Plasma HDTV - Panasonic TH42PY800

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1059 posts

Uber Geek

#155363 9-Aug-2008 09:12

We have the 60Gig PS3, does it all, has Bluray, mutliple card readers, 4 USB ports, interent browser, wireless, excellent gaming, CD/DVD etc playback and more. Shame you can't buy the 60 new anymore but there plenty for sale on Trademe.

scottjpalmer

5973 posts

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#155383 9-Aug-2008 11:37

The models with integrated freeviewHD tuners aren't far away which may have an effect on the pricing in the near future

BazNZ

258 posts

Ultimate Geek

#155387 9-Aug-2008 12:31

I don't mind too much having to buy the 40GB version as at this stage I basically want it to watch DVD's in good sound and picture quality while capable of playing Blu Ray the same. I believe the 80GB PS3 is due to be released here on August 27 so I may wait for that. I realise these newer models have less features than the 60GB version like PS2 backward compatibility and extra USB ports etc. As I said though I want it mainly to watch DVD's and Blu Ray as this seems to be the best quality and value at this price.

AncestralGeek

91 posts

Master Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#155800 11-Aug-2008 09:36

TH-42PY800 versus TH42PV80I have a 32” widescreen CRT capable of accepting a 1080i signal displaying it at 100hz. Connected MySky HDi to it and in spite of many changes to settings on both the CRT and the MySky are unable to eliminate the interlace flicker (slight but out of the corner of the eye irritating

).Have decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to 42” Plasma HDTV . Any larger than that will be too big for the room it is going in. As the main use will be for watching sports and SD, mainly TV1 and UKTV over Sky, are considering going for a TH42PV80 rather than the TH42PY800. Only concern about the TH42PV80 is that it lacks the intelligent field creation and sub field drive and how much effect this will have on sports viewing.

Has anyone compared the two units, either side by side or looked at both of them. Or even the TH42PV80 on it’s own. If so, what did you think of the TH42PV80. Unfortunately it is going to be next weekend before I can get a chance to do a side by side comparison myself.

Piri

24 posts

Geek

#156504 13-Aug-2008 09:37

I have really enjoyed and learned from this thread. Thanks all. I have just taken delivery of a TH42PY800 and am very pleased with the switch - well I would have to be wouldn't I, coming from an ancient CRT ! Got an excellent deal from HN North Shore - went along with everyone elses' deal I could find on the Net and the papers and they beat the best of those by a good margin. I guess like all things technical the deal will feel good for a week or two. Probably helped that we got a washing machine and a vacuum cleaner at the same time - all good deals. I'm not sorry I did not butter the TV deal for them by buying one of their $230 HDMI cables they reckoned I needed - whew! But I am very happy with the service from the two guys I dealt with there.

Can someone offer an opinion on the redemption choices available.
I am thinking the Pana DVD recorder DMR-EH58. I already have a half-decent home theatre system and our needs are TV viewing (news, sport (lots) and movies) and occasional DVD movie. We have a PS3 so reckon that can be our BluRay player too. I have access to a well-priced Freeview ZMT-620HD set top box. IS there a better alternative? I hear the freeview gives very slow channel swicthes? We also run the old Sky decoder. Is MySky all that it is cracked up to be, given the promo Sky are pushing with all new flat panels?

One thing I did notice about the TV is that there is no picture-in-picture? Didn't think to check availability of this feature assuming all TVs these days came with it? We found it very handy in the old clunker. Bummer!

Cheers,
Piri

jubbybubby

13 posts

Geek

#157312 15-Aug-2008 21:42

What do you guys think of the new PZ850? Don't know what the RRP is, but looks like it just went up on the Panasonic website today (?)

argo

87 posts

Master Geek

#157350 16-Aug-2008 08:21

According to the Panasonic chappy I talked to, it will have the same specs as the PY800. I notice the Ozzie Pana's are PZ models as well, so maybe this denotes a country-specific tuner?

As for the inbuilt DVB-T tuner, I guess someone will have to buy a set and let us know ;-)

My big bug-bear is the (in my humble opinon) horrible silver smiley face at the bottom. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but that bloody silver piece looks like they are trying to keep the people happy that still buy silver coloured products. Shame its a great system otherwise. If you want style look at the trillion dollar Pioneer sets! Sorry, rant over!!

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jubbybubby

13 posts

Geek

#157444 16-Aug-2008 17:57

lol, agree with the silver smiley, in this department the pz850 is better, but not by much. just came across the new model and trying to figure it out. to me it would seem to be $800 more for freeview but don't know what value everyone else places on the other things, eg pip, sound, single sheet of glass, dark grey smiley etc. better to spend it on a ps3 with eventual playtv, or something else.

jubbybubby

13 posts

Geek

#157863 19-Aug-2008 00:05

clevedon, got your sc-pt460 home theatre yet?
looking for some advice as to how best to use it for tv sound, optical/aux, settings? how do you have yours configured?

thx

clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#157890 19-Aug-2008 07:59

jubbybubby: clevedon, got your sc-pt460 home theatre yet?
looking for some advice as to how best to use it for tv sound, optical/aux, settings? how do you have yours configured?

thx

Nope, supposed to arrive today according to Panasonic who I talked to on Friday. Will have it set up for sound with optical from MySky HDi and optical from PS3 through an optical audio switcher from Jaycar to receiver ( there is only one optical audio port on the receiver ). Then for picture, HDMI from PS3 to TV and HDMI from MySky HDi to TV. Just have wait for it to arrive and see if it works out how I planned, will let you know.

Quidam

291 posts

Ultimate Geek

#157897 19-Aug-2008 08:28

timbosan: Hi,

These new generation Panasonic panels are supposed to be very good, in a lot of ways better than the Pioneers (there are several reviews on the web, like here or here ), but I would question a 42" panel that is full HD (1920x1080), as unless you are sitting very close you will not get the full benifits over a 720p panel.

Based on recomended viewing distances (google it or look at http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html), you would have to sit about 6 feet away, which is very close.

Otherwise it is a great set!

Full Hi Def on a 42 inch screen is actually a very sensible choice if you have any plans (now or in the future) to attach it to a PC.

1-to-1 pixel mapping at 1080p yields a far more readable desktop -and you still have the options of increasing the font size and DPI, to compensate for the high resolution.

ps. Here's an intersting paper about 1080p

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/284986.html

"There is no way to Peace -Peace is the Way" (A. J. Muste)

jubbybubby

13 posts

Geek

#157902 19-Aug-2008 09:02

clevedon:
jubbybubby: clevedon, got your sc-pt460 home theatre yet?
looking for some advice as to how best to use it for tv sound, optical/aux, settings? how do you have yours configured?

thx

Nope, supposed to arrive today according to Panasonic who I talked to on Friday. Will have it set up for sound with optical from MySky HDi and optical from PS3 through an optical audio switcher from Jaycar to receiver ( there is only one optical audio port on the receiver ). Then for picture, HDMI from PS3 to TV and HDMI from MySky HDi to TV. Just have wait for it to arrive and see if it works out how I planned, will let you know.

thanks clevedon, actually got my pt460 yesterday and thought it would be simple to just optical out from the tv. in the end i have set it up the standard way as per manual using the aux ports with default settings for sound.

clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#157908 19-Aug-2008 09:11

jubbybubby:
clevedon:
jubbybubby: clevedon, got your sc-pt460 home theatre yet?
looking for some advice as to how best to use it for tv sound, optical/aux, settings? how do you have yours configured?

thx

Nope, supposed to arrive today according to Panasonic who I talked to on Friday. Will have it set up for sound with optical from MySky HDi and optical from PS3 through an optical audio switcher from Jaycar to receiver ( there is only one optical audio port on the receiver ). Then for picture, HDMI from PS3 to TV and HDMI from MySky HDi to TV. Just have wait for it to arrive and see if it works out how I planned, will let you know.

thanks clevedon, actually got my pt460 yesterday and thought it would be simple to just optical out from the tv. in the end i have set it up the standard way as per manual using the aux ports with default settings for sound.

MySky HDi via HDMI to TV and then optical out from the TV to receiver will only give 2 channel and not 5.1 Dolby so I found out. The PS3 does everything and more that the receiver does so not utilizing the receiver for anything else other than to distribute sound.

jubbybubby

13 posts

Geek

#160854 30-Aug-2008 10:39

clevedon:
jubbybubby:
clevedon:
jubbybubby: clevedon, got your sc-pt460 home theatre yet?
looking for some advice as to how best to use it for tv sound, optical/aux, settings? how do you have yours configured?

thx

Nope, supposed to arrive today according to Panasonic who I talked to on Friday. Will have it set up for sound with optical from MySky HDi and optical from PS3 through an optical audio switcher from Jaycar to receiver ( there is only one optical audio port on the receiver ). Then for picture, HDMI from PS3 to TV and HDMI from MySky HDi to TV. Just have wait for it to arrive and see if it works out how I planned, will let you know.

thanks clevedon, actually got my pt460 yesterday and thought it would be simple to just optical out from the tv. in the end i have set it up the standard way as per manual using the aux ports with default settings for sound.

MySky HDi via HDMI to TV and then optical out from the TV to receiver will only give 2 channel and not 5.1 Dolby so I found out. The PS3 does everything and more that the receiver does so not utilizing the receiver for anything else other than to distribute sound.

Tried to do optical out from TV to the home theatre but it doesn't like that too much (unless I'm doing something wrong). Have set Viera Link on and speakers to go on with the TV, DVD sets itself automatically to AUX, too much of a pain to change to Digital In every time. I also had a brilliant idea to get rid of my old stereo mini system (with crappy little speakers) as well and use the home theatre instead to play CDs/radio but with my Viera Link settings, TV auto-ons and have to switch it off. I guess I expected too much!

clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#160864 30-Aug-2008 12:06

Didn't bother with the Vierra link because you had to use one of the two rear HDMI ports ( didn't want to use the third HDMI in the front of the TV and have a cable hanging out the front, just use that for camcorder once and a while ) which I'm using for PS3 and MySky HDi. All working as I planned, using optical from those two to the receiver. Could of got a HDMI switcher for the Vierra link, but read the manual and couldn't see a heap of advantages that would really benefit us so went as planned.

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