Customer Reviews

Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P42S1 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

In my quest for a new MB/R TV, I had been researching LCD vs. Plasma, features, pricing, ratings and reviews for more months than I truly care to even mention. I caught a late October in-store special at HHGregg, which not only offered the lowest price I had seen anywhere on this TV, but also a free Panny Blu-ray player. That made the deal both irresistible and unbeatable, at just under seven Ben Franklins for everything. These newer Panasonic Viera plasmas with the fast 600 Hz Neo PDP panels are brighter, more power efficient, have an ultra wide viewing angle, suffer no image retention, run much cooler and are only just slightly heavier than an LCD TV of the same size. The more natural looking plasma picture quality, along with the full-time 1080p zero motion blur, is seriously, as good as your gonna get. Period!! They are an absolute steal in this price range, compared to any fast LCD or LED models. This combined with the legendary Panasonic build quality and reliability made it a no-brainer. The top-of-the-heap ratings from Consumer Reports magazine along with stellar customer reviews, absolutely sealed the deal for me, hands down. Simply put, I just couldn't justify spending 2x-3x the coin for a 240 Hz LCD TV or an even pricier LED TV for about the same (or less) picture quality. You'd have to be a complete fool to spend so much more and get absolutely nothing for it. So I beg anyone to truly compare and understand the specs and features on TVs, (or anything you're buying) and DO IT BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING!!
As for the TV itself, the initial assembly was easy. The stand was very solid and stable, using a total of six stainless steel bolts for fastening to the TV to the stand. The rear panel is also made out of metal - not plastic, which would likely make for more sturdy wall mounting, if that's your choice. The remote also felt solid and worked well. Both the TV and Blu-ray easily programmed with my universal remote, making it even more convenient. The initial TV set-up menus were also easy to navigate and the Viera link automatically recognized and configured the Viera Blu-ray player flawlessly. Watching my local news and the recent World Series with free digital HD broadcast using only rabbit ear antennas in 720p looked awesome. The VZ FiOS TV HD channels looked incredible at 1080i and the Blu-ray movies were nothing short of absolutely breath-taking in 1080p - totally impressive!! The sound on the TV is also well above average for a flat panel, especially after you tweak the bass, treble and surround settings to your taste.
The Panasonic build quality is just what you'd expect: solid with a high gloss, piano black finish. They even include a soft polishing cloth to help preserve the TV's beautiful finish. I am absolutely impressed with the TV and can highly recommend it as an outstanding choice to anyone considering a fine addition for their home entertainment enjoyment. And no matter where you buy, don't be scammed by any in-store, shameless sales-hole trying to hose you with extended warranties or worse yet, overpriced "Monster-profit" HDMI cables. The truth is that you can get a quality 6-9 ft. HDMI cable online at many of the major online sites with no tax and free shipping for about the price of a sandwich! Trust me, there is NO difference; try it yourself and see. Save your hard-earned money for some of your favorite movie titles on Blu-ray. You will absolutely love this TV!! Just be sure and have at least one HD source - like an HD cable/sat. box or a Blu-ray player to enjoy it to it's fullest. I hope my honest review seriously helps anyone out there looking for a great HDTV at a more down-to-earth price. Enjoy life. ((Bob-O!))

I couldn't decide between a plasma and an LCD, so I bought both (with the intention of returning one) and set them up side by side, my cable hookup going to both. The plasma was a Panasonic TC-P42S1, the LCD was a Samsung LN40B630. I did my comparison channel-by-channel with lots of different programming, ranging from talk shows to cartoons to action movies to football games, in both high def and standard def.

Both are very good 40-42 inch TVs, in my opinion. Once I had adjusted the settings to my liking, I was hard-pressed to say that one looked notably better or worse than the other, though each had its strengths and weaknesses.

The Panasonic plasma had slightly more vibrant colors than the Samsung LCD. Blacks were noticably blacker and dark blues and purples looked deeper. The off-angle viewing was fantastic on the plasma, too. With the LCD, a smidge of color was lost when you shifted from 0 to 45 degrees. From deeper side angles, the picture was still watchable, but definitely shifted towards gray.

However, the Samsung LCD had a brighter, crisper image. In a dark room, details stood out better, and any programming that wasn't dark looked a little sharper. During the day, with the sun shining in, the LCD's image held up a bit better, too.

Motion is supposedly better on plasmas, but I couldn't really tell when comparing to a 120Hz LCD. Both TVs did equally well with typical television, and what blurs I saw seemed to be in the source material. I watched a football game for a while, but if the plasma gave a better viewing experience, it wasn't terribly obvious to me. Then again, I'm not a big sports fan, so maybe my eye isn't discerning enough.

Color accuracy seemed great on both TVs, but the Panasonic needed some adjusting to get there. The picture is too green with the default settings.

Both TVs did a near-equal job with standard def programming (aside from the differences above).

Sound: adequate on both. I have a surround-sound system, so I didn't really care.

Hardware failures: I've read complaints about both brands -- seems like it's a roll of the dice either way. I went with a 4 year warranty.

Other stuff: the Samsung had a better remote, a nicer menu system, and more fine adjustments available. I also like the swivel stand and the fact it's a lot lighter than the Panasonic. I didn't try the internet features on either TV.

Overall, both are very good TVs, and all but the most picky videophiles would be happy with either. In 2009, both plasma and LCD have come a long way and which technology is "better" really boils down to your wallet, viewing conditions, and personal preference. It was a tough choice for me, but, in the end, the bright, crisp picture of the Samsung won out. I can live with marginally less vibrant colors, weaker blacks, and imperfect off-angle viewing (if I watch from the other room, I'll swivel the screen).

I've been looking for a new TV to replace my 26" tube TV for at least a year or more. Everything I was looking at was quite expensive. Well, now that prices are dropping around to what I can afford, I've finally caved in and bought a new TV.

I had my mind set on an LCD for the longest time. Supposedly, it was the kind of TV to get as a gamer. No blur, no burn-in: Important things like that. However, that was a year or more ago when I did my initial research. Now, plasma screens no longer have that kind of burn-in issue. Being heavily into gaming, this is perhaps the biggest issue to me. I didn't want to buy a TV that was just going to get ruined.

After telling my ideas to the salesman at HHGreg, he assured me that plasmas were great to use for gaming and this one would actually give me the best picture for what I'll be using it for. And it was a great buy (only $799).

Setup was a breeze right out of the box. I had it hooked up in less than 20 minutes. And 5 of those minutes were spent trying to find a way to get the main part of the box off (hint: It's the white plastic handle-like things on the sides. Unclip, then pull them off), while another 5 was me looking for a screwdriver, and yet another 5 spent on pulling things out of the box. So, if you're quick about it, you can probably get this thing running in 10 minutes.

The first thing I tested on this TV was Band of Brothers on Blu-Ray. Words are almost not enough for how amazing the picture quality is. And, I don't own a surround sound system, so all we had was what came from the TV. I almost wonder if I need a surround sound. Even at low volumes, this TV puts out great, crisp sound.

Next, I needed to see how a game looked. I picked Metal Gear Solid 4. It seemed almost like a completely different game than when I played it when it first came out. Again, everything was so crisp, clean, and clear as far as the visuals and audio was concerned. I have nothing but praise for this TV.

ADDITION!
So, I've had this TV for a couple of weeks and after coming home from work I popped in 'The Office' to watch a few episodes. I fell asleep with it on, and the DVD went to a very static (non-moving) screen for the DVD menu after the episodes on that disc were over. I woke up a little shocked after 6 hours to see the screen like it was. I turned the PS3 off, and saw there was a sliiiiiiiiight bit of image retention. But it cleared up quite quickly after turning it off while I went to some classes.

I still have nothing but praise for this TV, even if it, combined with my PS3, makes my room unbearably hot. It's a great winter investment...

I trusted the feedback that others had listed about this TV on Amazon and I was not disappointed. The TV is great! Intuitive user controls, simple remote (some may argue too simple), looks great, etc. Most importantly, the picture is phenomenal and there is no motion blur to speak of! I agonized over the LCD or Plasma decision because our living room is very bright, but the bottom line is I did not want even a little motion blur during sports so I went with plasma for the better refresh rate (600hz). This TV is plenty bright for our sunny living room.

Things to be aware of: 1. This TV has only two HDMI inputs in back, the third is on the side. 2. The stand sticks out 5 inches from the front of the TV which can be an issue if you are putting it into an enclosure because it has to be recessed at least 5 inches.

All in all great TV and might I add great ordering and delivery experience with Amazon!

I bought this when my 37" Olevia LCD went out on me after 2 years. Thought I would go with a name brand TV this time. I too was looking for LCD's but noticed how much better the picture was on the Panasonic Plasma's. The price wasn't much different either. I settled on the TC-P42S1 and absolutely love it. It was an easy setup and it has many features you can tweak to make the picture perfect for your room.

It has been about 4 months since I purchased this TV. I also have a Samsung LN46A650 LCD TV that I purchased from Amazon a year ago. Delivery on both was very good although the delivery person for the Panasonic didn't know too much about setting up and connecting the set. The jack marking was confusing but togeather we worked it out. The Panasonic has vivid deep colors and I think the picture is a little sharper than the Samsung. The colors on the Samsung are however more true to life. The Samsung has more color adjustments available including flesh tone which allows better color reproduction. Maybe I am too picky but the Panasonic tends to reproduce flesh tones with a slight green tint on darker scenes and a rose tent on some others. Most scenes are OK however. The Samsung has much better sound. The Panasonic sound has a hollow characteristic. This may be due to the angle of the speakers and I have it a few inches from a flat wall. The viewing angle of course is better on the Panasonic plasma. The Samsung starts to wash out if you get over 30 degrees away from straight on viewing. A word of coution when shopping for a TV. In stores the LCD sets are usually set on vivid. This greatly helps the viewing angle. When you adjust it for normal in home viewing wash out is more apparent. Standard def. programing seems to be somewhat better on the Panasonic. Both are good on HD with the Panasonic maybe a slight bit sharper. Both are good TVs and when I am watching either one I think that it is the best.

I upgraded from a 42" EDTV (480p) to the TC-P42S1 and the difference is drastic. The picture is awesome, the black levels are amazing. Overall this was a great purchase, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a 42" PDP.

I spent a lot of time selecting my new tv and after reading all the great reviews about the Panasonic S1 I made my move. The TV looks nice and I find the picture to be excellent, especvially with blu-ray movies. It takes a bit for the tv to start up when you turn the power on. The sound is not very good. Before my technical issues I was looking to buy a surround sound system, because the television's speaker was not doing it for me. I have the television on a stand, so people who mount the tv on the wall may have a different experience with the sound. Overall I was happy with my purchase because I was aware of some of the sound issues before buying the product and for the price I felt it was a reasonable tradeoff. However, after only having the tv for a month and a half it would start randomly shutting itself off and the red light would start blinking. A search of the internet revealed that many people are having this same issue with Panasonic TVs and they have been doing so for years! I called customer support and spent 45 minutes on hold. Finally they told me that a tech would have to come to my house. However, the next appointment would not be for several days. Not normally a big deal but in the middle of the olympics (which was one of the reasons I bought my new tv for) I found annoying. I will update with the results. It appears to me that Panasonic does not have quality control with their products and they send out units with defective parts. Some people say that these problems only happen to a small percentage of units sold. That may (or may not) be the case, but what I know is that it happened to me and it has happened to numerous other people as well. At least my problems happened during the warranty unlike others.

2/24/10 The repair person came out and replaced the broken component. The only thing that suprised him was that the component gave out in under 90 days. Apparently it fails often which I find frustrating because I do not want to have to buy a brand new tv every other year due to a company using cheap components. This is a nice tv when it works. If you do buy it I would strongly recommend buying an extended warranty since it does not appear to be built to last. If the tv did not break I would have given it four stars.

I am pleased with the entire experience from price, ordering, delivery and the actual product. The TV is excellent and easy to understand. I had it out of the box and running in minutes. The advnaced features are intuitive and simple to use. The SD card slot is a great bonus! We looked at many TV"s and for years have been Sony only people. So moving to this brand is a big departure. The only concern is screen burn in. This is our first Plazma and the owners manual takes a lot of time bringing this issue to attention. With care I am sure it will not be a problem.

The whole process of purchasing and receiving this tv was absolutely trouble free. We experienced very bad customer service at Best Buy so we decided to try an online purchase of a big ticket item. Amazon made everything so simple. The delivery was just as simple because they called us and asked when would be convenient. They were actually early on the exact date!!!!! We may never go to a store again!!!!