Panasonic TH-42PX75U 42" HDTV Plasma TV

I thought I did my homework before buying a Panasonic plasma -- they get such high marks in magazine reviews. But I have owned this television for about five months and it experiences the typical "Panasonic Shut Off" problem. Although the picture on this plasma is great, the set will simply shut off in the middle of viewing. There's no warning, and from what others are saying online, the problem can start right out of the box or wait four years to show up. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS TV. The complaints online are well-documented if you Google "panasonic plasma shut off." I will now be waiting four days for a service tech to come diagnose my tv set.

The shut off problem is annoying. If the tv is unplugged and then plugged back in, it *sometimes* will allow me to turn the tv back on, although it could be hours later. Regardless, the shut off problem occurs again every time. I am lucky that this started within the warranty period. I just wish I had found the online complaints about this problem before I sunk the $1000 into a Panasonic. The Panasonic "Concierge Service" is polite, but it seems evident from their tone of voice and the trouble-shooting questions they ask that this issue is way more frequent than they would care to admit.

Again, if you are considering this television, please do the research and review the online commentary about this problem. I would NOT purchase another Panasonic television, and I would encourage anyone considering one to factor into their decision whether they are willing to put up with the frustration of going days without a tv when this problem crops up.

To read more, check out: http://stafford.typepad.com/the_next_america/2004/02/panasonic_plasm.html