I bought a Panasonic TH-42PX60U on Black Friday from BB for about a grand. I still think I could return it if I desire. What would be your advice as I see great deals on 1080P sets coming soon. I like the Panny very much for its picture and am not a gamer. However, I do like watching movies and want to be future proof as much as possible. I haven't subscribed to a satellite HD feed yet but plan to shortly. I have paired the Panny with a Samsung HT-TQ85 Home Theater system from Costco which has very good sound. This could also be returned at a later date if need be.

What are your thoughts, comments, and advice for me on keeping this setup? I fear new technology obsoleting this right away but also know the Panny has been highly thought of in these forums and there are a lot of them out there. If you have one, what would you do in my situation?

Thanks in advance for all who respond!

We won't see 1080p plasmas or [decent] 1080p LCDs near $1k anytime soon.

If you don't mind a larger RPTV, you can probably get a 50" 2006 1080p DLP for under $1400 a few months after the 2007 models are released.

By next Christmas, you should be able to get a 42" 1280x720p or 1365x768p plasma for $1k, but that's an awfully long time to wait. The 42PX60U is one of the best 1024x768 panels on the market, and $1k was an excellent deal.

I don't think there is anything out there at this time that would better the picture of the Panny. At this size you would be hard pressed to tell the difference in resolution between a 1080p LCd and the Panny. What you would notice is the darker blacks and better shadow detail and overall great picture of the Panasonic. A decent 40" 1080P LCD would run you close to 2K and still not better the picture of the Panny. I would only recommend the 1080P LCD if you would use it in some of the areas where they can be superior such as a computer monitor or for Gaming.

Why is everyone talking about the "future proof" fear. Keep the set you have it is excellent at an excellent price. Even if ALL movies were now 1080p and ALL HD broadcasts 1080p and ALL videogames 1080p it would not matter. Just use your STB, Video Game, or DVD to output at 1080i or 720p and it will look awesome. Your set will be able to work just fine.

The Panasonic 42 inch should take a 1080p signal. My 50 Panasonic can accept 1080p, just not display it in full 1080p resolution.

I thought i read somewhere that to truly see a difference between 720p/1080i set and 1080P you need to sit aprox 1.5" x screen size.

So for your 42" that would be 5.25 feet away.

I think for most people the upgraded electronics, upgraded plasma screen technology and ever better processing is going to be more of a reason to upgrade.

IMO

Why is everyone talking about the "future proof" fear.


Great question. I've never really understood the logic of anyone talking about "future proofing", ANYTHING! Think about the world we live in. How could anything ever be called "future proof"? There will ALWAYS be the latest and greatest being released. The newest products are almost always going to be better, more technologically advanced, and cheaper! Looking to "future proof" electronics is a pipedream! I've probably purchased 5 tv's in the past 5 years, and not one of those purchases were made because an older model I had was obsolete! Most people who visit websites like this are upgrade junkies and will end up purchasing a newer set, before ever running into the whole "future proof" quandry!

John from Boston

The Panasonic 42 inch should take a 1080p signal. My 50 Panasonic can accept 1080p, just not display it in full 1080p resolution.

As long as you use HDMI you sure can even on the 42.

Great question. I've never really understood the logic of anyone talking about "future proofing", ANYTHING! Think about the world we live in. How could anything ever be called "future proof"? There will ALWAYS be the latest and greatest being released. The newest products are almost always going to be better, more technologically advanced, and cheaper! Looking to "future proof" electronics is a pipedream! I've probably purchased 5 tv's in the past 5 years, and not one of those purchases were made because an older model I had was obsolete! Most people who visit websites like this are upgrade junkies and will end up purchasing a newer set, before ever running into the whole "future proof" quandry!Well said.

Hold onto the Panny and enjoy it from a relatively close up position. You have to sit closer to the 1080p to appreciate a difference worth the $$$. Enjoy it.

By next Christmas, you should be able to get a 42" 1280x720p or 1365x768p plasma for $1k, but that's an awfully long time to wait. The 42PX60U is one of the best 1024x768 panels on the market, and $1k was an excellent deal.

You can pretty much get them for $1,000 now.

Off topic I guess but I keep seeing these threads posted.

Why does everyone think it is OK to buy something to try and then to just return it?

I have had my 42" Panny for about a month and it is a great TV...period!

Dont get all worried about 1080p. There is little or no content and there wont be for many years. Other than Blu-Ray and a few video games there simply isnt anything in 1080p to be concerned with.

The 42" panny is a terrific set with the "right" features and a fantastic Picture quality. Dont go pay a premuim for lesser PQ just to support 1080p, that would be a waste.

Keep it, love it, enjoy it! :D

EASY QUESTION. Keep the Panny.

At 42 inches, it is questionable whether the human eye can even detect the difference between 1080P and 720P. The Panny is a great set and it accepts a 1080P signal. Although it does not output a 1080P signal, it outputs one of the best pictures you can get. I have the 42 in my daughter's room and the 50 in my room.

Off topic I guess but I keep seeing these threads posted.

Why does everyone think it is OK to buy something to try and then to just return it?

Same here , if you do a search you will see how this board majority of members view abusive returns without reasons. Is it broken? No ? Then keep it, stop abusing the system. It's because it's there that you have to use is without any reasons, and " futur proofing " isn't one.... :mad:

Off topic I guess but I keep seeing these threads posted.

Why does everyone think it is OK to buy something to try and then to just return it?

Because it is a complex product being evaluated. There is a great difference based upon the source of the material, the settings of the device, room conditions etc. etc. I needed to get both a 1080p lcd and panny plasma in my setting in order to configure and see what I would achieve. That helped decide between resolution and display type. But then I also needed to evaluate whether the quality I achieved is worth the price. Don't kid yourself - there are many factors to look at. The number of HD channels, the compression and artifacts from your cable feed, upconverting standard DVDs vs. HD DVD /BluRay, handling of SD content, audio / video connections.

In the end if you have a satisfaction guarantee for so many days the consumer should be satisfied.

Thanks everyone. I intend to keep the Panny. It is definitely a great set. Sorry some of you are offended by those who return items for any reason during a retailer's stated return period. The return policy is in part what makes Costco such a successful company. If they didn't have such a generous return policy, they would not do as well as they do. Their membership fee compensates for their return stats which are very small in comparison to their sales according to management that I have asked about the subject. I believe that the size of these large box/membership companies allows them to offer the return policies they do. A small independent could not and should not be expected to as well. As some have indicated in this thread, it is difficult to evaluate a complex piece of equipment such as a flat screen tv without first seeing it in the setting it is going to be in and ancillary equipment hooked up for testing of compatibility issues. No one should be expected to have to keep a piece of expensive equipment with which they are not happy.