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Panasonic TH-42PZ800B - 42" Widescreen Viera 1080P Full HD Plasma TV - With Freeview | 
| Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
Buy New: £1,146.10
New (2) from £1,146.10
Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 23645
Media: Electronics
Shipping Weight (lbs): 94.8
Dimensions (in): 47.2 x 31.5 x 13
MPN: TH-42PZ800B
Model: TH-42PZ800B
EAN: 5025232461028
Release Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | HD 1080P Plasma TV | | • | Screen size 42" | | • | V Audio Surround Sound System | | • | Tuner Type:Analogue with Freeview | | • | Smartext with EPG |
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| Customer Reviews:
 Best TV I have ever owned!!! November 17, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Well what can I say, I've had this TV for 3 months now and it's absolutely amazing.
Starting from the top, Panasonic have developed a top notch box for delivering their TV's in and I had it up and working in about 10 minutes - very impressive and definitely a box you want to keep if you think you'll need to move the TV one day in a secure fashion.
Picture wise, outstanding.
1. Normal TV (Not digital) - Okay but what do you expect!
2. Digital TV - so much better and picture looks great.
3. SKY HD - you just HAVE to get Sky HD (or Virgin equivalent of course). Sports and Movies look fantastic. I know these sources aren't Progressive but I'm not sure you could really tell anyway they're so clear.
4. PS3 DVD (Upsclaled) - outstaning and nearly as good as
5. PS3 Blu-Ray - it's like the picture is nearly 3D.
6. I also have an HD Camcorder from which you can plug the card straight into the front of the TV - picture is amazing and a very convenient feature.
Remote works well, connectivity is great - look forward to many hours of great TV.
High quality sound investment July 20, 2008
69 out of 71 found this review helpful
Deciding to join the high definition (HD) bandwaggon, I have bought a 42" Panasonic Viera plasma panel PZ800B television set and I am absolutely delighted with it. It has replaced my ageing, but extremely reliable, 25" Sony Triniton cathode ray tube model which has provided trouble free viewing for the past 8 years.
Given the confusing mass of information generated in respect of HD, I spent the last couple of months visiting showrooms to view TV sets and browsing the internet to help me make up my mind what best to buy. Early on it became clear that, due to the higher definition quality now available, I could start looking at TV sets with screens measuring circa 40" diagonally without damaging my eyes or spoiling my viewing pleasure. This measure, strangely enough, is, at the same time, about the higher range of the new liquid crystal display (LCD) models and at the lower range of the plasma models currently available. Although all the leading brands got my early attention, my short list eventually narrowed to a straight choice between two specific models; my new Panasonic and the 40" Sony X series 3500 LCD model. Not only did I pore over the tech specs for both sets, but I went as far as downloading and reading through the respective manuals. My final decision was reached only after further visits to various showrooms to allow personal audio visual comparisons of the two sets.
The Panasonic won hands down on both acounts!
Shortly before buying my Panasonic from Amazon, I was concerned to see that a new, middle of the road review had been submitted as regards the PZ800B. I needn't have worried, however. Clearly my eyes and ears had not been deceiving me. It quickly became obvious that the 'Reviewer' had never actually even taken the trouble to go and see the set in the 'flesh' and that the 'Review' was not really about the set at all, but about an error in editing made by Amazon. Part of their UK web page had been lifted from their American site and they had omitted to remove the phrase 'THX certification' from their final UK presentation. Much ado about ...! Those who haven't heard about THX can get a reasonable explanation on the Wikipedia site. Briefly it deals with sound quality. It is not a UK standard, let alone an internaltional one. If not having a TV with this certification really freaks you out, you will have to buy one in the USA. Then you will have to ship it home!! Panasonic were the only firm I found in the USA to have this certification on their PZ800U set. Surely there must be a few others? Of over 300 DVD's in my personal collection, only 4 are produced in THX. Panasonic UK do not suggest that the PZ800B has 'THX certification' and the lack of it on my sweet sounding Viera is no big deal.
I decided to use the stand which with came with my Viera rather than use optional wall fixtures. The set weighs over 6 stones and you will need a hand to rig it to the stand. Otherwise the set-up is straightforward.
I live in an area where satellite reception is necessary to get a TV picture. After 8 years, I decided to retire my Sky box and chose to link a Humax HD set top box which provides the new BBC/ITV Freesat images. The decision was a good one! I find that I am getting great quality pictures on standard definition (SD) reception and those on HD are quite amazing! The savings on my Sky subscription will quickly pay for my new purchases.
Additionally, I have added a Panasonic Blu-Ray player which gives really first class viewing of my collection of DVDs, by means of the up-comparison feature, while watching Blu-Ray discs is really stunning.
It is a possibility that I may, in the future, decide to add a Blu-Ray sound system to my present set-up, and I have the Panasonic SC-BT100 in mind, although, at the moment, I find the 32 watt presentation afforded by the PZ800B, through both tweeters and woofers, most acceptable. I'm not yet certain that I want to be blown away by a cinema style set-up!
My only disappointment to date was the time it took Amazon to ship my expensive and sensitive Viera. It was 'in transit' for 11 days and lay in one facility for 8 days. This is something you might wish to bear in mind before ordering.
Buying a 'large' telly is a very personal decision. Reviews might prove helpful, but do go out and look at the different models available in the 'flesh'. Buying a particular type and brand should always remain a very personal decision.
 TH-50PZ800B UK Version NOT ---> THX <--- June 27, 2008
28 out of 58 found this review helpful
After reading a few online reviews and seeing online retailer's product descriptions it does seem the PZ800 is a very nice plasma indeed. But, the US version the TH(42-50)PZ800U is THX certified and the UK version the TH(42-50)PZ800B "isn't". What a lovely kick in the teeth from Panasonic. After phoning Panasonic UK's customer services they confirmed the 800B's are not THX certified, and was glibly informed THX isn't a UK standard, to which I added "you better start telling all those UK cinemas there needlessly spending thousands of pounds to be THX certified then". Yes sarcasm, but it had to be said. When I pushed the telephonist I asked, "so did Panasonic just not bother with THX for UK customers?", he replied "it doesn't look like it".
In my humble opinion the whole point of having a high-spec "huge" screen (try not to think of a freudian explanation) in your living room is the "home cinema experience"
So why wouldn't Panasonic "a maker of impressive plasmas" put the 800B's in for THX certification?.
Panasonics UK customer services informed me that the specification on the 800U & 800B are different. It does beg the questions,
How much difference is there?
Would the 800B not pass THX testing?
Or are Panasonic just saving money?
The main problem is there are a lot of online retailers who are mixing up the specs in the "Product descriptions" Including Amazon, there listing states "THX Certification on PZ800 and PZ850 series", true enough just not the 800B, the UK version.
If I had spent a whopping 2k on what I thought was a THX plasma, and then later found out it wasn't, I would be a lot more than cheesed off. Buyer Beware!
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