-
Search
Categories
Tags
19inch 22inch 26inch 32inch 37inch 40inch 42inch 46inch 47inch 50inch 52inch 55inch 58inch 120hz 240hz 720p 1080p aquos articulating bravia builtin class displays flat full fullhd haier hdmi mount panasonic panel peerless philips plasma player samsung sharp silver sony toshiba viera viore vizio wall widescreen
Entertainment News- Trailer Park: 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' Shot-By-Shot Breakdown
- Alice Through the Ages
- '80s teen idol Corey Haim dead at age 38
- Daniel's Dozen: Oscar's 12 Best, Worst-Dressed Stars
- Oscar Wrap-Up: Best, Worst Moments
- Clash of the Titans: The classic on Blu-ray
- Oscar Party Chatter: What is Craft Service?
- Q&A with Chris Kattan: "Bollywood Hero"
- 18 Great Canadian Exports
- Trailer Park: "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (#2)
- Gadget News
- The Android You're Looking For: Moto's BACKFLIP Comes to AT&T
- Bites from the Apple: iPad Gets Official Release Date
- Verizon and Motorola DEVOUR Lower-Cased Letters with New Android Phone
- Bites from the Apple: Slight Return
- Microsoft wants to know if your Windows 7 is pirated
- Nikon finally fills some gaps with a 24mm f/1.4 prime and 16-35mm f/4 VR
- Bites from the Apple: A Quick One
- Something for the Weekend: Pushing the HD Video Limits of DSLRs
- Olympus E-PL1 brings micro-4/3s prices into fixed-lens territory
- Creative's World of Warcraft Headsets Ready for Pre-Order
Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ85U 46-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Product Description
What's New This Year?
Which Viera is Right For You?
Click here to see a comparison of step up features on each Viera series.Amazing color reproduction
The incredible black reproduction of a Panasonic High-Definition Plasma TV results in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. So you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. For color that's as rich and bold as life itself, look to a Panasonic Plasma TV.Consistent brightness from any angle
A Panasonic Plasma combines anti-glare and anti-reflection technology with the natural light-emitting properties of plasma, to give you a super-wide viewing range with a crisp, beautiful image from almost any angle.Smooth, graceful motion
1,000,000:1 Contrast
More Colors
Deep Color
Connectivity
Viera flat panel HDTVs interact with an array of high-definition devices and services, making it easy for consumers to access and enjoy content as never before. As of 2008, Viera Link is compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems.Long Life
Get Full HD with Blu-Ray Disc Players
Which is the Right Viera for You?
Measured
Diagonally
Full HD
1920 x 1080 pixels
Contrast
Ratio
Cert
Inputs
of Glass
Design
Base
of
Gradation
Codec
Cinema Color
Reference
Mode
Setting
Menu
Port
Product Details
Video Reviews
Customer Reviews
Pros:
1. Fantastic contrast ratio - sometimes can even get too dark for my liking! (level of contrast can be adjusted via menu options)
2. Very handy 15 pin PC connection (I use this very often to view online movies and documentaries)
3. Very good color rendering. False contouring is minimal and typically only with weaker/lower res. signals
4. Sound is awesome! There appears to be 3 channels/speakers at the bottom of the piece. You have the ability to have surround capability (I do not have a home theater sound system connected).
5. Pixelation during fast motion very minimal (typical for the plasma)
6. Very good inbuilt tuner. I use it to get the off-the-air HD channels, great quality
7. Very good form factor - looks that will please most
8. Wide sturdy base
There are a lot of other features that I have not used as yet but overall, I am really very pleased with what I have seen so far. Note that I have not tried a blu-ray disc with the TV but seeing the quality with the 1080-i quality NCAA games this month has been phenomenal.
Cons:
1. It is my belief that the anti-reflective screen not quite as good as compared to the anti-glare coating the 2007 models had. My experience is based on comparison of bright warehouse lighting reflecting from the 2007 screens and the bright living room I currently have place the 2008 model in. With the anti-reflective screen on the 2008 model, I can see a reflection of myself when the picture is dark or dull and background lighting is moderate. For e.g. even in the nights, when I have a small average intensity lamp burning, I can see a reflection of myself in the screen.
Hard to think of other cons.
I definitely do not regret the PC input option for the $90 extra it cost me! Will add more as the weeks go by but overall a fantastic choice.
First, the 46 inch screen is perfect. When I began shopping for a tv I was planning to go with a 46 inch lcd because of the size and where I planned to put it, but further research led me to the plasma technology. The 50 inch was a little larger than I wanted and the 42 was too small.
I am extremely satisfied with my purchase as this tv has a picture second to none. I too was concerned about the reflections, but I have this tv in my family room with a lot of windows and it is not an issue.
I have only had it for two days now, so I will list the things I've noticed and will post an update after a while.
1. As stated before, the picture quality is amazing. It even looks good on sd channels...but HD channels blow me away. I can't wait to watch the Masters this weekend.
2. The sound quality is excellent. One of the reasons I returned the Samsung is because its sound quality was horrible. While I have a stereo with surround sound set up, I do not want to turn on the stereo for day to day viewing...only when watching movies.
3. The additional inputs are hidden on the sides...but easily accessable. One reason I opted for the 85U instead of the 80U is the location of these inputs. They are behind a hidden door on the 80U in the front of the tv...I have two small children and imagined this door being broken off within a week.
4. The layout and the clean looking bezel make this a very attractive tv. My wife liked that since it is in our family room.
I will post an update to this review once I enjoy the tv a little longer. For now, I am completely satisfied with my purchase.
Update (6/1/08)...after owning this tv for a few months, I am completely happy with this purchase. The picture is amazing, sounds great, and it is everything I expected.
After doing price research, Amazon had the best price as it included white glove delivery. I found you need to be careful with the delivery issue as you can find lower price TV's online, but then the delivery services are very different in terms of service level and price.
The delivery was great. However, the TV comes with a stand (it slides into the back of the TV) but the delivery guys won't put the TV on the stand for you. Attaching the stand to the TV was easy and then subsequent set up to my DVD and cable boxes was very easy.
The picture quality is awesome. With digital HD cable service, it blows me away. (Even the service guy from the cable company was impressed the TV - so that must be a good sign!) I have had it for about a month, and everything is working fine.
The one thing that is disappointing is the remote. My whole set up is JVC, and the Panasonic remote will not control any of my components. The Owner's Manual lists a ton of codes to try, but none of them work, and unfortunately my JVC remotes won't work the Panasonic TV. However, my Tivo remote does control the TV so the multiple-remote issue only comes into play with my DVD player.
Make sure you buy the right cables. The HDMI is by far the best picture (for my Tivo). I use the component cables (Y, Pb, Pr) for my DVD - and they perform better than the other audio/video/S video option. You can get cables cheap here at Amazon, so buy them with the TV, then you won't need to run around and pay through the nose at your local store when the TV shows up!
I hope this helps someone. This is a great TV. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
For the past few years I have owned a 1080p DLP display.
This year my brothers and I wanted to buy our Mother her very first flat panel display. It was a very difficult choice as to what we should pick. Her living room is surrounded by windows and for that reason, I felt that an LCD display would be the better choice. LCD screens do not reflect light in the manner that plasma does.
So, we went out and bought the Sony KDL-40V4100 40" LCD television (see my review on Amazon). Unfortunately, the display was defective out of the box and it had to be returned. I did have the opportunity to do a bit of viewing with the LCD and I was not particularly happy with what I saw. The LCD picture exhibited jagged motion and decreased quality when viewing from an angle. These are all problems inherent with LCD technology.
We knew we had to exchange the defective set, and made the choice to go plasma instead, despite knowing there were a few drawbacks with that technology.
It was my decision to go with Panasonic. Having attended consumer electronic shows year after year, I have had the opportunity to measure Panasonic plasma quality against other manufacturers. The best plasma displays come from Pioneer, Panasonic and Samsung. If you factor in price, Panasonic gives you best bang for the buck. Their plasma displays offer superior quality at a price that will not break your pocketbook.
We went with a 46" this time around, and picked up the TH46PZ85U.
Setup of the the display took the efforts of two people. Weighing in at about 82 pounds, it's nearly impossible for one person to assemble the stand, slide it into the bottom of the display and then place it on a stand or wall.
The display is very attractive with its black piano finish. Within a day we noticed that this baby is a dust magnet. It will be necessary to continually clean it in order for it to keep its sheen. A small cleaning cloth is included in the box.
The TH46PZ85U offers 3 HDMI inputs which is more than enough to hook up a cable box, DVD/Blu-ray player and whatever else you wish to add.
By far, plasma displays are the best choice for overall picture quality. They offer better color reproduction and saturation as well as deep blacks, which give the picture texture. LCD displays don't come quite as close. If this purchase was for me, I would have immediately picked a plasma. The big reason we decided not to pick plasma as our choice of display for our Mother, was the fact that plasma displays have to babied. You need to take careful steps in order to prevent any long-term damage.
For the first 100 hours of use you need to bring down the picture and brightness levels considerably. Put the display in CINEMA MODE with PICTURE and BRIGHTNESS at 50 or less. You also need to mix up your television watching not letting the display sit for hours on material with black bars on the top and bottom or sides. Doing this will prevent any possibility of "burn-in." After the initial 100 hour break-in you can bring up your picture levels again.
Television manufacturers claim that "burn-in" is no longer a problem with plasmas, but it does pay to stay on the side of caution. You can do a GOOGLE search to learn more about plasma "burn-in."
So, let me get to the meat of this review and talk about the picture quality of the TH46PZ85U.
In a word, the picture is REMARKABLE. We are breaking in the television at the moment so its settings are turned down below normal. Though I was not viewing the Panasonic in optimal calibrated settings, I was still impressed with the improved picture quality over LCD. The image was morefilm-like, with natural and relaxed colors. Though I was surprised by the quality of the black levels on the LCD display, they were noticeably better on this plasma. Looking at a picture on a plasma is very much looking at a deeply
detailed painting. I never got that feeling watching LCD.
Since we were not hooking the TH46PZ85U to a surround system, we relied on the built-in speakers which offered remarkably full audio. The advanced sound settings allows you to tweak the treble and bass levels, with an optional bass booster setting. Sound was quite good, though as I applied more bass the audio became distorted at louder levels.
Reflection on a plasma display can be a problem. I did find when watching the Panasonic at night that all lights in the living room needed to be off if we didn't want to catch a distracting reflection. During the day, sitting in a room surrounded by windows, we did get get lines on the television from sunlight creeping in through open blinds.
These are factors you should consider when picking plasma over LCD. The Panasonic display does have an anti-reflective screen which works fairly well for daytime viewing. Honestly, I suppose the reflections we saw could have been far worse. We were easily able to watch television during the day without being distracted.
Having the ability to view LCD and PLASMA in my home was a huge learning experience. I learned that LCD is perfect for those that don't want the hassle of having to baby their display, and having a hugely bright picture in their sunny room without the fear of reflection. The only downsides to LCD is its ability to handle fast moving motion and decreased quality at certain viewing angles.
If you want the very best quality that these type of flat panel displays offer, you want to go PLASMA. Hands down, they offer rich, natural colors with deep black levels. The only downsides are reflection and the fact that caution must be taken in the way you watch television.
The Panasonic TH46PZ85U exhibits picture quality that is nothing short of nirvana. You will be amazed by its ability to deliver uncompromising picture quality to your home.
The first day I set this TV up, I watched Dream Girls in HD on HBO from my cable company. I saw Dream Girls before - just after it was released on DVD, but I never experienced Dream Girls like I did the first night I watched it on the Panasonic Viera TH-46PZ85U 46-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV . The colors (especially reds) popped. The subtle shades of blacks and browns were (are) incredible. The picture was the clearest, brightest, most amazing I've ever seen on a TV. Since then, I continue to be blown away at the visible subtleties in the colors and crispness of the picture. Standard def DVD's upconverted to 1080i are very good (although a bit soft on the edges-not a fault of the TV). Regular TV (via Cable) is excellent. A video conference unit connected to the PC input on the TV displays a picture that is better than any I've experienced on other monitors.
I have an Apple TV connected to the 3rd HDMI port on the TV. This past week-end I rented the HD version of Sweeney Todd from the iTunes store. The picture was every bit as beautiful as Dream Girls HD, and seemed better, if that's even possible. The pairing of Apple TV with the Panasonic plasma is an unbeatable combination. However, I'm anxious for the next generation of Panasonic Blu-Ray DVD player so that I can see how this TV displays a true 1080p picture.
For sound, I have the TV connected to a Sony Home Theater System via optical cable from the TV to the Theater system and HDMI cable from the Theater system to the TV (for DVD playback). Interestingly, these two systems communicate with each other. Apparently Panasonic's Viera and Sony's Bravia systems of component communications are the same, or at least similar enough that they are compatible. Using the Panasonic remote control to turn on the Panasonic TV also turns on the Sony sound system. Setting the TV to TV mode, or DVD mode, or Cable/Sat mode causes the Sony to follow suit and set itself for correct playback. Volume on the Sony is controlled through the Panasonic TV remote. Turning off the TV also turns off the sound system.
Nice Job, Panasonic, Apple, and Sony!
This PQ on this TV is hands down amazing. The black levels are deeper than anything any other TV I have ever seen. I have mine hooked up to a antenna that pulls down the local off air HD channels. The tuner in this TV is very good and actually allows me to get two new channels that my last tv's tuner wouldn't receive. In addition to that a Sony PS3 provides Blu-ray support which is really where you will see this TV shine!!!
Physically this TV looks very nice. However, it does gather some dust due to the glossy black finish. The weight has been reduced since last years model which makes setup slightly more manageable for two people.
To the people that say the anti reflective cover isn't good you obviously haven't owned a plasma TV before, or for that matter even a rear projection TV. It really is quite good compared to most other plasma TV's.
Pros: Awesome PQ
Decent sound
Elegant look
Plenty of HDMI ports
Great digital tuner
Well layed out remote
Cons: Not a great deal of setting adjustments available
To be perfectly honoest there is really hardly anything that should deture anyone from buying this TV.
We researched plasma vs LCD and finally picked plasma. The "drawbacks" of plasma (screen glare, not bright enough, burn in" arent a factor. We have our TV in a room with a large bay window; we dont notice any more glare than with our old tube TV and it is quite bright enough. Also, the Panasonic has multiple features to prevent and eliminate "burn in". I really wanted plasma for the fast motion and dark blacks, movies, etc. So far I have been more than satisfied. We watched some LCDs in the store and some of the shows just looked "fake" because the picture was so bright (though that could have been the store's settings).
If this TV is even on your short list, dont feel bad about getting it. The price on Amazon was the cheapest we saw. It has some great features and is a great size (dont even bother with 42" - you will be sorry.) We could have gone up to 50" but the trade off for size vs price was right for this TV. I was a little apprehensive after reading the reviews on Cnet regarding the colors and some of the controls, but I havent even adjusted anything yet and the colors look fine to me right out of the box. I will probably work on tweaking it later, but am very happy with it right now. To the normal, average viewer it looks great.
I highly recommend this TV and am very pleased after weeks of research!!
I had been looking to replace our old 32" tv for a couple of months, but didn't find the perfect screen size until Panasonic came out with this particular 46" model. I knew I wanted plasma, I knew I wanted a good brand name and I knew I wanted to be able to take advantage of the features like HDMI outputs, optical outputs and various other controls so that I could easily add a home theater system later. Amazon had the best deal going at the time so I bought it, and the white glove delivery was just fine. I was happy to get it all for under $1,700 when it would have cost me at least $300+ more at any local retailer.
I haven't experienced any problems at all with the tv, it was in perfect shape right out of the box and instantly confirmed that I made a good decision with the 46". The picture on an HD channel is stunning in either 1080 or 720, and regular shows in 480 don't look as bad as I was lead to believe they'd be. The remote is very intuitive and easy to use. The sound from the tv speakers is fine, if a little flat and tinny, but I don't plan to use them much anyway. I've already received my Panasonic SC-PT960 Home Theater system and that should handle any complaints I have with the tv's speakers when I find the time to set it up. It's very easy to do, and with both the tv and the theater system having digital optical capability I'll be able to get the best sound possible from a HTiB.
If you're looking for a really good buy on a plasma, you want something bigger than a 42" and smaller than a 50", and you want a smooth transaction and professional delivery this set deserves your attention. I really don't think I could be any happier with something else.
The picture quality of the set looks amazing! Even an upscaled dvd at 1080p looks closely, but of course nto quite, like blu-ray. I tested the Transformers 2007 Movie upscaled and the detail looked really nice! Blu-ray movies look sweet as well! For the test, I played Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and I was impressed. Sound quality is also very good. I am using this tv for my bedroom (which is pretty large) so I don't have a home theater setup but even then, the TV set still sounds sweet. Unfortunately, you cant tweak with the picture settings as much as other sets, but the tv already looks good with tweaking (but I tweaked it anyway).
I would recommend this TV for anyone who is in the market for tvs at this size. However, 1080p shouldn't be a deciding factor if you are looking for something smaller than 46 inches. I would also recommend going Plasma over LCD when it comes to TVs this size and larger. LCD just doesn't cut it. Overall, this TV is simply AWESOME! You will not be disappointed!
Pros:
-Black levels are outstanding!
-Picture quality is top-knotch!; game, DVD, blu-ray, etc...
-Nice sound!
-Multitude of inputs!
-Screen barely shows any reflection
-Handy remote control
Cons:
-Weight (which is expected from a plasma)
-PC input doesn't support 1080p resolution (downconverts to 720p res) *have to connect thru dvi->hdmi to get 1080p res.
-Side buttons w/ SD card input in an inconvenient location
Related posts:
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.