Customer Reviews

Panasonic TC-P42C2 42-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

What a great buy this HDTV is. I paid less than $500.00 (including shipping) for this 2010 42" Panasonic Plasma.

I own a 58" 1080p Panasonic plasma which was top rated by CNET in 2008. In fact, CNET said it was the very best HDTV they had tested that year and awarded it Editors Choice

I see little difference between this low priced 42" Panasonic and my $3000.00 top of the line 58" 1080p Panasonic. Are there differences? Yes, but they are fairly subtle.

For a number of reasons I'd suggest you consider purchasing a plasma TV and if you can live without some bells and whistles, I'd recommend you purchase this exact model.

1.) 720p versus 1080p: While this is a 720P HDTV - I don't feel it makes much difference compared to a 1080 set. While the public has focused their attention on the obvious numeric difference between 720 and 1080 and assumed the larger number was always better --- that --- in a practical sense --- is not always the case. With smaller TVs, the difference between 720p and 1080 can not be easily detected unless you sit on top of the TV. Professional reviewers, time after time, have said the very same thing. Because of public perception - 720p TVs are becoming a dying bred and offer a unique buying opportunity. 720p displays process 1080 signals without any problem just as a 1080 display processes 720p signals without any effort. People forget that most Xbox and Playstation games as well as ALL of the content on ABC, FOX, and ESPN are sent in 720p.

2.) Viewing angle - EVERY LCD has a poorer picture when viewed off center. CNET, HD Guru, Displaymate, Consumer Reports, etc all note how picture quality deteriorates when an LCD is viewed from an angle. In some cases, just sitting one seat cushion away from the ideal sweet spot produces a much poorer picture on an LCD. In other cases the deterioration is more subtle. Plasmas have never had a problem with off center viewing. No matter where you sit, you will see the same picture on a plasma.

3.) Motion: While this is another perimeter that has been given far too much importance in the specification wars - plasmas are inherently superior at displaying motion. LCDs at 120HZ or better are pretty good with motion but rarely the equal of ANY plasma. What is interesting to note is that reviewers say it is not likely anyone can see the difference in every day viewing (as opposed to test patterns). The bottom line is that plasmas are generally better with motion handling but even the worst LCD will likely look fine to most non-sports viewers.

4.) Black levels. How black is black is the specification that plasma fans love to cite. The blacks of most plasmas are far darker than those of a typical LCD although local dimming LED/LCD sets are close if not equal. This C2 Panasonic is no exception and even in my bedroom, with all the lights out, the blacks are fairly dark (although not nearly as dark as my $3000 Panasonic). Panasonics, in the past, have been criticized because black levels increase over time, but in general, the blacks remain darker than LCDs even after they have risen. Whether the 2010 Panasonics even exhibit this problem is an open ended question.

5.) Reflections: The C2 has a shiny glass screen behind which is a dark background. It reflects, quite well, any bright objects which are opposite to it. If you are viewing program material that is fairly dark in nature you'll be able to see those reflections. With brighter program material - these reflections won't be visible

6.) Brightness: Plasmas are not overly bright - you might even call them dim when viewed in a room with moderate light. If you plan on viewing your TV in any room with a fair amount of ambient light then a plasma HDTV is not the best choice.

I'd recommend an LCD if you are viewing your TV in a medium to bright room. LCDs are often far brighter than plasmas. If you are worried about reflections then an LCD with a matte screen would be a wise choice. Unfortunately matte screens are becoming increasingly rare on LCDs and have never been available on plasmas. Update (9/2/2010): CNET just published a reasonably favorable review of the Samsung LN46C630 - an LCD with a matte screen (but it costs $810.00 for a 40")

While other Panasonics offer more bells and whistles and technically better performance, I really believe this model is the value leader in HDTVs - given its low price of less than $500.00 for a 42". If you are willing to spend about a hundred dollars more then look at the S2 series of Panasonics (latest 1080p Panasonic panel, more inputs and according to the manufacturer - a better anti-glare screen) or if you have even more money to spend - the G series. The VT25 series is the top of the line but prices start above $2,000.00

I really recommended this TV if it is selling below $500.00 (for the 42"). It truly is a best buy. I'd also recommend the S2 Panasonic if its selling for not much more than the C2.

Update: CNET just published a favorable review on the S2. At the right price, the S2 may be the better bargain and wiser purchase.

Another Update / IMPORTANT: Consumers Reports (December 2010) rated this set (the C2) a Consumers Reports BEST BUY. It is certainly nice to have a major publication agree with my analysis. They rated the S2 series very slightly higher (as I did) but what is NEW is that they rated the Panasonic U2 plasma series even higher than the C2 or S2 series. No other publication has ever reviewed the U2 series. I'm not familiar with the U2 series myself but customers should give it a long and hard look. Amazon currently has the U2 series (42") at $500.00. While it is hard to loose with any Panasonic plasma but which series to buy really depends on pricing and that seems to change daily. I'd certainly pick the U2 series over the C2 or S2 if it was priced closely.

Based on two recent but different reviews in Consumer Reports - the U2 series of Panasonic Plasmas - assuming they are priced right - has to be given priority! I keep updating this review and the latest information implies the U2 is better than either the C2 or S2 series but you will have to check current pricing to see which series is the the better buy.

This is the 3rd 42" 720p panasonic TV I've owned. I bought this one to replace one that was fried in a freak electrical occurance at my house. The picture on these TVs is fantastic, and your really cannot beat the price to quality ratio anywhere. The only down side to this particular model is the lack of an anti-glare filter. This used to be STANDARD on even the lowest of models of these TVs. I didn't realize when buying it that it was gone, my fault. It really does make a difference. I'm really surprised that they took this "feature" away on this model. I still love the picture (when ambient light sources are off), but, if I now have to, I'll probably pay more to get one with an anti-reflective filter next time.

I've wanted an HDTV for a long time. When Flat Screen HDTVs were just starting to become more mainstream, I was, unfortunately, a newly graduated IT Student...and dead broke. After moving to the East Coast and back again, and owning two beautiful JVC CRT sets (a 27 inch and a 32 inch), I finally, finally, FINALLY managed to amass the capital needed to go flat and hi-def for real (thanks in part to a decent paying job and putting off buying a car when mine died for an entire year). Was it worth the wait all these years? Oh yeah!

First of all, after a lot of thought and effort, I decided to go plasma instead of LCD for several reasons. First, you can buy a 42-inch plasma for about the price of a 32 inch LCD (give or take). Second, the stuttering of LCDs is noticeable and unpleasant to me, and plasmas handle motion with greater fluidity. Thirdly, the black levels of plasmas are better (though they do require lower light to look their best, which is no problem as I'm a low-light kind of guy who lives in the dark overcast Northern West Coast).

I had initially tried to buy a Samsung from Amazon using their slightly-used-like-new Amazon Warehouse, but after more than a week the TV was delivered shattered. I returned it, sending an email to Amazon requesting they simply replace it rather than give me a refund...and my email was ignored. I was given a refund instead of the TV I had ordered. Starting to lose my patience, a friend from work helped me get a great store deal for this beauty. $450.00 with no tax (no sales tax in my state). Nice.

When I took my TV home and unpacked it one of the first things I noticed is the fact that not only would it not fit in my parents' TV cabinet in the living room, but it wouldn't fit in my room either. I had to completely re-arrange my furniture to make room. When I first hooked it up to my ridiculous home setup (Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, Saturn, VCR, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Computer) I was slightly disappointed to find that it only has two HDMI Inputs (if I buy a PS3 I may have to buy an HDMI switchbox). On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you can hook analog sound input into the component in, and it will play through the TV while using the corresponding HDMI (you don't have to have an audio signal on the HDMI so you can use your computer's analog out and a DVI to HDMI adapter for PC output). The only real downside to this is that the edges of the PC video in are cropped. Oh well, it beats analog video input any day.

The picture on this TV is absolutely outstanding, but you will want to adjust it to your liking in all probability. First of all, by default, like the iPod Touch, the screen dims with the ambient lighting. What this means is that when you have the room nice and dark as you should for optimal viewing, the screen will be so dark you can't see it. You will have to go into the menus and turn off C.A.T.S. if like me you can do without that "feature".

Some people like to adjust the color temperature or fidelity to make the picture warmer, but personally I like white to look white, not pink. And while the cinema mode certainly is bright it makes image artifacting and pixelation stand out, so I prefer to leave colors and brightness on the standard settings.

Personally, I like my image to appear softer as opposed to pixelated, so I set both MPEG and standard noise reduction to on, and set my Xbox 360 (which I use as a DVD player) to output 1080p signal. This results in the image being up-sampled and then down-sampled, smoothing edges and making DVDs have a more "film-like" appearance.

With those settings changed, this display went from good to absolutely amazing. The richness of the colors, outstanding contrast, and overall image smoothness and clarity made video games look outstanding (I actually decided to keep a game I was going to trade in because it looked so much better on this TV), and animation is draw-dropping. Well-mastered DVDs look as good as they possibly can, and I can't wait to get a PS3 so I can try out the Blu Ray discs that are sitting on my shelf.

The sound on the TV is actually very good for a TV once you break in the speakers, and the only real downsides to this TV overall are that it produces a lot of heat, it has bad glare in direct sunlight, and you might need to be a LITTLE more careful than with a CRT about screen burn-in (the TV has a mode to clear after-images, pixel shifting, and a screen-saver, but over the long-term it's probably best to try to wear the screen evenly by not over-doing 4:3 and content with black bars on the top and bottom).

And last but not least, I love the aspect ratio abilities of this TV. The standard aspect ratio is academy flat which is perfect for wide-screen TV programs (including wide-screen anime), and if you want to watch 4:3 content stretched (as I very often do) there are two modes to do so. The justified mode condenses the center of the screen so that character in the center look less stretched. I watch pan-and-scan content and old anime in this aspect ratio and it looks outstanding.

Flat-screen plasmas have been around a long time, but I am very glad I waited to get mine. The current generation handles wide-screen and regular content well, have a digital tuner built-in, and the contrast, color, and overall image fidelity are magnificent. The black levels will probably fade over time, but around the time this TV dies I will probably be getting a 3D TV that doesn't require glasses, or spending my time in the holodeck... Overall I could not be more pleased and would highly recommend this TV to anyone looking to go hi-def and flat.

Let me start by saying that this is our first flat-screen/hdtv... We've had it for one week.
With that said, I am simply amazed at the picture quality of this tv. I've been researching /shopping for quite some time, including consumer reports mag., the internet and side-by-side comparisons.

Set up was pretty simple. Up and viewing in about 30 min. Walk-through set-up tutorial. Turned it on. Panicked for 30 seconds while it powered up for the first time. The picture was great!
Then I started fooling around with the MENU settings. I switched from Standard to Cinema in the Picture settings.... AMAZING! What a difference. This is a BEAUTIFUL, crisp, color-correct image that rivals any flat screen, 1080 0r 720, LCD or LED or plasma, that I've ever seen. The images, especially HD broadcasts, popped off the screen. Flesh tones on news talking-heads were perfect. Movies are like being at the theater. The blacks are BLACK. I don't see how it could be any better unless it was 3D. I tried a dvd... Put in Lawrence of Arabia-- Shock and Awe! I'm watching a college football game in HD right now. NO motion blur. NO streaks. The refresh rate is very fast. Rich colors. I am also very pleased with regular non-hd broadcast quality. Tons better than I anticipated. The remote is straight forward. Even the commercials look good.
We don't have any glare problems. It might be due to the fact that the tv is still sitting on the floor until a suitable stand can be located. I love the polished glass screen. The picture is superb at almost any angle.
The sound is great (after boosting bass and treble in the menu settings). Hooked up to our home theater system, surround sound shines. The levels change from station to station.
I plugged my hdmi equipped laptop into the tv. Turned off the cable input. Input PC. You-Tube, Google Earth, HULU, Pandora were all very impressive on this set!
HINTS:
-Buy the HDMI cables from Amazon. At least 1/2 the price of anywhere else.
-Check out this HDMI port hub that allows plugging in 2 more HDMI devices, and switches between them automatically, and is CHEAP ($20)! http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-Port-Smart-HDMI-Switch/dp/B002K9GCU6/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283393882&sr=8-9
-Switch to "Cinema" mode in the picture menu.
-Adjust the audio in the menu.
-Try playing with the "format" key on the remote to get the best aspect-ratio on regular broadcast, non-hd stations.
- The DVD that comes w/ the unit provides tons of info that's absent in the printed owner's manual.

Bought this TV last year from Amazon and have been nothing but happy. The picture is AWESOME. After watching the Plasma screen for a year and seeing friends LCDs I am glad I went Plasma.

Super for everyday watching. Great for gaming and Blue Ray.

I will say that given the drop in prices over the last year I would go with the 1080 now.

Was the first time buying something this big from Amazon but everything went smoothly. No hassle what soever. Buy this TV and buy it from Amazon. You won't be sorry.

We have owned this TV for a couple of months now. Lots of research led me to the conclusion that a 720p set would be fine for our viewing habits. We bought this Panasonic because of its low price and positive reviews. It was easy to put the included stand on the TV, and within 20 minutes of getting it home we were enjoying a great HD picture. This Panasonic is our first HDTV and replaced a 26" traditional CRT TV.

We opted for a plasma because we sometimes have guests who sit at an angle to the screen. With plasma, there is no color degradation when viewing off center... every seat is a good seat. Also, plasma does not show motion blur like LCD sets. This blur is noticeable when watching sports on just about every LCD I've seen, even those with 120Hz refresh rates. I have yet to experience this with our plasma TV. One drawback to the TC-P42C2 is that the screen is very reflective, but no more so than our old SD TV. Since the screen is so much bigger than what we were accustomed to the reflection issue was noticeable. The only adjustement we neded to make was to use the other table lamp in the family room when watching TV after dark.

The picture is wonderful on HD sources, and is very good on SD programs as well. We have Dish Network and an off-the-air antenna. Broadcast HD looks awesome and Dish HD is excellent. While we are now getting used to watching HD, when we first got this TV we would watch reruns of the CSI shows just to see the cityscapes in HD. We still throw out a "Wow" now and then when a program has a panoramic nature scene. We are more than happy with this TV's picture.

The sound from the TC-P42C2 is very good. I was originally concerned that having speakers that didn't face forward would affect sound quality, but I have found the sound to be quite good on this TV. On some shows I need to turn the volume up, but it varies according to the signal provided by the channel. For example, our local PBS channel has much more volume when watched off-the-air than when viewing on the Dish box. Overall, most of our viewing is done with the TV's volume in the 30-40 range.

One drawback is that this TV only has 2 HDMI ports. We currently have our Dish DVR and our DVD home theater system (which upscales to 1080i)connected via HDMI. When we add a Blu-ray player, I will switch the home theater to the component inputs on the TV and connect the Blu-ray to the HDMI input. A third HDMI port would have been nice, but for this price point I really can't complain too much.

The best thing about this TV is the bang for the buck. This Panasonic offers a lot of quality and features for not much cash. When someone comes over and sees this thing for the first time, they always comment about how good the picture is. When they ask how much we paid for it, they are shocked that a picture this good could cost just $500. We are very happy with our TC-P42C2.

Without question, the Panasonic 42" plasma was the best $399 I've spent in recent memory. The Best Buy sale last Friday was either a 1-day thing, or a mistake, because the prices were marked back up to $499 when I revisited the website -- and were never marked down at all in the store.

If you are considering this set *do not* rely on the degraded signal quality in Best Buy stores as a measure of picture quality. I was prepared to accept minor flaws but when I hooked it up at home the picture was absolutely flawless -- near-photographic with hi-definition content (dvd/blu-ray) and standard definition DirectTV signals were excellent in terms of quality, but a bit stretched to fill the screen. (I can't comment on hi-def TV signals just yet because my DirecTV technician got stuck in some snow this past weekend and had to cancel. I'll try to follow-up on that next week after he arrives. )

If you are buying a set smaller than 50", save yourself a few hundred dollars and go with 720p because there is nothing to gain by going to 1080p on a screen that size.
I recognized this immediately when playing DVD (up-converted) and blu-ray movies. There is absolutely no discernable difference between the two formats on a 42" screen; their respective quality is equally spectacular. (Reference discs: The Dark Knight blu-ray; Pirates of the Caribbean dvd; Total Recall dvd; Battlestar Galactica: The Plan dvd). What *does* matter, however, is the original aspect ratio ("OAR") of the disc or broadcast you are watching.

One would expect a blu-ray movie to fill a HDTV screen from edge to edge. It will -- but only if it was originally filmed in a 16:9 (1.78:1 or 1.85:1) aspect ratio. Anything higher than that (2.35:1 or 2.40:1) will be letterboxed. Anything lower, i.e., 4:3 (1.33:1 ) will have bars on the sides. When watching Dark Knight on blu-ray the picture actually switched from full screen to letterboxed in different scenes because of the different aspect ratios in which it was originally filmed. When buying recorded discs, check the back of the box for the aspect ratio. If it says 16:9 or 1.85 or 1.78 it will fill the screen edge to edge. Otherwise, it won't. Also, if it says "formatted for widescreen" don't assume it is 16:9. I have several discs that say that but are actually 2.35/2.40:1 and display in letterboxes.

I will go as far to say if you have a screen smaller than 50" it makes no sense to buy bluray discs at all since the discernable quality will be the same as up-converted dvds. Do, however, get a good blu-ray player (to up-convert dvds), which leads to my second victory: A "bare bones" LG BD530.

I wanted a player that would simply play my discs with no fuss. The BD503 delivers that in spades. DVDs spin up and start playing -- bypassing the menus -- in about 8 seconds. Blu-ray discs, at least the one I have (Dark Knight), spin up just as quickly to the warning screen, then take another 5-6 seconds to load before running the movie. Pretty darned impressive compared to the agonizing wait times I read about in reviews of other players.

As a bonus, the LG BD530 will play movies, music and pictures from a USB memory stick or USB-connected hard drive. Just plug it in to the USB port on the front of the player and make your selection from a simple, attractive menu (kudos to LG for designing that). Since this is a powered USB port it will also charge your iPod but, unfortunately, cannot read the contents). In addition, the BD530 has an Ethernet port for connecting to YouTube and other internet content. I could not test this because my network cable was just a bit too short to reach the player, but I will try again with a longer cable. If the trend continues as it has, I do not anticipate any problems going online. Be sure to around; I paid just $79.87 for mine at HHGregg and it is about twice the price elsewhere.

Getting back to the TV, there is a lot of talk about plasma screen brightness and reflections. Since the screen is glass, and sits in front of a dark background, it will reflect like a mirror when the TV is turned off. When turned on, it will reflect objects in front of the screen *only* if they are brightly illuminated, i.e., by sunlight shining on them. My TV is in my living room adjacent to a sliding glass door and window-wall that gets direct sunlight. My solution was to simply turn the blinds so they direct light towards the TV wall and away from the wall behind me, eliminating any noticeable reflections. I get to enjoy both a bright picture, and daylight, and not have to sit in the dark like a vampire. In total darkness, the picture is even more stunning.

Where plasmas excel is in their ability to display extremes of contrast - specifically, deep blacks. Turn up the brightness on your TV until the blacks start to turn gray. Notice the effect on other colors, and how it washes out fine detail and mutes colors. That is what LCD viewers must contend with, whereas plasma folks generally do not.

The contrast and colors on the Panasonic screen are outstanding - particularly skin tones and textures. Every color gradient, pore, pimple and hair follicle is visible, and the skin has a healthy glow. On every LCD set I saw, with the exception of one (Toshiba 40") skin tones and textures were washed out, as if someone applied a Photoshop blur tool and erased all the fine detail, leaving behind a flat, ashen, lifeless image. If photograph-like accuracy is important to you, then plasma is the only way to go.

As for the image burn-in fears, dispense with them. The TV has a "pixel orbiter" technology that automatically rotates pixels to prevent static image burn-in, as well as a sweeping white bar tool that you an initiate manually. And, for the record, my sister has an LCD TV with ghost images burned in, a problem LCDs are not supposed to have. Hmmmm....

Finally, setup was effortless. I screwed two metal rods into the TV's base, lowered the screen onto those rods, then secured it in place with some additional screws. Took about 3 minutes.
The only challenge in this whole experience was getting it into and out of the back seat of my car, and that was not a very big challenge at all.

For the money I spent -- approx $500 which included the TV, blu-ray player, an hdmi cable, a blu-ray disc and, most important, Total Satisfaction, I feel I got a terrific bargain.

Note: I copy and pasted Opinunated's review and deleted some stuff and added my own views/opinions. I have done hundreds of hours of research and reading of reviews before I chose this tv. If you don't know anything about plasma vs. LCD and are trying to decide. Go to http://www.thebestplasmatv.com/, look in the middle column and click on Plasma Vs. LCD to teach yourself something.

This is a pretty good buy for the money. I paid $420 (plus 5.6% tax) at a local big box store for this 2010 42" Panasonic Plasma (yes it was on sale).

I own a 55" 1080p vizio LCD for my living room which has a ton of light. I am using this Panasonic tv in my basement which has a lot of windows as well, but I have blackout curtains for when I view. I am using this as an interim tv until I can afford to buy a 60" top of the line plasma for movies and gaming to replace it. I will move this panasonic into my dark bedroom. I believe this panasonic plasma should only be used for movies/gaming. You should not be buying this tv if your expectation is to be your main tv which is usually in a living room(if so, you have low expectations). I don't have any cable box hooked up (but i have cable in my house and I have the cable cord from the wall plugged directly into the tv).

Setup: The setup was extremely easy and i did it with no other help (1 man job). It took a very long time for the tv tuner to find the stations (over 10 minutes), but it came back with tons of options in standard and HD signals. The menu options are awesome and very easy to use. I suggest using the favorites button option so you don't have to sort through all those stupid channels that you never watch and you can choose all the HD stations that work. You can store 30 channels.

For a number of reasons I'd suggest you consider purchasing a plasma TV and if you can live without some bells and whistles, I'd recommend you purchase this exact model. This tv has no internet hookup/dongle even possible. You will need a Xbox360/PS3/or blu-ray player w/internet. This only has 2 HDMI cord inputs as well.

1.) 720p versus 1080p: I agree that there isn't much of a difference, epecially while viewing at a distance (me at >14 ft currently), but THERE IS A DIFFERENCE in gaming/movies because these are in 1080p (Xbox360/PS3/blu-ray). If using this for HD cable the difference isn't really that noticeable because they don't usually broadcast >480 or 720. The picture is still good, but not stellar like a top of the line model w/1080p. I knew this when buying it, so should you.

2.) Viewing angle - If you did your research you know that plasmas have a better viewing angle than LCD and this is no exception. This isn't a concern for my current placement of this tv.

3.) Motion: This is what I noticed the most. Compared to my LCD 120 hz vizio upstairs, this panasonic has had NO noticeable motion blur. I watched the NFL playoffs on this and it was pretty damn good. The bottom line is that plasmas are better with motion handling.

4.) Black levels. This is difficult to judge unless you have 2 TV sets next to each other, but again plasmas are known to have blacker blacks and this is no exception again (compared to my Vizio upstairs where the blacks look slightly faded/washed out).

5.) Reflections (really bad): This panasonic reflects absolutely everything. All lights must be turned off. No ambient light can be present if it is in your viewing angle. This is my one real complaint about this panasonic plasma. This would be good in a basement or bedroom. The top of the line Plasmas have an anti-reflective coating on them, similar to what your eyeglasses have and this has drastically reduced reflections. This low-end panasonic does NOT have that anti-reflective coat.

6.) Brightness: This isn't all that bright, but adjustments can be made to make it brighter or darker. I have researched that the first 100-200 hours should be viewed on a darker setting and then you can increase brightness after this "break-in period"
I'd recommend an LCD if you are viewing your TV in a medium to bright room. LCDs are often brighter than plasmas. If you are worried about reflections then an LCD would be a better choice.

While other Panasonics offer more bells and whistles and technically better performance, I really believe this model is the value leader in HDTVs - given its low price of less than $500.00. I really recommended this TV if it is selling below $500.00 (for the 42"). I am happy with this purchase and it works for what I intended it for (movies/gaming/occassional cable tv when my wife wants to watch a show on our upstairs tv that I don't care for)

****I bought my parents an LG 42" plasma last summer for $500 and it is easily comparable to this one with all the same pros and cons. Just mentioning this if you are brand loyal and wondering if there is a difference.****

Pros: Price, easy setup, good sound, good picture (for the price), aestetically awesome, picture format can be changed to fill screen (i.e. zoom), ease of use/setting options/picture options, great for bedroom/basement, energystar certified

Cons: Reflection/Reflection/Reflection!!, 2 HDMI inputs, no internet at all (must use gaming system/blu-ray player w/internet), can't use in areas with light

This is a great Plasma TV for the price, picture, sound quality, and viewing angles. Unfortunately it turned itself off in the middle of a movie. I had to carry it in to the repair shop (being a 42 inch model this was not too easy) and he said he knew exactly what it is - the SC board. He is ordering the part and I hope to be back in service soon as it has a beautiful picture. In today's world with the way products are made always keeping an eye on cost, it is no wonder that these things happen. My 2001 Mitsubishi 65" has only had one failure in all these years. After waiting over a month for the part to come in which it never did, I contacted Panasonic and they were absolutely no help at all. I then contacted Amazon.com to get it returned and Amazon.com was great and immediately issued an RMA. I give it only one star due to very poor customer response from Panasonic.

Having decided to look on-line for "best buys" for a replacement TV, I found the exact same model, same price on Amazon.com. that was offered locally. The difference could not be ignored! I paid no shipping, no sales tax (which is 9.25% in my state), and got the "White Glove" treatment when it was delivered. What more could a 73-year old grandmother want than a deal like this one! Thank you so much!