Awaited for some time now, finally we were able to test Panasonic’s new Full HD TV, the Viera PH-42PZ81E.

This model uses an 11th generation plasma panel from this manufacturer with a Full HD definition of 1920 x 1080 pixels.  Its finish is glossy and there is an anti-reflective coat.  Otherwise, contrast is announced at 30000:1.  Even if we weren’t expecting a figure this high we know that plasmas are rarely disappointing in this domain.

Ergonomics and menus

The PZ81E has a sober design with a robust and massive frame.  The pivoting base only adds a small plus given that plasmas do not suffer from a change to the image as soon as we move from the central axis.

In terms of connectivity, we were delighted to find an HD compatible digital tuner.  HDMI inputs are limited to three when some manufacturers are starting to include four.

When connected and turned ON the TV displays the same menu as the HD Ready plasma that we recently tested.  It therefore has the same qualities and defects: it’s clear and efficient but isn’t too stylish and is limited to essential options (brightness, contrast, sharpness, color temperature, etc.).  Besides this, the activation of the 100 Hz mode is almost indispensable because the display blinks so much when not ON.  Otherwise, the gamma setting is dependent on the display mode you choose (Cinema, Dynamic, Normal or Eco).  We deactivated all of the other options (color control and P-NR).  Moreover, we should point out that the noise reduction filter (p-NR) makes the images rather blurry and you may want to use it only for poor quality sources.


Like for the TH-42PX80E, we were disappointed that there weren’t gradual adjustments.

Display quality

Once again, we can criticize the TH-42PZ81E for something of which the TH-42PX80E was also guilty.  When turned Off, we can see that the panel is not a deep black.  This can slightly affect the level of detail in dark areas when the TV is in a well lit room.  The small inconvenience entirely disappears when lighting is poor or in total darkness.  As proof, black measurements did not surpass 0.05 cd/m² which guarantees a nice depth in black.  Also, brightness in white was measured between 165 and 175 cd/m² giving us a contrast ratio of around 3600:1.  This is 1000 times less than what is promised but either way is already amongst the current best.  At any rate, note that this level of white, which has trouble surpassing 200 cd/m², could be a problem in sunny or very well lit rooms.

We therefore kept the lights low and started our movie viewing part of the test.  Here, we immediately noticed that the measured contrast is confirmed by what we saw on the screen.  Colors were also very pleasant and natural, not too saturated in vivid tones and skin looked amazingly like…skin!  In short, HD movies were quite simply remarkable.

SD display of rare quality

However, the main strength of this TV is without a doubt its processing of SD sources: images in 720x576 (standard digital TV, DVDs, etc.) were rescaled very cleanly.  For comparison, we used a PS3 for a DVD 1080p upscaling.  This player does an excellent job in this area on the condition you have the latest firmware.  As for rescaling carried out by the TV – and therefore leaving the PS3 in 576p – it was at a comparable level.  We have rarely seen a Full HD TV do such a fine job here.


Finally, a few words on sound…It wasn’t exceptional but quality was superior to what is usually found on a TV of this type.

So is this plasma the ultimate TV?

Almost but not entirely.  It has several small defects that each user will have to judge how critical they are based upon their individual tastes and use:

•    As we mentioned above, the panel is a bit gray and the lack of brightness requires having control over the room’s light level.  Either way, real home cinema is in the dark, is it not?!

•    We noticed in one particular scene green afterglow in a heavily contrasted zone.  More specifically, it was with several cars driving on a light colored road and the tires showing this green afterglow.  This phenomenon isn’t dramatic or too noticeable.  In fact, it was the only scène, amongst the many that we looked in which it appeared.

•    Finally, this plasma is subject to burn-in and you will have to avoid or be careful when using  PC and game consoles that could damage the panel by leaving fixed images displayed for too long.