Panasonic TH-46PZ85 Review

 

The Panasonic TH-46PZ85

One of the best HDTVs of 2008, the TH-46PZ85 is a testament of Panasonic’s continuing domination of the plasma market. Awarded the Best Value Plasma TV 2008-2009 by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), this Viera is a full 1080p HD resolution set that should be in every plasma enthusiast’s wish list.

Design

Sleek, minimalist design that is neither eye-catching nor drab is one’s immediate reaction upon seeing the Viera TH-46PZ85. Glossy black bezel of moderate thickness surrounds the screen, accented on the bottom part by a silver lip-like protrusion that houses the downward firing speakers. The stand shipped with the plasma is a wedge-shaped piece that looks solid and sturdy but is non-swivelling, in the same glossy black finish as the main chassis.

The clicker that comes with the TH-46PZ85 is the standard Panasonic remote. It has no backlighting but it easy enough to use, with buttons logically grouped together and laid out neatly in the medium-sized wand. The menu system is also from previous Panasonic models – except for an additional option for Intelligent Frame Creation – but the yellow-on-blue interface is always delightful and easy to use, so we have no complaints here.

Screen/picture clarity

If black level alone is the criteria for choosing the best HDTV, the TH-46PZ85 surely would be among the top contenders. It has superb blacks and outstanding shadow details that rival Pioneer’s Kuro line, and these deep blacks help make images pop out of the screen. However, the Viera’s noise reduction doesn’t look effective and primary colours are inaccurate – daylight scenes tend to turn bluish is one example – that detract from the otherwise stunning pictures.

The V-Real 3 Pro video processor has no problems resolving 1080p and 1080i materials, as well as scaling lower resolution sources to match the 1920 X 1080 native resolution of the TH-46PZ85. The Intelligent Frame Creation (IFC) technology helps a lot in making motion smoother and more fluid by calculating and adding intermediary frames. But for standard-def sources like Freeview, but you may need to turn-off IFC mode, as the interpolation technology introduces unwanted artefacts.

Features

The TH-46Z85U offers a number of picture and colour controls, though these are less exhaustive than competing brands, with the omission of colour temperature adjustment beyond the three presets and gamma control the two most glaring ones. Other features include the Game mode that switches between game inputs; anti-burn protection modes, five aspect ratio options, but this TV lacks picture-in-picture and energy-saving modes. Connectors include two HDMI ports at the rear and one at the side, VGA PC input, SD card slot, and host of video and audio input/output jacks.

Panasonic touts this plasma as a budget TV set, though its priced way too high compared to similarly sized HDTVs. Still, considering its excellent performance and the reliability of the brand, it’s a good option for those who want a well-featured and all-around performer without hurting the pocketbook too much.

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