Panasonic TH-42PD50U/P 42" Plasma Television

Beautifully Designed Entertainment

With Viera plasma TV, Panasonic has achieved picture quality that is sure to blow you away. The TH42PD50UP displays over one billion colors and 2048 shades of gradation. The realism of a TV's image is strongly linked to its contrast ratio, and this plasma features a high contrast ratio of up to 4000:1. Such a wide range from black to white means great depth and dimensionality with vibrant colors. Deep blacks provide excellent shadow detail during dark scenes, while brilliant whites allow our plasmas to render bright scenes with vivid realism.

Great Sound, Too

Incredibly slim and elegant, you'd never guess that the TH42PD50UP includes an integrated speaker system. But just wait until you turn it on and crank it up. The surround sound system creates an authentic and exciting 3D enhancement effect from the stereo speakers while preserving the clarity and definition for which High-Definition Sound is noted.

A Single Cable Carries High-Quality Digital Audio and Video

If you have even a moderately complicated home theater setup, you probably have a pile of tangled cables on the floor behind it. Imagine replacing all those cables with a single cable that carries both digital video and audio at the same time. With the new HDMI standard, that's exactly what you get. The HDMI connector on the TH42PD50UP accepts high-quality digital video and audio via the same thin cable, allowing you to run one cable from the source to the TV.

Making Great Things Even Better

Panasonic didn't stop at good enough with the TH42PD50UP. They went straight for exceptional, including technology to get the most out of this amazing television. The appearance of an object, as perceived by the human eye, is influenced by the colors of the objects surrounding it. This is known as the Mach Band Effect. The TH42PD50UP features an M.B.E. enhancer, which utilizes the principals of this theory to enhance the brightness of objects on the screen, helping improve sharpness. A Gamma Enhancement System adds subtle nuance to dark scenes and gives images greater depth by increasing the number of gradation shades at low brightness levels. It employs non-linear signal processing to reproduce images that accommodate the high sensitvity of the human eye. Additionally, the system features the Panasonic Plasma AI function, which analyzes scenes and automatically adjusts peak brightness according to the brightness of the images. These are just a couple of the little things that make a big difference in the image quality of the TH42PD50UP.

More on HDMI

HDMI is a new standard digital connection between A/V devices, such as a set-top box, DVD player or A/V receiver, and a digital telelvision. HDMI offers exceptional video and audio quality with a single quick-disconnect connector. It supports multi-channel digital audio transmissions and component video color spacing for true rendering of HD video. HDMI supports the HDCP copy protection standard, allowing transmission of copy-protected digital content to your display. The video portion of HDMI is also backwards-compatible with DVI-HDCP devices using a special cable adapter.

Some Questions About Plasma Answered

As an intelligent consumer, you certainly have a few questions you would like answered before investing your hard-earned money. Rest assured your purchase of a plasma television is money-well-spent. For instance, you can place your narrow-aspect plasma on the wall or on it's included matching-finish stand. Another issue to consider when purchasing plasma is viewability. The contrast ratio is an important factor in determining plasma TV picture quality. A high contrast ratio ensures rich blacks, bright whites and vivid, life-like colors. This Panasonic plasma TV features an incredible contrast ratio up to 4000:1. There are nearly more colors that seen in the 'real world'!

HDTV vs. EDTV

EDTV plasmas, such as the TH-42PD50U/P, display at 480p resolution, which is equivalent to the signal output of a progressive DVD player. You can view HD (1080i or 720p) content on EDTV models, but the signal must first be downconverted to 480p resolution. An external set-top digital receiver may be required. Please consult your user manual for more information.

A Cinema-Style Viewing Experience At Home

This widescreen TV features a width-to-height ratio similar to movie theater screens, providing a theater-like experience at home. View widescreen broadcasts and widescreen DVDs the way they were meant to be seen.