Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37in Plasma TV Review

If you have SKY Digital and like sports & movies, this is the definitive TV to buy.You won't need to upgrade to SKY HD because the picture is truly stunning. The picture quality via the SD card reader on the front is breathtaking.Don't bother looking at anything else.What a bargain.£599.00 plus free 5 year guarantee from Empire Direct.

I have the 42px80b and my girlfriend has just got the 37px8ba, which I believe is the same as the 80b but a couple of connections less. We have experience of a number of LCD and a couple of Plasma screens which we can compare the Panas to.

The 37 is a stunning piece of equipment for the price and the picture for none-hd sources is actually better than my 42, almost certainly as it is the same resolution and physically smaller. Pictures and refresh are nothing short of excellent and the sound is far better than adequate.

I see many different views regarding none hd channel picture quality. I have both a VM cable box + a none-hd sky box, both connected via scart. The picture quality from the sky box is vastly superior to the same channels from the VM cable box. This could explain the variability of folks perceived SD channel quality. The on-board tuner on my pana is less than impressive, but I don't use that anyway.

We have noted that in many cases a superficial view is highly deceptive and only normal usage can really show the strengths (more accurately weaknesses) of units.
With only Sony and recent Samsungs as the exceptions, these 8 series Panasonic Plasma's are head and shoulders above all LCD's we have compared them with including LG's, and Toshiba's. We consider the Panasonics to equal or exceed most of the Samsungs and Sony's in all but but HD performance and then only with some of the more expensive LCD's possibly looking better (Far more expensive than the Pana's).
I have not heard any buzzing from either Panasonic unit, although admittedly my hearing is no longer acute

I would recommend these 8 series Panasonics to anyone. In my opinion, the prices they are now available at make the purchase of budget or mid-range LCD units a complete waste of money.

Regarding size, the 42 is actually too big for my 12 * 12 room and is overpowering. The 37 is the perfect size for the 12 * 12 room with viewing distances from 6 - 10 feet, the 42" is really only suitable for 10' + viewing distances.

Hope these comments from a normal user help others in their choices

I've had our TH-37PX80B for about a year now, and have been really impressed, particularly with the picture quality. It is worth spending a little bit of time setting up to get the best out of the unit (see www.hdtvtest.co.uk/Panasonic-TH42PX80/Settings for the picture settings I use). I agree with Toby's comments about viewing distances (you need to be at least 6ft away from the set, and preferably about 10ft).

I've got the Panny hooked up to a Humax Freesat+ HDR (connected via HDMI), and the picture quality is fantastic - great for SD sources, and amazing for HD sources which are really crisp, colourful and detailed. No smearing or motion blur that you get from LCD panels. Upscaled DVD through HMDI is also great (I've not yet invested in a bluray player). The review is right about the sound quality - this, for me, is the only area where the Panny is let down. It is perfectly fine for regular day-to-day viewing, but I'd recommend an AV setup for watching movies (also as BBC HD and Sky HD broadcast in 5.1 surround).

I've used several LCD panels before, and spent quite some time researching the options before purchase, and I must say that I'm a complete convert to plasma. The only downside with Plasma is that energy consumption is higher than LCD.

In terms of picture quality and value for money, this panel rocks.