Panasonic VIERA TC-P42S30 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV Review

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(More customer reviews)I am the ecstatic owner of a Panasonic TC-L32X2 32-Inch 720p LCD HDTV with iPod Dock, so when it came time to move up to a 42" set for the living room (and move the 32" to the bedroom to replace the 27" tube TV), I mostly confined my search to Panasonic. I had considered the previous version of this unit (TC-P42S2) because it was highly rated on Amazon, as well as slightly less expensive, but I decided to take a chance on the newer model--even though it's so new that it has no ratings or reviews. (As of 3/27/11, however, this unit is less expensive.)
I ordered this TV on a Saturday and received it via delivery truck on Wednesday. Setup was painless (it is pretty heavy, though). I was pleasantly surprised to see that it supports Internet connectivity (although it wasn't something I was looking for, the concept has really grown on me), but less pleasantly surprised to learn that the wireless dongle (Panasonic DY-WL10 Wireless LAN Adapter for select Panasonic Viera HDTVs and Blu-Ray Disc Players) is another $99. For that much, I think I'll run a LAN cable. [I did; see below. Also see the comments for another wireless alternative.] I'm using the three HDMI ports for my Verizon FIOS set top box, Apple TV 2, and JVC XVBP11 Blu-ray Player. A set of RCA audio/video inputs takes care of my Pioneer laserdisc player. (Yeah, I'm old school.) I don't foresee using the SD card slot for anything but firmware updates, but I like having USB ports so we can watch our Flip movies in full HD glory--once I learn how to do it, that is.
I was very happy with my LCD TV even in the middle of the day; maybe that's why I never realized just how bright our living room is. The first time I tried to watch this TV from the couch, the reflection from the skylight was terrible. Around noon, the glare was nearly unbearable.
In late afternoon/full dark, this TV looks fantastic. It's so good, in fact, that I couldn't tear myself away from 2 Fast 2 Furious, which says a lot. The problem is that I do most of my viewing during the day, so I'm not sure that it's going to work for me in the long run. I'll have to give it a few more days. The preset color modes aren't perfect, but they're fairly accurate right out of the box. Both Netflix and iTunes movies streamed over the Apple TV look great. When I have some time I'll run Video Essentials to get the levels dialed in.
The speakers are adequate at low volumes, and there are separate bass and treble adjustments, but at normal volumes, certain low frequencies rattle the cabinet. It was particularly bad while I was watching Inception, but my wife even noticed it during "Top Chef." I know I'll eventually have to upgrade my 15-year-old Sony receiver (it has only RCA input, and the TV has only digital audio output), but it's a little irritating that I have to do it just to watch TV without annoying rattles. If the sound quality were better, I would be happy to give this TV a full 5-star rating. (If it were just about the picture, I would.) Additionally, I need to jack up the volume when I use my Blu-ray player--a problem I also have with my 32" TV. I suspect that the player's audio output level is lower than the DVR and Apple TV. NOTE: After the first few days of viewing, the rattles disappeared. Also, I wired up the DVR box and the BD player to the receiver, so I have big sound when I want it (unless I'm using the ATV).
One feature I will never use is called C.A.T.S., which adjusts the TV's brightness according to the room's light level. Evidently it's set to On in Standard picture mode, which I discovered by accident. After exploring the settings, I found it and turned it off. I want my TV to stay at a consistent brightness level no matter what the room light is doing. (I'll bet this is why the picture looked so bad at high noon. We'll see.)
So all things considered, am I happy with my purchase? Yes. The detail and clarity blow my mind. I'll test it with some more Blu-ray movies over the next few weeks and see how it performs during the day, but I think we have a winner. Welcome to the family.
Update 3/19/11: I ran a 50-foot ethernet cable (BluCables 50 ft CAT 5e LAN Network Ethernet Cable 350MHz) from my Verizon FIOS router to the TV. I wasn't able to connect automatically; after a few failed and frustrating attempts that made me consider buying the dongle, I manually input the network settings for the TV (the trick was finding and assigning an unused IP address) and bingo. Bonus: firmware updates over the 'net. I might move the Apple TV to the 32" in the bedroom, but the Viera Cast selections are limited. Netflix is essential and Amazon VOD is nice to have, but I really want Hulu. I'm still very pleased with the TV; my only minor gripe is the amount of heat it puts out. (I understand that this gets better. I hope so.)
Update 3/25/11: For those of you who, like me, are interested in getting Hulu via Viera Cast, I received this from Panasonic: "Thank you for your inquiry. This Model TCP42S30 includes a feature called EASY IPTV. Easy IPTV includes and is limited to: Netflix, Pandora Internet Radio, Cinema Now, Facebook, Napster, & Amazon Video On Demand. Hulu is an application featured in Viera Connect which this TV does not have. The TVs that have Viera Connect & Hulu capabilities are:
PLASMA: TCP65VT30, TCP55VT30, TCP65GT30, TCP60GT30, TCP55GT30, TCP50GT30, TCP65ST30, TCP60ST30, TCP55ST30, TCP50ST30, TCP46ST30, and TCP42ST30.
LED: TCL37DT30, TCL32DT30, and TCL42D30
[Some models are not available yet and are still awaiting release in Late Spring / Early Summer 2011]"
Why there would be a difference between models, I have no idea. But there you go.
Update 4/14/11: I moved the Apple TV into the bedroom with the 32" TV and have been using Viera Cast to watch Netflix movies. I haven't noticed a single stutter so far. Picture quality appears to be the same as with the ATV. My only gripe is that there's no search feature, and the recommendations in each category are limited in number. The best way around this, I've found, is to use my computer to put movies into my Watch Instantly queue and move them to the top. I also replaced my BD player with an all-region JVC XV-BP10 so I can watch my Region 2 Godzilla movies. ("Godzilla vs. Megalon" didn't look this good in the theater!)

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Sony BRAVIA KDL55EX720 55-Inch 1080p 3D LED HDTV, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this TV in a bundle with a 3D starter kit that included two pairs of 3D glasses. After weeks of waiting and bragging about my purchase to my friends, I finally got it yesterday. And it's pretty freaking awesome.
As I've said, I'm not really a super tech-y guy, so bear with me:
Picture: Very good. Granted I was watching a 37-inch LCD that was almost six years old, so even watching a crayon drawing on wax paper would be an upgrade. But I watched ESPN HD, Avatar HD in HBO and a bunch of other random things. There was no noticeable clouding (blobs of light on the screen) at all. I was pleasantly surprised that there really wasn't a soap opera effect on the movies and shows I watched.
More Picture: It's true that this isn't a "true" 240hz TV. It's marketed as a MotionFlow 240hz, which basically means that it's 120hz but has some sort of technology that Sony made up to "bring the frame rate up to 240hz." That being said, I probably wouldn't be able to notice the difference between 120 and 240hz anyway. I do wish the picture was a little bit brighter, but it's super easy to adjust the settings. Also, the black levels weren't as black as I'd like. When watching a show with a lot of black screen, it still looks a little gray compared to the black frame lining the TV.
Sound: GREAT. You know how sometimes you're watching a DVD or a TV show and the music and background noises are super loud and the voices and dialogue are super quiet, and then you have to turn up the volume to hear the dialogue, but then quickly turn it back down because some booming music scares the crap out of you? Not so with this TV. Apparently it's got some technology that detects dialog and will automatically soften the background sound and amplify the voices. Plus, when you change the sound setting to "S-Force Front Surround," there really is a noticeable difference in the quality, the sound does seem to echo more under this setting.
3D: Suh-weeeeet! Ok, there are definite cross-talk issues -- which is a term I learned by reading a bunch of reviews. You will see double images at certain points, but EVERY TV review I read suffers from this issue because it's a new technology. My DirecTV offered four 3D channels, one was a nature show channel that rotates shows about dinosaurs, ocean life, and space stuff. I spent four hours straight watching this channel and now know a bunch of random facts about dinosaurs, ocean life and space stuff. I invited three people over and the four of us watched this channel for hours. Yes I only had two glasses, but two of us would watch for a few minutes, and then politely share with the other people -- it sounds pathetic but they were amazed at the 3D. There were parts of the ocean documentary where schools of fish looked like they were a few feet out of the screen. And a freaking Brontosaurus totally peered into my living room -- I wanted to pet him. Even on large landscape pans, the depth perception was amazing.
Remote: Effin' BRILLIANT. I don't know why, but instantaneous response from the remote made me pretty damn happy. I had Time Warner Cable TV before, and it would do some crap where you'd be pressing the remote buttons and nothing would happen, and then like 15 seconds later everything you pushed would happen at once. DirecTV is better but would still lag sometimes. But this TV and it's default remote are like sweet lovers that orgasm at the same time. There is no lag time and the interface screen is ridiculously simple to use and navigate -- even for not-really-super-techy-guys.
Interface and Settings: Awesome. Navigating the settings is intuitive and simple -- it looks a lot like the PS3 interface. Everything's is laid out in Layman's terms and spelled out so clearly that even A GIRL would have no problems using it. There's even little features like naming the different display inputs AND ADDING AN ICON TO THEM?? So now when I change Display modes between DVD, DirecTV and Xbox, it very coolly displays those titles on the screen, AND HAS THE ICON I PICKED NEXT TO THEM! W00T! And changing the settings is cake. You can go directly into many of the main settings (like display, sound, etc) directly from the show you're watching instead of going into the menu.
Wireless and Internet Apps: This does NOT come in with built-in WiFi, but I plugged it directly into my router with a network cable. Done dada. I was getting good connection speeds with Youtube, Qriocity and Hulu. My only complaint is that it probably takes a little getting used to spell anything out -- kind of a weird alphanumeric style that you'd get when you spell something out using a numeric phone keypad.
So far, so awesome. If any issues arise, I'll update this review. But as of now, I'm loving the crap out of my new TV.


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3D Technology Checklist
This product is 3D-related. To help you get a great 3D experience, use the checklist below to ensure you have everything you need. 3D viewing requires:

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LG LHB975 1100-Watt Blu-ray Home Theater System, Gloss Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this system in May of 2010. When it worked, it worked great and I really enjoyed the quality of the blu-ray player and sound.
About a week ago the wireless subwoofer stopped working. It has power but will not link up with the wireless receiver. I tried everything I could possibly do and couldn't get it to "remate" (connect) again. I then called LG and they were unable to fix it.
LG offered to repair the system but they wants me to spend $70.00 for them to look at it and this does not include shipping. From what the customer service representative told me, the 1 year warranty means that regardless of the cost to repair, my cost is capped at $70.00. I'm not sure how that qualifies as a warranty but according to LG it does.
What is troubling about this issue is that this problem does not appear to be an isolated incident. I searched the internet for reviews from people who owned the system. There are a number of people who are having this exact same problem after using the system for about 6 months. Mine started in just 5 months. It's starting to look like this product has a defect.
I own an LG cell phone, washer and dryer, and this blu-ray theater system. I've never had a problem with any LG product before. I'm surprised that LG would put out a product that seems to have a systematic defect. I'm even more surprised that the LG customer service would be so bad and not customer friendly. This experience has really questioned my brand loyalty towards LG. At this point, they must know this product has a problem. Rather than do the right thing - which is to correct the problem and send a new unit to everyone who is having this problem free of charge - LG is instead forcing the consumer to pay for service, pay for shipping, and hope that the repair is a long term fix. I'm afraid I'll spend the money to get the system "repaired" only to have it break again in another 5 months.
Rather than deal with the nonsense I'm going through, anyone who looks at this home theater system should just avoid it.


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LG's NetCast Interface lets you easily access a vast array of internet content. This model comes with two tower speakers.

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