Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
 Incorrect specification September 4, 2010
davidt1943
I returned this set unused because it did not match the specification. According to Amazon it's supposed to have four HDMI inputs, two USB inputs and wi-fi. It turned out to have three HDMI inputs, no USB and no wi-fi. Obviously I pointed this out to Amazon when returning the set, so it's disappointing to see that, six weeks later, this mistake has not been corrected.
 TV Happy September 3, 2010
Sweety Peety
Had this TV for a few weeks now. Not as bright as the LED LCD TV's but the picture qaulity is very good. TV was very easy to set up. I did a lot of adjustments with the picture at first then reset to factory settings. Easy controls and the sound is pretty good to. I had been looking for a new tv for quite a time and was getting more & more confused about what I needed and what I wanted. A visit to a Panasonic shop helped me decide and although this tv was cheaper at Amazon Pansonic dealers are offering a 5 year warranty.Delivery was very good. I paid for 1st class and was very pleased with the service.
No complaints at this price, a no-BS TV September 1, 2010
D. Mackenzie
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Hi, my name is David Mackenzie and I review HDTVs professionally for some web sites that you may have read. I use a projector for watching films, but needed a well-performing budget TV to play video games and watch TV (funnily enough) on. This was my choice.
Short version: it costs £550 but has no major issues, which is great. The black level is excellent, the "True Cinema" mode is accurate and high quality, and for video gaming, there is basically no video processing lag (I measured it as having only 16ms, whereas comparable LCDs, including LED LCDs, often have 40-100ms which ruins the enjoyment of fast-paced games). Since it's based on Plasma technology, there is no screen unevenness, viewing angle fall-off (the picture looks as rich as it does from the sides as it does face-on), and moving objects look sharp instead of being blurred.
You may have heard/read statements in the press or in stores with un-knowledgeable staff (which tend to have space-age sounding names, or ones which resemble Indian food) that "Plasma TVs are not as sharp as LCDs or LED LCDs". This is total nonsense and anyone who wants to can source test patterns to see for themselves (or take my word on it). I've fed my new TX-P42S20 test charts and it shows every drop of detail from a 1080p HD signal, which just about any 1080p TV does these days. And just in case you've heard scare-stories from the aforementioned retail sources : you do NOT have to "re-gas" a Plasma TV; any modern TV, be it LCD, LED LCD, or Plasma, will last for longer than you will want to watch it (20-30 years or more).
The bad points: being a cheaper model it doesn't have a very effective screen filter. So, if you use it in a sunny room, the blacks will look grey during the day. This also means that this TV will probably look bad if you see it in a brightly lit store. In most homes, this will not be a problem, but don't buy one of these to put in a conservatory, for example.
Tips for new owners: enter the picture menu and set the viewing mode to "True Cinema". This matches the colours very closely with the studio monitors used in television and Hollywood colour grading facilities, meaning that you see lifelike, rich flesh tones and images which are the way the programme/filmmakers intended, without abstraction. Also, turn the Sharpness down to avoid the picture looking 'edgy'. Finally, enter the Setup Menu, choose Other Settings, and make sure both Intelligent Frame Creation (or "24p Playback Plus" if you're watching Blu-ray) and 16:9 Overscan are both shut off. This will give you an unadulterated picture.
It's not a 5-star performer (although it's very close), but it's a bargain at this price.
Panasonic TX-P42S20B has everything I want and more. August 22, 2010
Geoff Margate
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Chose Panasonic TX-42S20B based on very positive reviews by average users (like me) and the more technical types. This set,s performance is faultless even the sound quality (comparable tvs have poor sound without plug in speakers).
The bonus for me was compatability with Panasonic DVD/Video recorder, HD & tape video cameras etc. VIERA LINK and VIERA Tools makes transfering old family videos to DVD and editing simple from my armchair using just the handset.
Great value through Amazon. I cannot praise this TV highly enough.
Geoff Margate.
Beauty for your buck August 17, 2010
Matthew Gracie (Bristol, England)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
At time of writing, this model is being sold at two hundred quid less than the G20 model. Whilst both models are NEO PDP, this model (S20) uses 2009 NEO PDP technology whilst the G20 has the brand new stuff.
The S20 doesn't have the internet features the G20 does or DNLA, so if this is what you're after, then give this television a miss.
In reviews, it is said that you can notice the superior picture of the G20 over the S20. That said, the picture on this television is fantastic. I was persuaded to go down the route of plasma and I'm very glad I did. Picture quality for the price is outstanding. The colours are amazing and the clarity even in SD looks great. When you combine this with what Plasmas are always good at: movement, and with this model you get the equivilent of 600hz (it's a maths cheat I think, but the picture moves as if this were true) sports and video games have found their spiritual six-hundred quid home.
The Freeview HD (no Freesat HD [this is available on G20] ) means those not wishing to pay Sky or Virgin subscriptions can still watch BBC HD channel, ITV HD and Channel 4HD (with more to come hopefully?) in HD.
The HD picture from the internal Freeview tuner or in my case a Virgin HD+ box, is stunning. Of course Standard Definition is not as good, but the TV does a good job of getting the best out of what is provided. It upscales well, but subtly.
The sound is fine for normal every day use, but it's not the best you'll get. The menu system is perfectly usable, but is not particually well thoguht out. Some settings that you might want to reguarly change do not have shortcut buttons.
Overall, I think the picture you get for the price wins this television 5 stars from me.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 13
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