Plasma TV Reviews: Plasma TV for Less

Reviews

Especially when it comes to Plasma TVs, and particularly when it comes to accessories for Plasma TVs. I dont know what the hell Super Mommy is talking about. I own a 50" Panasonic UK Plasma and this stand takes about 5 minutes to assemble and position the display on with the help of a friend. All this talk about "adjusting the bars, screwing on the TV, banging on it with a hammer, and worrying about the plasma tilting over and falling on small children" is the funniest thing I've ever read anywhere. (Put the hammers and crowbars away.) The stand comes with two cast aluminum pins that are screwed onto a specific location for 50" TVs with two small bolts using a Phillips head screwdriver. The locations are marked and if you cant figure it out then a quick glance at the instruction sheet should point you in the right direction. Position your stand, now you and your pal can lift it onto the guidepins and just let it settle onto its base. Once the Plasma is seated, it will swing freely in about a 10degree arc, but its natural position is to rest in a slightly forward position. This is by design, and I can guarantee you with the heavy counter-weighted base there is absolutely no possibility of your new Panasonic Plasma "falling over" and crushing your rug rats. 5 Hammers

Reviews

Received the G15 instead of the G10. The only difference is the thickness, the G15 is slimmer. The picture on this TV is absolutely amazing, the best I have ever seen. My friend has a new Samsung LED LCD that cost him over $2,000 and the Panasonic, which cost me $800, has a better picture.

I absolutely loved this TV when I got it. Set up was easy and I had the Olympics on and looking great! On day number 2, I was watching a blue ray movie and the TV just turned itself off. It died. I tried to get it to reset while my son searched the internet for troubleshooting tips. A red light on the TV would blink 7 times, wait, and then blink 7 more times repeatedly. My son said, "Here it is dad- I found an article called 'Panasonic's 7 blinking red lights of death!' and the symptoms were exact. (I thought this was hysterical at the time...) I've waited over 2 weeks for a repairman to come and fix it, but the part is backordered. Apparently that part is in demand for some reason. (I wonder why???) Even so- I LOVED this set when it was working and hope to have my problem resolved and my TV nightmare ended soon. Meanwhile I have a Panasonic surround system, a Panasonic BluRay player, and a Linksys Media Center expander sitting in the floor waiting to hook up to a working PANASONIC TV!!! If they fix it, I'll get over my misery. If they don't fix it soon, I'm going to replace it with something that works. I've had a Sony in another room for 4 years and it works great... tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock ...

There's a reason why prices for the TCP42G10 have cratered. In set audio for the TCP42G10 is really inferior. If you are going to listen to any music at all (like movie or TV show sound track, at least) you will need to buy at extra cost a separate sound system that plugs into the back panel RCA jack for audio out. And mute the in-set audio. The in set audio does all sort of weird things to music and even voice unless you turn all the audio "enhancements" off. You will also need to make sure the audio sound system has its own remote control for volume because the set's remote does not control the volume of the RCA audio out. I got a Frisby 5.1 which does the job. Internet via Viera is even worse, abysmally mickey mouse. The Panasonic server forces you to download "new" software before you can access and unless your router firewall is totally off, the download always fails. Nice. Many other times they tell you their server is "busy" or "overloaded." Even if you can get thru that minefield, internet access is slow and loaded with weird problems, like some videos from a given user on youtube are mysteriously missing, etc. etc. Picture strength is weak for a normally day lit living room. And pull down menus are more complex than needed -- too many submenus. If I had to do it again, I would look for better HDTV alternatives.

I picked up this television a couple of weeks ago and have been very pleased with it. This is the first Plasma television I've owned and I love it! Researching this television I learned more about Plasma's, like the history of burn-in issues, that they don't work well in brightly lit environments, and that they are a lot more affordable now than in years past. Image burn-in issues are perhaps fully resolved with the newer Panasonic Plasma's. They even have a feature accessible in the menu where you can "sweep" the image processor's, or pixels, clearing any possible issues out. My other televisions are a 17" Samsung LCD from 2003 which actually run me several hundred dollars more than this machine, and a 1080p Sony projector which is a joy to own. On the negative side of my projector, it is virtually unusable during the day, and bulb life can vary, depending upon whether I use a lamp directly from Sony or a cheaper alternative. A Sony bulb will last several years with 10 hrs. a week use, but will run several hundred dollars. A cheaper bulb might only last 200-300 hrs. I would recommend 1080p projector: you get a great 113" image, and the projector itself is unobtrusive, out of sight when not in use. So I wanted to get a better television for regular use (during the day, casual viewing, etc.) and I started off with a 32" Samsung LCD, which I liked a good deal, but was not satisfied with the image quality when viewing regular DVD's, which is important to me. The images frequently exhibited a waveryness quality, or a digital noise quality, where parts of the picture were not solid, especially as the camera would pan, creating movement in a scene from the camera's perspective. I thought about just getting a nicer LCD, but there were no televisions for under $1,000 which garnered universal praise. It seems as though the LCD television I would want may cost quite a bit more, as many run into the $2000 range and up. Then I began to learn about Plasma televisions, and how there are some pretty nice ones for under $1000 (in some cases $300-$400 under). It doesn't seem as though 1080p for a screen of this size or smaller is really a big deal, but it didn't really cost much more for the price that I got this one, and why not? If the price isn't much different, then why not go for 1080p, even if the difference in image quality is small. I do own a nice Sony Blu Ray player (5000 ES) and I want the image to look as good as possible, but I think I would be happy with this televisions equivalent in 720p. I am very impressed by how well made this television is. The build, the image quality, etc. I would not recommend this television to be used in a brightly lit environment. The screen is quite reflective and I tend to draw the blinds as it were when viewing it. It is not nearly as bright as The Samsung 32" 350 LCD model I tried. There is a vivid mode which does make it much brighter, but it is virtually unwatchable if you care about crisp lines. Things tend to bleed together in that mode in a very unfortunate way. I tend to use the THX mode for most viewing and it looks great. But you can customize your own settings to brighten things up a bit if you need to. Just at the time when I was settling in on this purchase, reports online were coming to the fore describing problems with the black levels over time, where the picture would arbitrarily "brighten" at certain intervals in a pre-programmed order to compensate for the aging, and maturing of the plasma display materials. This was resulting in a reduced image quality over time, where the black levels would not be as good as when the television was new, and consequently the leading review site online changed their review of this television (and perhaps relevant to other related plasma models from Panasonic's 2009 range) to say that they no longer recommended this television. This report was almost enough to stop me from making this purchase, but at this price point, well under $1,000, there is not a perfect television. Samsung has a very well reviewed plasma television in this range (price, size, 720p vs. 1080p) and should be worthy of consideration, but I just decided to go with this one and am hoping for the best. Not everyone has had the same experience of diminished performance (perceived or otherwise) with this set over time and again, for the price it is worth it to me. If I were spending 2 or 3 times what I spent on this, then it would be a different story. As it is, I needed a good television and I'm very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to others. The image quality is stunning. To be honest, if they continue to make significant improvements in regards to reliability and quality over the next 3-5 years, and televisions of this type continue to be this affordable or even more so, then I'll replace this one if it should somehow fail, or diminish in quality. I hope this one lasts a long time, but I'm willing to live with the risk, however slight it may be. Better value at this price is not obvious to me right now, and I just want the nicest television I can get for this price and this one does not disappoint. I picked mine up through 6thAVE for the best price going, and it arrived double boxed in perfect shape, free UPS shipping and zero tax. I can't complain. The 720p Samsung and Panasonic plasmas are very well reviewed, and I'm planning on getting one of those for my father sometime soon depending upon price/availability.

I bought this same TV at Sears for $720.00 and it was a 50". So for another $20.00 you can get a larger TV. I also seen this same TV at Wal-Mart just recently & for the 50" it was $699.00. So far I've been pleased with my purchase. This TV was easy to set/hook up and the picture quality is real good! Just wanted to say this is really not "The Best" deal out there for this model TV.

Reviews

Just received the TV today! It arrived a day early, which was a pleasant surprise. Once I fired it up, I was ecstatic with this set. The quality is amazing for the price, the picture blows away a top of the line 42" 1080p LCD display that I've seen. Deep rich colors, high contrast, fluid motion...there is nothing not to like! Streamed Spartacus off Netflix, and compared to my old little 22" LCD it really came to life.(Even if the writing is really bad) It was able to find some basic cable channels in HD, which is awesome, and Modern Warfare 2 looks simply astounding (again, much better than on aforementioned 42" and 22" LCDs.) The sound is decent, it's actually better than I was expecting. It's obviously no Home Theatre, but I was impressed. It's got a few connections which aren't listed on Amazon...the 3 HDMI, 1 PC, 1 USB, 1 Component, 1 Dual Component/Composite, Audio In 1/8", Audio Out 1/8", Optical out, and cable. The menu is very easy to navigate and adjust, and in it you can turn off it's startup/shut down sound if you find it irritating. It's kinda soothing though. One negative I've found is that the audio running out isn't controlled by the televisions volume, I guess that's pretty standard, but it means my cheap computer speakers aren't much good. (No remote) Also when installing the base stand it felt like I was about to destroy the thread on the screws that are used...They aren't easy to get in there! It's very elegant, and looks great in my living room. It's not super bright, which I love (LCD panels hurt my eyes after a while) All in all, for the money it's a fantastic TV. I was looking for quality, affordability, and style.

Reviews

I was a little worried trying to suspend a 46" hi-definition TV over my fireplace. I just KNEW that the wall mount would sag and make everything look terrible. Well, I was wrong. After I put the Hercules mount on the wall, I cautiously started pulling my body-weight up on the mount [I weigh 230 pounds]. I ended up doing a quick pull-up work-out on the Hercules without ANY sag. I mounted my TV [less than 70 pounds] and I swear I heard the mount say, "Is that all you got?" Nice product - GREAT price.

THIS PRODUCT WAS EVERYTHING THAT THEY SAID IT WAS AND THE COMPANY SENT IT IN RECORD TIME I'VE HAD NO PROBLEMS AND I DON'T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS

I did a bunch of research before buying this mount. While the instructions are spotty, the mount itself is very strong. I bought it for my Bravia '46, but plan on getting an LG '55 soon, so I wanted a mount that would handle both. When I see how strong it is, I have no doubt it will be able to handle the bigger set. One thing is that it is very stiff when trying to pull it out from the wall, but the side to side adjustment is easy.

THE GOOD - The mount itself I rate as a 5 and highly recommend. Like the other reviews, I agree it is a great value, solid (built like a tank), high quality, and relatively easy to install (with good hardware-see below). Mounted a 50" plasma that weighs ~80 lbs. I cannot detect a degree of sag when the TV is turned and extended from the wall. THE BAD - I rate the hardware that comes with the mount at a 1. There is no excuse for hardware this cheap. Like a couple of other reviews, I drilled the proper 3/16" size hole in the stud to mount the lag screw. With a 1/4" rachet drive, and moderate pressure, I twisted the head of the lag screw right off 3/4 of the way in. This presents a major problem, because I measured very carefully, ensuring that the unit was centered on the wall, level, etc. With the broken shank of the lag bolt embedded in the wall, there is no way to get it out, and the hole becomes unusable. Therefore, I needed to drill 4 new holes just higher, get better lag bolts and start again. Annoying and time consuming! THE UGLY- One of the allen screws that anchors the TV hanger clips was so bent that it would not screw in without striping the threads. Hardware is cheap, unrated junk. Too bad, I would gladly pay an extra $1 for better hardware. SOLUTION - If planning to install this TV mount in wood studs, before the mount arrives, go to the hardware store and purchase (4) 5/16" X 3 1/2" zinc plated lag screws. Anything at the hardware store in the US will be better than what comes with the mount. I actually think it might be illegal to sell unrated bolts and screws(All bolts should have numbers and markings on the head, indicating strength/use. This hardware has none.). Drill a 3/16 hole (going from memory - whatever diameter is in the installation instructions) at least 3" into the wall. With the thickness of the drywall/plaster (typically 1/2" - 3/4") you will end up with a ~2 1/2" deep hole in the stud. A trick my father taught me - get a dry bar of soap and drag the lag screws across the soap bar, getting "shreads" of soap on the threads. This will make it easier to turn the lag screw and reduce the chances of the lag bolt breaking. Don't forget to use the washers on the end of the lag screws, and the cheapies that come with the mount should be fine. Hopefully you will not also have a bent allen screw, otherwise that will be a separate trip to the store. Good luck!

I purchased this wall mount for a LG 55" LCD TV which weighs about 80 lbs. I am happy with the price ($87 inc shipping) from TV Wall Brackets and the quick (within 7 days) delivery. I read the reviews from other users prior to purchasing so I had a good idea what I was buying. The reviews are much more helpful than the product details or instructions for installation. The mount is very sturdy and has an excellent range of motion to turn and tilt the TV to the best viewing. It does not turn with a fingertip and requires a good bit of effort, even after lubrication. I turn it about twice a day and don't mind it being a little stiff as long as it feels sturdy. Take the time to level the TV and wall brackets (don't use the little level that comes attached - use your own 2-3ft level) and buy good quality bolts and screws from your hardware store. I saw other mounts, that did not seem as strong, in stores for 3 times as much so I am very satisfied with the purchase.