Panasonic TCP42G15 42-inch VIERA 1080p Plasma HDTV

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Item Weight: 96 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 189 pounds
• ASIN: B002A0KPYY
• Item model number: TCP42G15
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,857 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2005

Product Description

Slim Style This design embodies the concept: the blending of images and sounds. This smart new VIERA HDTV form gives a not to classic design schemes while bringing fresh styling to the large flat screen TV. THX® Certified Display THX reproduces movie images exactly as the movies creators intended them. In the early 1980s, Lucas film, established the THX Standard to stipulate the audio and video quality criteria for cinema environments. The overall aim was to improve the experience of cinema-goers and faithfully recreate the audio and visual ambience that film makers intended. Viera® meets the high standards set by the THX Certified Display Program. VIERA CASTTM Enjoy Internet content right on your TV. With VIERA CASTTM technology, you can enjoy online content such as videos, photos, weather and stock information through an easy-to-use Web interface that's build into the TV. No extra equipment required.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why is plasma losing the HDTV war?, September 24, 2009

By 

Roq A. Martin (Kirbyton, KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic TCP42G15 42-inch VIERA 1080p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)

I have been a home theater enthusiast for some time now and I am the type to upgrade every few years in a desire to experience the newest and greatest tech out there. I have had experience with old school tube TV's, CRT rear projection, LCD and DLP rear and front projection, and LCD flat panel TV's. As a gamer, I had never taken the chance on plasma due to "image retention." That said, I have to say that I am SO glad I finally took the risk! After just a few days of use, I can already say that the G15 is the best TV I have ever had. I have yet to see LED, but honestly, I am not sure how picture quality can get much better than this. I haven't even done any calibrating of my own. I just use the preset Game and THX modes. If you are in the market to buy a new TV, and you are a gamer and Blu-Ray watcher, then do yourself a favor and buy a plasma. I think I have finally found a TV I could possibly keep for a lifetime, assuming it stays alive.

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, September 29, 2009

By 

Timothy J. Carroll (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic TCP42G15 42-inch VIERA 1080p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)

I have never owned a flatscreen before so I was trying to get the best for my money. I never considered a plasma tv, I always thought LCD was the way to go; I understood that plasma tvs burned out quicker, used way more energy, heated up to the point where they couldn't be watched for long periods and of course I heard horror stories about image burn in. What I was delighted to find is that many plasma manufacturers have addressed these issues in their new tvs. This TV is energy star certified, which means its energy consumption is very comparable to many other LCDs of the same size (ie, almost identical to LG LH50 42"). The heat created/circulated in the tv is not an issue at all, even after watching the tv for several hours, the back of the panel is barely warm. and burn in is impossible with new orbiting pixel technology. Even more impressive is a new screen wipe technology, so that in case your tv was left on for a week solid, even then any trace of a burn in image can be completely erased. One of the best selling points of this tv is the lifespan, over 100,000 hours. thats almost double even the best LCD lifespans (60,000). As for the picture itself, let me just say you can not find a better picture than a plasma, LED can not come close. and the top of the line for all plasma TVs is panasonic. pay no attention to contrast ratio, every company has different ways of measuring that stat. Plasma is back in a big way, in a few years, the prices on these tvs are certain to go up.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent TV, October 1, 2009

By 

M. Haukaas - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic TCP42G15 42-inch VIERA 1080p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)

I did a lot of researching before buying this TV, and I have so far been very happy with the results.

The picture is amazing, of course. There is virtually no glare on the screen, which can be a problem for some plasma tvs. The blacks are incredible, and the colors have been great, even without doing any hard calibration. Setup was very easy. The sound is very good. Not sound system good of course, but you can easily get by without one. We've had some televisions in the past, including HDTV's, with absolutely horrid sound, and this comes nowhere close.

Some people say that the THX picture mode is too dark. While it is somewhat dim, it is absolutely perfect for viewing in a darkened area for movie viewing. Adjusting all of the picture modes is very easily done, however for an out of the box calibration without breaking it in, THX is a very good option.

A very minor nitpicks, hardly worth mentioning really. The remote does not have a button on it to just flip through the picture display options (standard, custom, thx, etc), but rather have to go into a menu to access them. The menu is right on top, it's not buried, but it would be more convenient if you could just flip through without having to go through that.

I have yet to experiment with the VieraCast options, so unfortunately I cannot comment on those.

Overall, an amazing tv, especially for the price.