Panasonic's TH-42PX500U is a 42-inch plasma TV that will admirably serve as a home theater centerpiece. In addition to an ATSC tuner for receiving over-the-air HD programming, this set is equipped with a CableCARD slot and QAM tuner for analog and digital cable, a PC input for displaying computer content, and SD and PC card slots for viewing digital photos.

The wide-format screen can sit on a removable pedestal stand or be mounted on the wall. A small door below the screen hides front-panel inputs and controls and the PC card slot, keeping the monitor sleek and uncluttered when the buttons and inputs are not needed.

The TH-42PX500U's picture is crystal clear, with a resolution of 1,366X768, a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, and over 8 billion colors to ensure an accurate, lifelike picture. A motion-adaptive 3-D Y/C digital comb filter reduces dot crawl. Four picture modes are available for adapting various types of signals to the wide screen, with movies adapted for video viewing using 3:2 pulldown conversion.

The TH-42PX500U is unusually generous in the audio department, with six internal speakers (two woofers and four tweeters) producing a total of 26 watts of audio output. Simulated surround sound is available to create an illusion of additional speakers located around the room. Convenience features include the TV Guide On-Screen program guide, split-screen viewing of two sources, an adjustable sleep timer, and labeling of channels and video inputs.

With so many features built in, additional components might not seem as important. Nevertheless, the TH-42PX500U has plenty of connectivity options, with three audio/video/S-video inputs (one on the front panel), the PC input with audio, a pair of component video inputs, an HDMI digital-to-digital interface, and an audio/video output.

Sporting a fine picture and great audio, the Panasonic TH-42PX500U 42-inch plasma HDTV is a very good start to the high def world right out the box.

Warranty
1 year parts and labor, 2 years display panel