[rangoon12]

Hi,


This is my first post here, so hello!


I'm considering purchasing a 2007 Panasonic 42" plasma TH-42PZ77U. It has the anti-glare coating, but I'd be using it in a room that is always dark. Because of this, I don't expect the anti-glare will be of any use to me and I'm afraid it may have a negative impact on the clarity or color of the image.


Should I stay away from screens with this coating since I don't need it? Or will it not really cause any problems?


Thanks!

 

[6SpeedTA95]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rangoon12 /forum/post/19543054


Hi,


This is my first post here, so hello!


I'm considering purchasing a 2007 Panasonic 42" plasma TH-42PZ77U. It has the anti-glare coating, but I'd be using it in a room that is always dark. Because of this, I don't expect the anti-glare will be of any use to me and I'm afraid it may have a negative impact on the clarity or color of the image.


Should I stay away from screens with this coating since I don't need it? Or will it not really cause any problems?


Thanks!

That is several years old. A friend of mine bought that TV back in July 07. Yes the anti glare affects the PQ slightly. He chose it because he has a giant 6ft by 6ft skylight in the center of his living room.


Why not get one of the newer models? They haven't changed a whole lot on them in terms of processing but you can find a 42 inch plasma pretty cheap now days and you will get a slightly brighter picture and wont have the 77u coating on it.

 

[rangoon12]

Well the main reason is that I can pick it up for less than $400. I can't find a new 42" for less than about $650 (1080p).


For what it's worth, I'll mainly be using this for PC gaming and some general use (web browsing).

 

[badmeng]

If your using the plasma in room that is always dark look at the Panny 42U2 1080p plasma. It's less than 550.00, check Panasonic's website.

 

[rangoon12]

Thanks, I'll check it out!


EDIT:


I found it here .


I can order it from Panasonic for $512.50 (much higher on Amazon). This would be my first HDTV as I've always played PC games on CRT and LCD thus far. I'm currently using a 26.5" Doublesight 263-N at 1920x1200 resolution. It's great, but the backlight bleed and overall lack of contrast is getting old. Anything else I might consider before placing an order? I'm not yet experienced with different plasmas or their technology. I just know that the room is dark and I'm hoping to finally have some blackness in my games.


Since this must be about bottom-of-the-line for a 42" plasma (based on price), anything I'd really be missing by going with this model?

 

[redwolf4k]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rangoon12 /forum/post/19544740


Thanks, I'll check it out!


EDIT:


I found it here .


I can order it from Panasonic for $512.50 (much higher on Amazon). This would be my first HDTV as I've always played PC games on CRT and LCD thus far. I'm currently using a 26.5" Doublesight 263-N at 1920x1200 resolution. It's great, but the backlight bleed and overall lack of contrast is getting old. Anything else I might consider before placing an order? I'm not yet experienced with different plasmas or their technology. I just know that the room is dark and I'm hoping to finally have some blackness in my games.


Since this must be about bottom-of-the-line for a 42" plasma (based on price), anything I'd really be missing by going with this model?

Badmang hooked you up. The U2 is definately the way to go. It will outperform that older Panasonic plasma on many levels. As long as its in a dark room, the U2 is a great set at that price.


Your going to be stunned in comparison to the 26" Doublesight lol.

 

[RandyWalters]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rangoon12 /forum/post/19543054


I'm considering purchasing a 2007 Panasonic 42" plasma TH-42PZ77U. It has the anti-glare coating, but I'd be using it in a room that is always dark. Because of this, I don't expect the anti-glare will be of any use to me and I'm afraid it may have a negative impact on the clarity or color of the image.


Should I stay away from screens with this coating since I don't need it? Or will it not really cause any problems?

You are correct. The PZ77U was an oddball in that it had a somewhat experimental LCD-like coating that actually did a good job of diffusing reflections in a bright room, but it did negatively impact the picture quality compared to it's PZ700U brother (which had a conventional AR filter). I went to various stores and really checked out the the PZ77U hoping that i could get LCD like anti-glare with Plasma PQ for my bright living room, but it didn't have much "pop" or depth because of that coating, and that 2007 panel was the same as on my 42PZ700U which is the dimmest plasma i've ever seen. Whites look grey too. You would not like it as a PC monitor.


A PZ77U/PZ700U isn't worth $400. Oh, and these two models had a weak power supply and Panasonic actually stepped up and covered replacement boards over a year after the original warranty expired. If you must buy a cheap used Plasma, make it at least a 2008 PZ80U or PZ85U as these were much brighter and blacker than the 2007 models.


Current models though are way brighter and have much better colors and black levels than the 2007 and 2008 models. If you can afford to get a new 42S2 then i'd do that instead. You'll also have a factory warranty. The U2 is so reflective that i think you'd see your face reflected in the screen just from the light emitted from your desktop apps. I see this when i use these newer Laptop PCs with the super-reflective screens - they're like a makeup mirror with a keyboard attached. The S2 has a fairly decent AR Filter that will mute reflections.

 

[videoguy60467]



Quote:
Originally Posted by redwolf4k /forum/post/19544839


Badmang hooked you up. The U2 is definately the way to go. It will outperform that older Panasonic plasma on many levels. As long as its in a dark room, the U2 is a great set at that price.


Your going to be stunned in comparison to the 26" Doublesight lol.

You should also consider the TC-P42S2. Way less glare than the U2 Series.

Sears, HHgregg and others have it priced hot for tomorrow.

 

[rangoon12]

Thanks guys - that gives me some more to think about. I'll have to see what is happening with the prices, as the cheapest ones are at the top of my budget. I like the sound of the U2, but it would be a shame to see reflections simply from the light coming off the panel itself.


And yes - I do look forward to seeing the difference from the LCD. It was a $700 screen a couple years ago (basically an NEC IPS panel that DS took and stripped out all the laggy color correction software), but still it just can't produce anything close to black.

 

[videoguy60467]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rangoon12 /forum/post/19546185


Thanks guys - that gives me some more to think about. I'll have to see what is happening with the prices, as the cheapest ones are at the top of my budget. I like the sound of the U2, but it would be a shame to see reflections simply from the light coming off the panel itself.


And yes - I do look forward to seeing the difference from the LCD. It was a $700 screen a couple years ago (basically an NEC IPS panel that DS took and stripped out all the laggy color correction software), but still it just can't produce anything close to black.

I'd think that a new plasma for

 

[RandyWalters]



Quote:
Originally Posted by videoguy60467 /forum/post/19546371


I'd think that a new plasma for

 

[rangoon12]



Quote:
Originally Posted by RandyWalters /forum/post/19548031


If the excessive reflectivity of the U2 is too much to tolerate, then it's not a good investment despite the lower price. I'd rather wait and save up more money or wait for better deals on an S2 then blow my whole wad on a TV that i can't stand to sit in front of for the next several years.

Okay, so you're suggesting it really will brighten the room to the point that it creates its own reflection problems? That would be frustrating.


But would the coating on the S2 deteriorate the image quality in a dark room (as has been pointed out from the original model in my OP)? Or is the current coating vastly improved?


Thanks for all the input.


EDIT: Okay, I saw the comment in your earlier post, RandyWalters, that the S2's coating is definitely superior.

 

[rohiii]

Just got a 42" S2 at Fry's for $599 tonight.


Wanted a 42" G25 and got Video Only down to $784, but decided to save some dough for a bluray player...


Just an FYI.

 

[icyfire22]

Just wanted to add in my 2 cents since I actually have and am currently using a 42 inch 77u. The anti reflective coating is quite good but unfortunately it dulls down the image a bit. Not that the picture looks horrible or anything but the black levels suffer and I've experienced quite a bit of black crush with this TV (in some very dark scenes, I have to put the TV in torch mode before I can discern details). If I were buying today, I would definitely look at something else, preferably a newer Panny. The U2 as suggested above sounds like a good choice.

 

[rangoon12]

Thanks for all the input. I think I will save a bit longer and try to pick up an S2.