Get a 42-inch Panasonic plasma TV for $499

A 42-inch plasma for under $500? That's one helluva deal.

(Credit: Panasonic)

Hurry, hurry, step right up! No, I mean it: hurry, because Dell is offering the 42-inch Panasonic Viera TC-P42X1 plasma TV for $499 shipped only until 1 p.m. PST Friday, i.e. today.

That's assuming they're in stock that long. This is a decidedly Black Friday-caliber deal, one of the best I've ever seen on a TV of this size.

Note: you have to add the TV to your cart and proceed to the checkout to get the $499 price. And you'll probably have to cough up sales tax.

CNET hasn't reviewed this particular model, but does note a review of its virtually identical, larger sibling: the TC-P50X1. The verdict on that model: "The best black-levels-to-dollars ratio of any HDTV we've tested."

For what it's worth, the customer ratings on Dell's product page average 4.8 stars out of 5. Even at its usual price of $749, this TV is loved by most.

I should note that it's a 720p model, so if you're hankerin' for 1080p (which you can't even get from most TV sources, though you can from Blu-ray players and game consoles), look elsewhere. Of course, some would argue that at this size, 1080p is overkill. Thoughts?

In the interests of expediency, I'm going to leave it there. Check the specs on Dell's product page, and be sure to read the user reviews and CNET's related review. But my Spidey senses (cheapy senses?) say this is an outta-the-park awesome deal. Get it while you can.

Bonus: Want a Blu-ray player to go with it? Circuit City has a refurbished Samsung BD-P1590 for $100 shipped. It supports BD-Live, Netflix streaming, YouTube, and more.

[DetJMunch]

Pretty good deal, but I would never buy a flat screen that does not have a regular VGA input (for hooking up regular computers). It does have HDMI which you could theoretically use, but I prefer good old VGA for older computers you want to use as a media server. Other than that, it won't last long.

[ktappe]

VGA for media server? Why not HDMI (via DVI)? The results are notably better when you keep the output fully digital all the way through.

[ducttape36]

good find, but for tv's over 40 inches i usually prefer 1080p. But as you pointed out, 1080p is only really useful for gaming and bluray.

[wowza3]

It isn't ever useful. You can't tell the difference until 52"+. This is a great deal. I have this TV and got it at $599.

[bmccorm2]

Unless you plan to use this as a computer display, this is a steal. No need for 1080P at this size.

[FWPunk]

Grkevin, I have read a study in the past about this that said your eyes can not tell a difference at a certain point. You can see the difference on a 42in tv, But you have to sit closer then you should, if you can tell a difference you should have bought a 32in or 36in. At 42in it is a waste to spend extra money on a 1080.

[blusky08]

Personally, I can walk casually past the wall of TVs in a big box store and easily distinguish the 720p sets of various sizes (including less than 40"). The PQ difference is obvious from reasonable viewing distances; in fact, with 1080p sets nearby the difference is discernible from maximum recommended viewing distances (5 x screen width).

[descottdc]

I've own a very similar 42in 720p Panasonic for a year now, absolutely love it. I thought I got a great deal from Sears for $599 on black friday. My advice "grab one before they're gone". Keep up the great blog Rick

[friscoG]

This is a good deal. I might have to pull the trigger....hmm. On another note, having 1080P on a 42 inch shouldn't be a big deal. It has been documented over and over again that for sets under 50, you can't tell the difference.

[brucer16]

It's a great price, but the biggest problem for me is that this plasma doesn't have true 720p resolution. The resolution is only 1024 X 768. True 720p for a 16:9 screen ratio is 1280 X 768. I have a 42" Panasonic Plasma with 1080p and it's great. I can tell a difference between 720p and 1080p. I was thinking about getting this for my bedroom, but not with this resolution.

[d-puk]

Sir, if you're finding some faults in the marketing terms of the companies then please get your facts right as well.
You said that TRUE 16:9 for 720p is 1280x768. Where as then you actually calculate, the true 720p 16:9 is 1280x720! Thats where the term "720P" came from. 1280(16x80) x 720(9x80).
But these days, the commonly said term 720p applies for anything display which has equal or MORE than 720 vertical pixels. The most selling 720p resolution today is 1366x768, it's adopted in almost all the LCD's which market themselves at 720p panels.

Now coming to plasmas, the 1024x768 resolution doesn't really matter because the pixel mapping is such that the display is widescreen.

Peace.

[RobJMedich]

Whether your math is a little off or not, I completely agree. When it comes to plasmas (not LCDs), the pixels on a 42-inch TV are clearly visible (not as much with 50-inch or larger 720p plasmas). In this case, 1080p is necessary.

[kormiko]

One thing about the X1 is that it uses the older Plasma panel screens ... which means lower contrast, more reflectivity, and higher energy usage than the neo-PDPs on the S1, G10, and up.

I wonder if Black Friday's deals will be even better.

I know Amazon is giving away a free Blu-Ray player with some of their Panasonic Plasmas right now until the 21st, but the prices of those TVs have been jumping with each day. Lowest I've seen for the G10 was $799, but today it was $915.

But $499 is a good deal for this plasma, makes it harder to go with the upper tier models. As far as 720p goes, most people won't be able to tell the difference on any set, kinda like people who think MP3s have great sound or who think "Two and a Half Men" is funny or for people who drink Budweiser.

I prefer the 1080p on 42" and up for gaming and DirecTV is now doing 1080p as well, but it's really not much of a difference from 720p on that size. I do want an HDTV that has a PC input though, so the X1 doesn't cut it for me. Plasmas are far better than LCDs.

[kentastic1]

I've sold hundreds of televisions in my time. I remember the day when the Pioneer ELITE 40" sold for the ridiculous price of $ 20,000. This is an awesome deal!! If you are just an average TV viewer and you have limited viewing space.
Otherwise go large and get a 1080p like a 55" Samsung or a Vizio.

[UKStory1355]

I own this TV, I think that it is great. If anyone can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p on a 42" TV than their eyes are much better than mine. I hook my laptop up to it with the HDMI cable. It was worth every penny of the $650 I paid for it six months ago.

[mrfixit69]

Thanks Rick, I got one. 3- 5 days it will be here. It will be my 1st Flat Panel. So, I greatly appreciate it. Jumped at the 2yr ext war for $79. I might be missing the 1080p but Ill wait for those to drop in price. Keep up the great work. Just dont beat this deal now!@!

[-Dekim]

All games are in 720p, the console up scales it to 1080p which can cause lag on some tvs. So 720p is ideal for gaming.

[QueSeraSera]

720p kills the deal for me. After switching to 1080p, I won't go back to 720p

[QueSeraSera]

Another reason I want 1080p is to future proof my TV.

[geeman1082]

Great price ... I have two larger LCDs that are 1080p, but 720p wouldn't scare me away from a TV this size ... however, I prefer LCDs so I'll pass ... keep digging, Rick!

[RodeoLand]

This is an absolute no brainer. My good friend owns an independent TV/audio store that always beats Best Buy's and (when they were still around) Circuit City's prices. I told him about this deal and he said $500 + free shipping is way below his cost, and I am an idiot if I passed on this deal.
I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid, so I jumped on this deal and got two.
By the way, don't get hung up on 720p v 1080p. You can't tell the difference on a 42" TV, and no cable company broadcasts in 1080p anyway.

[cgatlin55]

Wow, this would have been a really good deal. It is a shame that I did not receive info earlier. I use yahoo mail and was on it at 1 AM PST--then on later in the morning about 8-10 AM PST. I never received this notification until later in the afternoon. It was too late to do anything then. Did anyone else have this problem???

[Dan7637]

people check out bfads.net

they have the best buy black friday ad scanned so youcan download

there is a laptop for $499 that sports blue ray on there!

[CamaroZ28c]

If you missed it earlier for $499, you can still get it now for $529. Still a pretty good deal with free s/h.

[d-puk]

Nice find Rick! This is an absolutely awesome TV.
You can never go wrong with Panasonic Plasmas.

I live in India and last year I bought a 42" Pana plasma (42PV80) for INR 50,000.
1$ = Rs 50 aprox. So I got a similar thing for 1000$ in India and was still happy with it. You guys in USA get great deals I tell ya

[Scopip]

It is a good deal, but not great. Definitely no urgency. Prices for a 720p will be lower than this before the year is over.

[d-puk]

Scopip, the prices won't dip further. At least this year.
ANd moreover even if the prices of 720p do dip, those 720p wont have 3 things in their name:
1. 42"
2. Plasma
3. Panasonic

[Juelz45]

Where did you fools hear that you can't tell a difference between 1080 and 720 on anything lower than 50 inches! lololol you old people need to put your glasses on and check again! I had a 37 inch vizio 720 poop and replaced with a 1080 p Philips and it was night and day. Now you people are going to say you cant tell the difference between 60 hz and 120 hz. Oh, wait, you can't because your OLD! lolol old people suck.