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Panasonic TH42PX80 & Pioneer PDP-4280XD Compared

Panasonic TH42PX80 Picture Sound Features Usability Value Pioneer PDP-4280XD Picture Sound Features Usability Value TH42PX80: 92% PDP4280XD: 96%

Reviewed: 16 March 2008

Design

Pioneer realised some time ago that consumers were buying flat panel TV's to make a statement. As a result, their plasmas have reflected consumer desire for a supremely stylish and well constructed addition to their living rooms, and the PDP-4280XD is no exception.

With the PX80 range, Panasonic have finally realised what Pioneer have known for a long time, and the TH42PX80 represents a significant leap forward from its predecessor the TH42PX70. This feels like a much more solid, well constructed piece of kit and Panasonic have managed to retain a conservatism that most consumers will be happy with while introducing some simple but effective stylistic changes. A subtle upward curve at the base of the screen is a nice touch along with a wedge shaped pedestal which really does make this panel stand out from the crowd.

Features

The TH42PX80 features 3 HDMI inputs (one more than the PX70) a PC/vga input along with 2 Scarts and the usual Composite, Component and S-Video inputs. Unlike the PX70 it also features 100Hz processing. Contrast ratio is up from a quoted 10,000:1 to 15:000:1 resolution. There is also an SD card slot.

 

In comparison, the Pioneer has the same 3 HDMI inputs and an extra scart taking the total to 3. Quoted contrast ratio is slightly higher at 16,000:1, but there is no 100Hz processing and no SD card slot.

Picture processing technology on the PDP-4280XD comes in the shape of Pioneer's PURE DRIVE 2HD which has been designed to eliminate video noise by minimising intermediate analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue conversions. Image processing has been optimised for Plasma screens, and to work with Pioneer's latest 8th generation screen.

Improvements in the performance of the TH42PX80 will be due in the main to the introduction of the new 11th generation panel. There are no major advances to the V-Real Picture Processing Engine (even though it has evolved into V-real 3) although it has been tweaked in a number of ways, and now sports a 16-bit processor.

Performance

With their latest G11 panels, Panasonic have significantly lifted the black level performance of the TH42PX80 over its predecessor the TH42PX70. However, when you place the TH42PX80 alongside the PDP-4280XD it is immediately obvious that the current benchmark in this respect still belongs to the Pioneer. The blacks are just that little bit deeper and as a result the whole picture just seems that little bit richer.

Excellent black levels on the Pioneer have the knock on effect of providing the perfect backdrop for colour. While the Panasonic displays impressively vibrant and realistic colours, the subtlety of tricky areas such as skin tone on the Pioneer elevates it above the rest of the pack in this respect.

With fast sporting action, we were expecting the Panasonic, with its 100Hz processing to really challenge the Pioneer. We have always felt that 100Hz on Panasonic's LCD TV's has improved picture performance, but on the TH42PX80 we're not too sure.

In terms of its ability to display fast action pictures, the Panasonic gains parity with the Pioneer, but it is no better. Both screens are not perfect in this respect, but in our opinion offer the best large flat panel performance with fast motion pictures. This is a very subjective area, but we believe that the quality of both panels and the respective basic picture processing engines applied to them are contributing to a fine picture performance in this area. We don't feel that 100Hz processing is adding or detracting in any significant way to the performance of the TH42PX80.

High Definition performance on both panels is supreme. Neither can quite match some of the more accomplished Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution screens, but you have to look hard to spot the difference. After witnessing the incredible detail and sharpness with the 'Planet Earth' series on Blu-ray we could quite happily live without the extra pixels.

With Standard Definition (SD) sources the quality of the PDP-4280XD really comes to the fore. The Pioneer is simply the finest large screen SD performer with cable/satellite or lower quality terrestrial Freeview. Get up close to either the Panasonic or Pioneer and a certain amount of definition is lost, but sit back three or four meters and both panels will reward you with excellent pictures - the Pioneer is just that little bit more accomplished.

Conclusion

What this comparison tells us is that there is just no substitute for the combination of panel quality and the basic picture processing engine that works in conjunction with that panel.

The TH42PX80 is a fine plasma, but the Pioneer is just that little bit better in virtually every area.

If you look at pound to pound performance, these two panels are in our opinion the best money can buy. If you want the best 42in plasma around the decision is easy, but you can do a lot with £400, and the Panasonic TH42PX80 is nipping at the Pioneer's heels in most areas.

(TH42PX80)

 

    (PDP-4280XD)

 

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