Where have all the 42 inch (approx.) Plasma gone? - Page 2

In this age it hardly makes since to get anything shy of 1080p since BR's,OTA and all subscription services offer HD and the few that are broadcast native 720p don't make up for the vast majority of 1080i broadcast.
The only advantage that I can see at this point most places are discounting the 720p models heavily.

I would have to say I am very disappointed in the companies ditching the 42" size. I only swtiched to Dish HD last November and found that all the LCD/LED TVs look horrible on the Network stations. I bought and returned over 8 TVs of various sizes from 32"-43".

However trying a X5 Plasma I noticed the benefits of plasma but have an issue with the over all resolution. I also watch Blu rays, which played great even on Chinese brands LCD CCF tvs. If it were not for the poor quality in faces on daytime TV with Dish, I would have stuck with the $189 Quantum View that performed nearly the same as Sumsung 32" 6 series at $700.

However the X5 did much better with those defects but I could not calibrate that one since it was pretty well maxed out in the settings.

I am now trying a $400 Sumsung 43" Series 4 plasma which seems to have more calibration and tweaking.
HOWEVER it is only 720p.


What I am disappointed as well in is all the people who say "JUST BUY A BIGGER TV IF YOU WANT 1080p"

WHY? 50" is VERY BIG in my room. Right now the MAX I can be from the TV is 8 feet based on the size of the room.

THe reason Iwanted 32" since I was going from a 27" tube tv and 31.5" was the width of my entertainment cabinet.

I think there are MORE out there who demand quality resolution in a smaller form factor. Maybe they did not sell well since they were not pushing the marketing and not selling the improvements made to plasma.

I for one , thought Plasmas was an old technology.I did nto see anyone pushing plasma in the stores. I was not reading formums so did not even think it was still a current format.

However I have found it to work the best for the blotchy or pixelated faces in LCD/LED TVs on the Dish Network broadcast (and yes I had the 2 tech visits, checked all the box settings, changed from 211 to 211K boxes, signal check, blah blah and they said signal of 63 was great and nothing they could do, that it was either the TV quality or what the networks are sending to them, or as I feel more of an issue with their compression ratio and limits of the boxes)


So I was willing to get rid of my cabinet and go up to 40-45" but it seems I am one year too late. That if I converted in 2011 I could have still found a 42" 1080p TV. Lets face it, in time more HDTV will be a higher resoultion putting the 720 as the new SD...

Dont the manufactures and forum folk realize we all do not want a giant screen dominating the room? I was so disappointed I was one year off from getting what I wanted. Granted, I do not want outdated technology, but to assume we all can fit a 50-60" TV or even want a TV that big in our houses is ridiculous. If Samsung and Panasonci still make this size but only in 720p they still have a market, why not raise the price $150 and offer only 1080p in that size in plasma?

Maybe if they did a better job educating the consumer on the modern plasma and dispell the myths still out there, they would have sold more. They are not even trying to push 720p plasma or dispell the myths.

Hey, if they could make an LCD that performs exactly like their plasma in the picture I see, I would buy it. But with all the TVs I have tried, not even the 120hz tv fixed the issues that plasma seems to do. (but I am not really wiling to spend $1000+ on a small TV either.
I also have ZERO interest in 3D or SMART features. There seems to be many ways to cut costs to get me a 1080p plasma in the 42" size

If anyone finds a source of a great 42"ish 1080p plasma still current and available, feel free to pass the links along.
If anyone wants to go into more why 720p will still be current in then next few years, feel free.
OR if someone can prove I will not see the difference at 6-7 feet (plasma has that screen look seen CLEARLY at 4 feet)
This becomes an issue since I can not put a 1080p OF THE SAME SIZE side by side.

Just note that I equally watch Blu ray and broadcast TV, sometimes sit 6-8 feet away and the room is not very big to start with . even 42" looks HUGE in this room.
Thanks for the advice and letting me vent. Maybe all of us who want a 40-45" should be writing to the manufactures and letting them know there is a market.

As to the 42inch sets they were not selling as well most of our clients wanted something either 24inch or 50inch and larger and when talking to other installers this seemed to be the norm.
If sales had been better you can bet a 42 would still be made ,well stocked and continued to be installed also its called bang for the buck why pay 600.00 for a 42 when for 800.00 a 50 can be had.

The buying public has spoken - there just isn't enough demand for a "little" 42" 1080p Plasma. Panasonic is the only company that ever made a 1080p 42 incher but sales were flat, so they discontinued them.

But Panasonic is trying it again - they're planning to release another 42" 1080p model for 2013 but i don't give it much hope of remaining in their lineup even if it makes it into production next month:

http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/TC-P42S60

*beaten to the punch, posting anyway RandyWalters be damned*

It's not as dire as you think.

For the upcoming 2013 Panasonic lineup (available for pre-order, so not out yet), they are offering this new 1080p 42" plasma: TC-P42S60

Suggested retail is $730.00

http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/TC-P42S60

If you have access to the Panasonic EPP site, you can eventually buy it directly from them. Otherwise, it will be a matter of finding someone who stocks it or at least can order it for you. Check with the various forum sponsors that you find at the top of the page; Cleveland Plasma and the like.

Thanks for the info
It is great to hear they will be trying again.
.As perdicted someoine again echos the " why buy 42 when for a a couple hundred more you get a 50" ... The reason NOT going 50" is that that size is bigger than needed. We all do not want a screen to dominate a room. Even 42-43 seems overkill . Why spend more on electric, have more weight and such if not neeed just to get what is now the bulk of the LCD TV out there in the same size? Why spend more to get more when you want a smaller size?.


As I said, if they really believed the market was not there for smaller, I and the OP would not have been asking.
I do not understand why they are charging MORE than what some 50" plasma sell for.? Hello... this is simple economics. People do not want to pay MORE for the smaller screen. People assume the bigger sizes cost more to make. But of course they will not sell 42" to the majority of people if they charging $150 more than a 50" If they want there to be a market they have to price competitively or give a good reason why it would cost more than larger plasmas in their lilne.

As to say that there is no market for 42" size then why didnt they cut out ALL 40 something plasma including 720p? If anything it is not the size but the pricing,

Hmmm maybe I should wait. to see what reviews that new Panasonic gets and how the street price is lower.

Its not there is "no" market, but the market share is so small that its not worth it to manufacturers to make them.....Youa re 2 out of hundreds if not thousands....Most people when they did buy smaller screens got them for bedrooms, ect and the quality will take a hit....I mean why not jsut get an LCD that is like 24-30" and all it a day? Smaller Plasmas have lower yields with the smaller sets from waht I have read as well which willa lso lead to higer prices..

There is a difference between the market for 720p 40 something inch and 1080p 40 something. If you want a bedroom\bathroom\kids room TV a 720p el chepo may suffice where you dont have to worry too much what happens to the TV and those watching it are not going to be looking for "quality" just something OK. Most of the time as it has been stated a 40 someodd inch screen is also not going to really benifit from 1080p once you get to a certain distance from the screen.......


While the 42S60 was announced it has to start shipping 1st

That is not really a reasoning I can go for. I am sure there were more than 2 people looking for a smaller plasma 1080. I could not have been the only one since they decided to make another 42" plasma right? if what you are saying was true they would not have even considered a 1080p sub 50"\
But if they want to sell tit htey have to show it is wither worth their higher price tag or sell at a competive pricing . To try to rape the consumer who wants a smaller 1080 will surely make your predictions of failure come true.

I can not understand WHY would anyone want a worse image just becuase it is their bedroom or den. that makes very little sense since it is a visual medium. If you are going to pend the time to watch then you should want a nice picture in any room.

You might disagree but that is what I think. If 1080 is going the norm they should just focus on 1080.

We need another player to keep the price reasonable.

At the distance most watch a TV 42" most would not be able to see the difference between 1080p and 720p sets.....Actually this more more of a bone throw if anything.....If there was trully a market there would be more than 1 (not just the S series) available.....Sure they sell some, and by offering one the cheapest they can they fufill this segment.....Its not the want of a worse image, they jsut dont see the benifit when they cant SEE the diference at an average viewing distance......why pay more for 1080p when I can get a 720p for much cheeaper and I see little if no difference in picture quality? just becasue it says 1080p?

You may see a chinese company or some "off" brand have something in that range, just dont expect one of the major players to jump in...again if there was a profitable market for these sizes then everyone would have one in this range......

a 2009 42 inch tv takes the same space as a 2013 46 tv.

Aka back then there was 6 inches of bezel on each side.

So splurge and get 46.

Well nobody makes a 46" Plasma, and there isn't a single 46" LCD made that looks as good as a Plasma.

ph8to, there are plenty of manufactures m aking 42" LCD/LED even top brands so not clear on your coment on a major.. player "jumping in" As far as I know, there are no "off brand" plasmas, right?
OK I am posting this in another topic but in front of me I hae the 43" E450 Samsung ( 720p) and 50" TC-P50U50 (1080p)

THe P50u50 is set about 1.5 feet back, and still looks sharper believe me, I wanted it not to be true in some ways since I kept reading the eye cant see the difference. . Yes it is close at 7+ feet,but there is a difference noticed. E450 just looks softer in faces. Watching faces on the 1080p panel set at 8 feet, I could see detail that was softened on the 720 panel.
See my new post on this as I am debating how muc hof this is due to resolution or how much of this is the quality in the panel.

Count me in as another person in the "where are the 42 inch 1080p plasmas?" group. I'm not sure why I should be so unusual. Clearly there is a big market still for 42 inch screens, as basically every model of LED is made in a 42 inch size. If I wanted to go LED, I would have dozens of choices, all at good, competitive prices. But my "program" as far as I have researched it, definitely calls for a plasma -- I watch almost exclusively movies and sports, I never watch TV in the daytime, and my living room is fairly dark anyways, picture quality is of paramount importance to me, I don't like a TV that's too bright in a dark room, I don't care about thinness, etc., I don't watch shows chirons etc. that could present burn in issues, etc. But I'm also pretty sure that I wan't a 40 or 42 inch TV. It's the right size for where it's going, anything bigger will dominate the room in a way that is unacceptable to me, and the seating for it is not more than eight feet away. I could somewhat buy the argument that at 42 inches, 720p and 1080p aren't that different, but it just seems insane to me to in 2013 buy a 720p screen when 1080p's can be had for less than $400, and I plan to keep the TV for at least 10 years, and I willing to bet by then 1080p sources will be more or less standard, if not something higher. But on top of that, I am willing to spend a little more to get something closer to the top level of PQ, and the 720p's don't even come close to that. So I was very disappointed to learn that I couldn't buy a new 1080p plasma screen right now. I do have my eye on the S60, so we'll see about that, hopefully someone will be selling it for at least a bit off MSRP.

The thing is we were talking about Plasma not LCD TVs.....LCD TVs are a different story.......There are "off brand" plasmas just take a look at Black Friday ads or some of the cheaper plasmas that Amazon offers.......Technically most are jsut rebranded sets, but I would consider "off brand" due to the name.......

As far as the comparison its not like for like....you are watching two different panels with 2 different sizez not really an apples to apples comparison....

We are talking about plasma but always comparing to other technologies since when they start matching, plasma wont have any advantages. MY POINT is the context of the post I made was in reference to the fact that there was NO market for the size of 42" and in fact there is a great demand. The problem is Plasma makers can not or will not try to keep with the times in the OTHER requirements consumers have. . Plasma needs to find ways to get their weight and , brighteness and most important energy use down to stay in the game for the long haul. Plasma makers just can not keep pretending they meet energy guide requirments by turning their brightentess, cell light, contrast as far down as you can go to see the image/ IT is a joke for sure to see what they set their standard and eco levels at, hardly watchable by anyone in a enjoyable fashion.

My comment still stands as valid. There is a demand for 42" 1080 p Tvs, plasma or otherwise if the manufacturer can make it in way that it if can not compete on price, it has to have a superior picture quality to justify the price. but honestly if they are forced to or just want to come out with a $700 price they will not stay in the game long. You just will nto get enough to justify the price. The AVERAGE consumer WILL stick with price over deep blacks. Sorry, that is the general market. Why buy a heavier tv that costs $200-300 more that uses more power and has a glare? If it is superior, Panasonic MUST MARKET the TV. If htey are not going to push plasma, they can not move enough in that size/ They need to educate the consumer.



If I am wrong then explain why Panasonic is putting one out next month? They are the experts they must have done their market research. they took a year off to work out something and that is why I wanted to see the specs to see what they did in that year.

I am testing an open box U50 and caparison to the samsung 450 which is only 720p I am not sure I woupld spend more than the $512 I spent out the door just to get a smaller screen. And retail now i see this model going for $600. Why pay more for something smaller? Good marketing would be to price it correctly.
The longer i sit with a 50" TV in the room the more I can tolorate the size. However I have found for sure now that with Dish Network a 720p TV is better matched to the junk Dish or the networks is putting out. On the 1080p U50 I am back tot he same issue as LCD, blocky and pixelated or "oil paint" effect in face as one member here coined a while back.

IT would seem to me now, that plasma is a tad better at dealing with this issue of what the junk is being sent or or over compressed by Dish Network, watching an extra foot away or going with a 720p plasma gives the illusion that the network TV is watchable.

Honestly I am shocked how many people out there are fooling themselves or willing to accept this poor quality form the networks or sat company.

We are talking about plasma but always comparing to other technologies since when they start matching, plasma wont have any advantages. MY POINT is the context of the post I made was in reference to the fact that there was NO market for the size of 42" and in fact there is a great demand. The problem is Plasma makers can not or will not try to keep with the times in the OTHER requirements consumers have. . Plasma needs to find ways to get their weight and , brighteness and most important energy use down to stay in the game for the long haul. Plasma makers just can not keep pretending they meet energy guide requirments by turning their brightentess, cell light, contrast as far down as you can go to see the image/ IT is a joke for sure to see what they set their standard and eco levels at, hardly watchable by anyone in a enjoyable fashion.

My comment still stands as valid. There is a demand for 42" 1080 p Tvs, plasma or otherwise if the manufacturer can make it in way that it if can not compete on price, it has to have a superior picture quality to justify the price. but honestly if they are forced to or just want to come out with a $700 price they will not stay in the game long. You just will nto get enough to justify the price. The AVERAGE consumer WILL stick with price over deep blacks. Sorry, that is the general market. Why buy a heavier tv that costs $200-300 more that uses more power and has a glare? If it is superior, Panasonic MUST MARKET the TV. If htey are not going to push plasma, they can not move enough in that size/ They need to educate the consumer.



If I am wrong then explain why Panasonic is putting one out next month? They are the experts they must have done their market research. they took a year off to work out something and that is why I wanted to see the specs to see what they did in that year.

I am testing an open box U50 and caparison to the samsung 450 which is only 720p I am not sure I woupld spend more than the $512 I spent out the door just to get a smaller screen. And retail now i see this model going for $600. Why pay more for something smaller? Good marketing would be to price it correctly.
The longer i sit with a 50" TV in the room the more I can tolorate the size. However I have found for sure now that with Dish Network a 720p TV is better matched to the junk Dish or the networks is putting out. On the 1080p U50 I am back tot he same issue as LCD, blocky and pixelated or "oil paint" effect in face as one member here coined a while back.

IT would seem to me now, that plasma is a tad better at dealing with this issue of what the junk is being sent or or over compressed by Dish Network, watching an extra foot away or going with a 720p plasma gives the illusion that the network TV is watchable.

Honestly I am shocked how many people out there are fooling themselves or willing to accept this poor quality form the networks or sat company.

Double post... the delete button(red X) is in the lower left of the message body, next to the red flag.

Marc we all agree there is a demand, the demand however is not that large, or there would be more than 1 model of 42" 1080p plasma coming out....If the demand was larger there woulld be more models and more companies making them......Panasonic is goign to market what makes them money point blank.....As far as putting one out, as it was said its been announced but hardly any information ahs been released on it, so we will see if it meets the release date. It is available for pre order on Panasonics site however, time will only tell....


I think many will disagree with your 1st paragraph about not enjoying the picture......

At this point we are jsut going around in circles so I am stepping away from this

If you want to sell something you have to market it and I thought plasma was old and dead. If it were not for my issues with the garbage Dish Network/networks is putting out as "HD" I would never have learned about the improvments plasmas have made.

I learned more about plasma for seeking formus.
I do not see the marketing in the main stream and do not seem them even featuring it on their site. This tells me it still might be a technology on the way out.


Sorry guys. I did the proper test. I have two plasmas viewing distance 1.5 x the screen size and at least side by side there was a "clear" difference. Was it dramtic? not reallym was it subtle? well?.... no, it was just there. Something popped, had that sharper look which makes logical sense.

Now I will agree if you go back to a MAX viewing distance , DEPENDING on your eyesight quality, maybe you would have a tough time. But lets be realistic. At the PROPER suggested range, even steppign a foot back, the 1080p was just better with blue ray and even with a poor , compressed network HDTV station, up close looking horrible, stepping to proper distance, still seeing a more detail in the image say pores or blemishes that on the 720 were softened and hard to notice.


I will agree that it MIGHT NOT MATTER. but can not deny that there is a NOTICABLE difference. HOWEVER also can conceed that if not side by side, you dont know what you are missing.

The E450 has allot I like about it. And maybe it cruel to see the them side by side since for blu ray and higher quality HDTV broadcasts, one does get spoiled to want the best they can get

At the $348 price I would be saving some cash, saving electric use and in the right size for the room at 43" And without a 1080p set to compare, I would not notice what I was missing over time .

Right now Dish only has the Hopper with the ability to broadcast 1080p and hear that is only if you pre order some shows.
So my 211k boxes are stuck at 1080i I am guessing and since I own them, wonder if I would see any improvements.

Anyway, all that said, Lets hop they do well with their new tv. If they could do better on the pricimg it will hang around. OR I hope a few big stores take them in and then clear them out at Christmas

As one person mentioned they have improved the bezel sizes to be more competitve. The U50 and the E450 look pretty good. Not the thinnest or the skinniest but I ested some LED that where just as wide and just as deep. I is one feature that held me back from picking up a used 42" plasma on CL.