Panasonic TH-42PWD7UY 42-Inch EDTV-Ready Flat Panel Plasma TV
What anyone considering buying this product NEEDS to know
Things I wish I knew about this before I purchased it through the Amazon site:<br /><br />1)  The cheapest secondary vendor Amazon contracts this item through is Tiger Direct (I purchased it at $1,699 for the new nonfurbished model in the summer of '05).  When I originally ordered this, shipping calculated out to be $200!  OK, I thought... expensive, but maybe that's just how Tiger Direct gets you, and the overall price is still killer for any 42\\" plasma.  WRONG.  It is Amazon that is taking the cut as the middleman (or at the least miscalculating).  I ended up going through Tiger Direct directly, and for the same exact product, they charged me the same great price, and $135 on shipping.  Long story short, I had to go through a lot of hassle to turn around the Amazon order mid-shipment, get a refund on that, but the TV I got from TD is here and looks amazing.<br /><br />2)  Know that this is an INDUSTRIAL grade TV, and that is why they are able to price it the way they are.  That means:<br /><br />a)  No coaxial connection in the back.  That meant I had to run down to RadioShack and buy expensive component connections for inputs through the cable box and DVD player, ended up costing me $110.<br /><br />b)  No internal speakers.  Had to run down to Circuit City to buy a $250 soundsystem (which IMHO was still worth it and something I would have wanted anyway).  Had trouble with the sound, so had to pay the tech guy $50 extra to rewire it (turned out to be a simple mistake on my part).<br /><br />c)  Comes with no stand or mount!!!  What you are buying is pretty much a standalone screen which would ideally be wall-mounted.  Right now it is leaning against the corner wall a little more precariously than I would like to see it.  I will be purchasing a used pedastal off eBay, which is nice because it is only $20 (same model retails for over $200 new by my research).  I did have to call the Panasonic 800 line to confirm that it would fit this model (and then had to be transfered to a special line that handles industrial TV's).  Stands and mounts that support a model of this size are more expensive than I would have guessed (stands avg $150-300 retail, wall mounts that support 42\\" $200-400+).<br /><br />Just wanted to make people aware of these issues before they bought.  Even given all the extra costs and hassle to me, I would still say it was a financially worthwhile purchase, considering that other 42\\" plasmas of comparable quality retail for at least a thousand more (and I got a greater soundsystem for my dollar).  That's why I still gave it 4 stars.  But just know that if you are trying for a simple plug-and-go TV, this is not it... but if you are willing to go the extra mile to get an incredible plasma screen TV at a rock bottom price, it's not a bad purchase (through TD, not Amz).dustrial TV's).  Stands and mounts that support a model of this size are more expensive than I would have guessed (stands avg $150-300 retail, wall mounts that support 42\\" $200-400+).      Just wanted to make people aware of these issues before they bought.  Even given all the extra costs and hassle to me, I would still say it was a financially worthwhile purchase, considering that other 42\\" plasmas of comparable quality retail for at least a thousand more (and I got a greater soundsystem for my dollar).  That's why I still gave it 4 stars.  But just know that if you are trying for a simple plug-and-go TV, this is not it... but if you are willing to go the extra mile to get an incredible plasma screen TV at a rock bottom price, it's not a bad purchase (through TD, not Amz).