Panasonic TC-42PX14 Review: 42” Plasma HDTV

Up for review: Panasonic TC-42PX14 42-inch Plasma TV.  Panasonic has released a big range of HDTV’s for 2009 including some great high-end models and some budget priced, minimal HDTV’s. The TC-42PX14 falls under the budget brand and competes price-wise with some lesser known brands and budget brands from other popular HDTV manufacturers.  A review of the extra features include Panasonic’s VIERA Link and the VIERA Image Viewer.

The resolution on the Panasonic TC-42PX14 is only 720p, compared to 1080p of most 42-inch Plasma TV’s. Actually, 720p is good enough for all practical purposes. 1080p is featured on some gaming consoles, Blu-ray players and some television channels.  Otherwise, most of the TV transmissions are in 720p, so it is unnecessary to pay a higher price for 1080p if you aren’t going to take advantage of it. The other feature that is a little lower than you’d like is the contrast ratio which has been reduced to 15,000:1. This will upset the brightness level in the Panasonic TC-42PX14.

Panasonic TC-42PX14 Features and Specifications Review:

• 42” screen
• 720p resolution
• 600 Hz sub-field drive
• VIERA Image Viewer™
• VIERA Link™
• Over 900 lines of moving resolution
• 15,000:1 native contrast ratio
• Infinite black panel

The VIERA Image Viewer and VIERA Link are two features on the Panasonic TC-42PX14 that make it stand apart somewhat from other budget TV’s.  The VIERA Image Viewer enables you to share photos from your digital camera. Your friends will have a view of the photos also. The VIERA Link facilitates using a single remote to control all devices connected through the 3 HDMI inputs. This will make things a lot simpler, without having to handle too many remotes at the same time.

The Panasonic TC-42PX14 boasts of an Infinite Black panel. In the scenes where images are absent, the screen behaves as if the power supply has been switched off. The black levels are also consequently improved. Power consumption is also saved. This HDTV conforms to the Energy Star requirements. It uses power within the defined range. At the same time, the lifespan of the HDTV is expected to be 100,000 hours which is equivalent to 30 years of viewing at 8 hours a day.

The Panasonic TC-42PX14 is a good option if you’re looking for a reliable, brand name HDTV that isn’t outrageously priced.

YouReviewElectronics.com gives Panasonic TC-42PX14 7/10 stars!