either be side-stepped by adding a high quality video processor (whether that's in the form of an upconverting DVD player, a dedicated processor device, or an AV receiver with processing built in), or ones that I can happily tolerate given its other strengths and price. Highly recommended.
Pros:
-Fantastic contrast and black level performance
-Extensive connectivity options (Digital Terrestrial, Digital Satellite, Analogue Terrestrial, HDMI...)
-Excellent greyscale accuracy once calibrated
-Imperfect, but still very good colour performance
-Sublime detail thanks to 1:1 1080p input
-24p input is handled correctly, judder-free
-Portrays Digital TV broadcasts in an unusually favourable light!
-Video gaming is incredibly responsive
-Incredible value for money
Cons:
-No Colour Management System for perfecting colour performance
-Standard-def video deinterlacing and scaling are lacking
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