To anyone concerned regarding the difference between the Panasonic 42PV70 and 42PV7 plasma TVs, here are my observations:
I just came from Sights & Sounds yesterday, and did a side-by-side comparison between the two models and observed their picture quality and physical appearance/built.
- In terms of features, the only difference between the two models is that the Panasonic 42PV70 has two (2) HDMI inputs versus the 42PV7's one (1) HDMI input. The other difference is that the 42PV70 has a black piano finish (only at the lower speaker portion), while the 42PV7 has a flat black finish.
- But in terms of picture quality, there was NO difference at all. Other websites claim that the 42PV7 has only 8,000:1 contrast ratio versus the 42PV70's 10,000:1, but I think it's not true. They're practically the same (brightness, color, saturation, detail). All settings in both displays we're identical and both were already properly burned-in and calibrated.
The following sources were used: Spiderman 3 (R3), Monsters Inc. (R3), Transformers (blu-ray), and their demo CD, all using 720p/1080i resolution. I wasn't able to test my R1 DVDs though (LOTR3 & Star Wars3).
But I still recommend that you see it for yourself and test both displays side-by-side for your eyes to be the judge.
I'm sure either of them will do the job well.
Thank you sir Vic for the exhaustive demonstration as well as the good conversation.