SETUP Most of the TV's inputs can be found on the back panel. Unfortunately, it lacks backlighting, but then most budget flat-panels' remotes do. The nicely sized remote control is comfortable to hold and most of its important buttons are within thumb's reach, though the channel and volume controls are slightly too close to the bottom for my hand. Likewise, there are no overly complex color-decoder controls, but they're also unnecessary for this set. For example, a CableCARD slot and its best friend, the TV Guide onscreen programming guide, are absent, though we didn't miss them. You won't find many fancy features in this TV. The speakers are permanently mounted below the screen, which is likely to fit existing home theater furniture better than a side-mounted design. But while it offers a few nice extras, a close look at its performance reveals it to be something less than a great bargain.Ĭertainly better-looking than a lot of budget plasmas, the TH-42PX60U mixes a silver plastic housing and stand with a black plastic bezel around the screen, which should blend in well in most living rooms. At its typical $2,500 street price, it will cost you a few hundred dollars more than many entry-level 42-inch plasmas. The new Panasonic TH-42PX60U 42-inch plasma HDTV is a case in point. But it's been tough on the big players, who have to either match plummeting prices or deliver enough features or performance to make up for the premium they charge. That's great for shoppers, who now have a pretty good selection of budget plasmas from which to choose. And they've become more so as a bevy of new manufacturers have turned the flat-panel market into a fierce battleground. This entry-level Panasonic plasma has a few things going for it, but a couple of performance issues pull it down.Ī lot of the recent excitement about flat-panel TVs has been about massive, 100-inch and larger screens, but 42-inch plasmas have long been the most economical flat-panel option.
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