Panasonic Viera TH-42PV700H (42-inch plasma)

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By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
May 9, 2007

There is no letting up for the big three behind plasma TVs, with Pioneer and its full-HD PDP-5000EX leading the pack in Asia. Making a late entry into the 1080p scene and months behind the others is Panasonic, which recently refreshed its plasma lineup consisting of five models from two different series. At the top of the echelon is the PV700s, an upgraded panel with beefed-up connectivity and features but laden with near-identical paper specs.

Design
The PV700 bears a nostalgic look staying true to its lineage and signature curves. Rather then caving in to the now-raging black piano dressing, black and silver are still the preferred choices of hue for this 2007 edition. In the same light, its onboard speakers are mounted by the sides and not the underbelly. They do add to the overall length of the chassis, though by an insignificant proportion, thanks to their streamlined design. You will also have plentiful installation options, ranging from a swivel desktop stand to a wall-mounting kit at no extra cost, to an optional TV cabinent at S$699 (US$503.28).

Unlike most other flat panels we reviewed, the TV controls and easy-access A/V sockets are situated on the front, below the panel frame and concealed behind a flip cover. This approach extends well to its SDHC card slot, too, which glows in blue when activated. There's a minor tradeoff, though. Accessing them may be a hassle with desk-bound center speakers standing in their way. Furthermore, to keep the cords tidy at the rear, the input panel is mounted within a deep recession. This has additional provisions for snap-on anchors to facilitate cable management.

The company is bundling a matching remote for the PV700. Ergonomic and comfortable in hand, the stick is both handsome and versatile with inbuilt multifunctional capability. Dedicated playback buttons enable simple DVD, VCR and HTIB operations compatible with selected Panasonic models. However, there are no dedicated keys assigned to each of the eight inputs, which can be a drag for video switching. Layout-wise, the buttons are right about where they ought to be, offering tactile feedback and an intuitive mixture of textual and symbol labeling.

	Front TV controls and jacks concealed under a flip cover. (Click for larger image)

There is also little to get excited over the software menu which is near-identical with the LX700 LCD TV. Nested within the video submenus are all the necessary fundamental settings to get you started on fine-tuning. What we felt lacking here was the limited advanced variants, a glaring omission which is otherwise common in its competitors' high-end offerings. A quick fiddling within the structured menu only narrowed down noise reductions, treble and bass functions. Some user intervention on the onboard video processing is definitely a welcome change for starters.

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