Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P42S1 42-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV | 
 enlarge | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
Buy New: See price in cart
New (3) Used (1) Refurbished (6) from $620.99
Rating:  74 reviews
Sales Rank: 14842
Color: black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 42
Shipping Weight (lbs): 57.4
Dimensions (in): 4.2 x 40.6 x 26.1
VIERA Image ViewerTM
VIERA LinkTM
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Visible screen size (W × H × Diagonal): 42" class (41.6 inches measured diagonally)
Audio Output: 20 W [ 10 W + 10 W ] ( 10 % THD )
Channel Capability (Digital/Analog): VHF/ UHF: 2 - 69, CATV: 1 - 135
HDMI 1-3: TYPE A Connector × 3 (This TV supports "HDAVI Control 4" function.)
Dimensions ( W × H × D ): Including pedestal: 40.6 × 28.0 × 12.9 inches
Dimensions ( W × H × D ): TV Set Only: 40.6 × 26.1 × 3.8 (4.2) inches
Weight: Including pedestal: 59.6 lb., TV Set only: 57.4 lb
MPN: TC-P42S1
Model: TC-P42S1
UPC: 037988242382
EAN: 0037988242382
ASIN: B001UE6M8O
Release Date: March 13, 2009
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | 42-inch plasma HDTV with full 1080p HD resolution and three HDMI inputs | | • | Neo PDP screen provides brighter panel, Full-Time 1080 TV Lines Moving Picture Resolution | | • | VIERA Image Viewer lets you share your digital photos with friends and family directly from SD cards | | • | VIERA Link lets you control your compatible Panasonic DVD recorder.Blu-ray Disc player, home theater sound system | | • | 600Hz Sub-field Drive produces crisp, focused images for sports, dramatic action, and all other fast-moving scenes |
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Product Description
When it comes to best image quality in a TV at an affordable range, Plasma screens deliver the best contrast ratio and color depth. This Viera plasma includes the new NEO plasma display panel with improved blacks and native contrast of 40,000:1. Neo PDP combines advances for plasma in cell structure, process technology, and new drive technology. Neo PDP is eco-friendly. It's engineered to save power and double the luminance efficiency. It offers thinner screens than previous plasma flat panels. NEO technology screens are rated to have a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours. This is more than 30 years of viewing when watched for 8 hours a day, before the TV reaches half brightness. It also has 1080p resolution with 600Hz sub-field drive and Gaming Mode. With all these advances, why settle for an average picture when the Viera plasma display offers so much more. Did you know that some HDTVs deliver considerably less than 1080 lines of resolution, when processing fast motion on screen? VIERA S1 Series Plasma HDTVs ensure full-time 1080 TV lines of resolution, even during fast moving scenes in sports and movies. VIERA Image Viewer provides a better way to share your digital photos. Just pop your SD memory card into the handy slot, and instantly display your digital photos for friends and family to enjoy. With VIERA Link, you can control your compatible Panasonic DVD recorder, Blu-ray Disc player, home-theater sound system and HD camcorder, all with a single remote and helpful on-screen menus. VIERA Image Viewer VIERA Link AR (Anti-Reflective) Filter Game Mode 3 HDMI Inputs 100,000-Hour Panel Life
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 74
 Blinking lights of death July 25, 2010
mb2001
Shortly after purchasing power button light went into death throes. Blinks 7 times than stops briefly before it starts over again. TV will not power on. Large circuit board replaced one month ago and now back to doing it again. Google "Panasonic 7 blinking lights of death" to see just how widespread the problem is.
 Great hdtv for the price April 23, 2010
Michael J. Davis
Alot of people complain about the picture quality,but if you go to C-NET & use their recommended settings it looks amazing.I absolutely love this tv!
Plasma TV a great buy. April 7, 2010
Tough Nut (Upstate, NY)
I have had this 42" Panasonic Viera Plasma TV for nearly four month's now; I upgraded from a 21" Panasonic CRT. This is a really great TV at a reasonable price. I chose plasma because they got great reviews and seem to have less issues with backlighting and were a bit cheaper than current generation LED/LCD's. I opted for the S version over the X version because I don't have broadband. We get 20 odd channels over the air with an antenna, PBS which has a lot of HD programming comes in beautifully. We joined Netflix about the same time and have really been enjoying the home theatre experience. My TV room is narrow less than 12' so I made cardboard cutouts while deciding between the 42" and the 46", in hind sight I could have gone with the 46". I was worried a 46" from 7 feet away would be too big or grainy, the fact is you could be 12" away with HD before it starts to pixilate, and the picture is so good, bigger is better once you experience the feel of home theatre. I added the Blu-ray DVD player, have yet to try a Blu-ray disc, but we're ready for them. I already had an Onkyo 7.1 surround sound receiver, added a motley collection of speakers, a pair of old KLH's, some home built rear and recently added a BIC 12" sub woofer, now we can get all the sound effects and deep base we can handle. I used the HDMI connections for the Onkyo, Blu-ray and TV; these are a must to get the HD experience. Needed the composite hook up for a somewhat antiquated VCR, and a digital optical input for the best sound from the Home Theatre Amp. The message here is DON'T FORGET TO ORDER CABLES ALONG WITH THE TV. The sound out of the TV itself is OK, not horrible but far from a surround sound experience. I have never adjusted any of the picture settings, colors are rich and accurate, occasionally a bit dark but this can be adjusted by opting for the theatre experience which enhances the picture abit. Controls and adjustments both on the TV and the Onkyo require studying the manuals and carefully selecting from multi-layer menus. Not always clear what you want or how to get it, since we don't do this everyday, adjustments require revisiting the manual. Once you are happy with what you have great, still need 3 remotes, haven't been successful using any one as a universal though all claim it's possible. Overall a huge upgrade from the old TV, enjoying it!
 Good value, but there are a lot of areas for improvement March 17, 2010
the_sheep (Milwaukee, WI)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This review is going to be biased.
Info: I live approx. 6 mi from the TV transmitters in my area.
Previous TV for comparison: JVC D-series 27" CRT w/ Insignia SD tuner box
Other equipment: B&W speakers, Pioneer Elite receiver, Oppo BluRay player
Tech level: High. I read AVSForum, listen to tech podcasts, and program computers for a living.
Also note, this is my first HDTV purchase, and I made some mistakes in the process, so I'll share them with you so that you can perhaps avoid them.
Advantages:
-The fact that you get a performance plasma for a low price means this unit is a great value. You'd be hard pressed to find another plasma that has the performance/price ratio this one does.
-It *is* a plasma. As such, you get spot-on motion resolution (very natural!), wide viewing angles, and good black levels. It produces a very nice, non-fatiguing picture, which many LCDs simply can't compete with, at or above this price point.
-Optical audio output works very well; it can even put out 2-channel audio from HDMI input sources out over optical.
-I thought I would hate the glass face (potentially reflective), but I found that if you don't have lights back where you sit, it actually brings the picture out and makes it look better.
Disadvantages:
-The color performance on this display is so-so. People, in general, tend to look pale and bland (too green), especially with DVD, SDTV material on TV after using a calibration disc. Out of the box it was too yellow. It's kinda boring to look at, perhaps like you're watching a lake with a mild algae infestation. Most of the Panasonic THX plasmas (G10, V10) above this model aren't this bad, so you may want to spend more if you don't like the color on the S1. Note: With truly HD or BluRay material, I've found the color doesn't bother me as much and I'm okay with it. I'm not sure why, maybe its the way the S1 does color conversion. In short, this HDTV cannot provide a picture that's remotely close to reference, even with significant tweaking. It's better than many of it's peers, but it still falls short.
-Calibration controls for this set are few. There is no 11-step gray scale adjustment, or any color management system. Because of this, you really can't fix the color decoding issues without expensive external hardware. Even the service menu controls are limited, which means even an ISF calibrator would be hard pressed to fix these problems.
-No VGA/PC input. Thought I wouldn't care too much about not having this, but discovered that I do. There are so many times where I wish I could hook up my laptop to my TV (streaming video, playing video games, etc) that I wish I had this. YMMV. I could get a VGA to HDMI adapter, but that actually costs more than moving to a 42" G10 with the VGA input.
-The ATSC tuner is very bare-bones. You can't see extended show information, what's coming up next, no guide or anything other than the title of the show from show metadata. The tuner is also not very sensitive, I find I need to tweak the antenna a bit more to keep the station coming in well. (I'm comparing to an Insignia SD tuner box I used previously; LG made it and use a similar ATSC tuner system in their TVs, I believe; much better IMHO).
-After I got it, and had it in the room, I realized that yes, I could have gone 50" and it would have made a big positive difference. If your'e hunting for a TV, you may want to think about getting one size bigger than the size you want.
Conclusion: while this display met my budget requirements, and while it is a pretty good display for the money, if you are kinda picky about picture quality you may be disappointed. I learned, after this purchase, that I should have saved a bit more and gone for a G10/V10, even if I had to mail-order it. I'll make a better decision next time.
more than surprised March 15, 2010
Thomas H. Lambert (Ohio)
I bought the Panasonic after much research & comparison. I was waiting for the earlier issues of plasma TV's to be resolved. I knew that the color was more vibrant than any LCD I had ever seen, but was worried about all the things that would sour my eventual purchase. Price, viewing angle, power consumption, screen burn-in, heat, weight, contrast ratio, ease of operation, etc. As time passed one by one every concern I had about plasma was resolved to a more than acceptable level. The TV has the easiest set-up menu I have ever seen and within 20 minutes of dragging the box in the door I had assigned the TV inputs to my SAT HDMI, my Blu-Ray to another input, my outside antenna to but another, and was watching HDTV. If you are someone who isn't real handy with technical babel I highly recommend this TV. The picture is amazing, and I was very surprised to how well the 'on-board' speakers sound. It was a great deal, super fast delivery to my door by UPS, easy to set-up & use, and has been an absolute joy since I got it. If they had a sixth star I would rate it six out of six!
My son who has been leaning towards the new LED TV's came by to see mine and after about five minutes of being completely blown-away has since ordered a 58" Panasonic plasma for himself. The 2,000,000 -1 contrast ratio really makes a difference in the sharpness & the blacks etc. For fast moving sporting events this plasma is the best I have ever seen & I have been staring at plasmas for five years waiting for all their quirks to be improved. Amazing TV and better than the Samsung that cost a thousand dollars more.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 74
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