Well, I hadn't really purchased this flat panel for my self.those of u who have read my reviews, might be knowing that I had a viera Honestly, it was the best TV I ever had, but as soon as the warranty of one year neared its date, ie, 12 Feb 2010, the TV started malfunctioning beginning November
.then began my months of calling session to Panasonic, cause few more problems erupted later on.the first being the pcb, or the "card"in Panasonic's language.the people replaced it after 17 days. The t worked fine for 2 months, then a similar problem, for which the card was replaced again.this time , there were dead pixels on the screen too, which grew in number with each passing day.
I called the east Delhi center, crystal care services, which proved to be quite a helping hand.they told me that they would recommend replacement for me, which might even take a month, as there are too many formalities involved.they took pictures of my tv with the rgb pattern an the serial no plate , and then didn't show me their faces for a good 1.5 months.i gave regular reminder calls as well as emails, for I knew it would put some amount of pressure on Panasonic to give me a new set, and in any case, i knew it was going to be the plasma TH 42C10D
.finally , on 27th feb, the tv arrived from the Panasonic India warehouse, in a Panasonic truck, from gurgaon at 4 pm.since it was a replacement, i had to return my good old tv with the carton, the same way it came..
Thanks to Panasonic, they didnt create much a problem to hand over a new set to me, as they were also conscious about their image as the best plasma manufacturers.
I couldnt control my excitement, and immediately opened the carton.the same made in singapore set, but a slimmer carton.
.on unwrapping, there was a behemoth beautiful black glossy finish panel, an advanced handset with viera tools, and and incredibly slim monitor.the power consumption was also low at 280 w, unlike my old plasma with 360w.i assembled the tv myself , plugged in everything and switched it on..
The black levels were astonishing-a mind blowing 2000000:1 dynamic contrast, native being 40000:1, the highest ever in a flat panel category.honestly, this tv is a treat to the eyes even when switched off.
The TV has 2 hdmi ports, an sd card slot, 3 component, 1 composite, 1 dsub, 1svgaport and a monitor out.The panel is a bit reflective, i must say, but its in all the new vieras, be it any size, when I checked it at Panasonic store in great India place, noida..perhaps, this is where I missed my old one.The horizontal arch design is beautiful, with metallic panasonic engraved in the middle.again, the speakers are down firing, not to my taste, cause the sound needs to be kept high to listen.even my bravia has a front surround system, this design hasn't changed in any of the bravias, which is for the good.there is viera link also, to control all the devices connected via hdmi through the same remote.teletext is 1500 pages, but of no use , as we don't have it in India.
The sd content of my tata sky is delivered beautifully, and this set has a 600hz motion field drive, for better action in sports and fast moving scenes, unlike LCD, with just 100hz or 200hz , that too in high end ones.the remote is as good as ever, of course an upgrade of what I had, with all good features having dedicated buttons.
.the performance of this plasma is mind blowing.the pictures are bathed into the deepest of their natural blacks, and the whiter whites the picture is true to life.the color saturation is excellent.they dont strike the eyes to make you blind..
The best part is that that this tv comes with anti burn in technology, wherein the pixels dont burn out due to the channel logos, as it has got a side panel adjustment.also, plasmas consume less power as compared to lcds as their consumption is variable, which is static in lcds.
Now this plasma has a lead free panel, which means its an ecologically sound product and wont degrade the environment when disposed off.the panel is tough, protected by glass.
Only one thing u need to take care of is the shiny panel, as it develops scratches too quickly.the TV also has a side panel protection, to protect pixels from burning, which is caused by channel logos.
The life of this panel is 100000 hrs, which means it will give you 14-15 yrs of seamless TV viewing, after which the screen will lose its brightness, that's when you need to throw your tv. This TV scores over LCD in ways of viewing angles, motion fluidity, and good rendering of sd TV broadcast.an add on feature is the viera image viewer, or the sd card slot, wherein u can simply insert the digicam sd card to view images on a large screen. The best thing about Panasonic plasma, is that the back of the tv is made up of steel.it helps in wall mounting, and doesn't produce squeaking sound because of the heat generated.the tv has left its old school styling, and has the buttons and av3 input on the sides.this, though not new for flat panels, but a definite change of style for Panasonic.
Overall, an energy efficient one of its kind tv, finding a match to it in the market isn't possible.the company is also courteous, and is one of the oldest trustworthy bands which is also a world leader in plasma displays.if looking for a 42-inch TV for the living room with good viewing angles, viera plasma 42C10D is the one to go for.
