Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
See it at Amazon.com for $3,078.99Average Customer Rating
(5.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First (5 out of 5)Panasonic TH-50PZ700U 50" 1080p Plasma - Just beautiful
We just bought this product a few weeks ago from Amazon for $2139 plus $199 shipping. Finally after weeks of comprehensive evaluation, and several returns we found the best 50" 1080p. We first got persuaded by a Best Buy sales person on the Samsung LN-T5263F 52" LCD - turned out the glass screen showed off too much glare from our windows. And the non-high-def channels were not that great. Plus it showed off too much snow on deep /dark colors(video noise). Then we tried the Toshiba Regza 52" LCD. While the glare was mostly gone, the noise (snow) was worse. So that went back too. Then we thought about the Sony 52" LCD - beautiful TV but it would not fit our space (too much frame width) and the blacks were just not black enough. So I came to the conclusion that even the 1080p LCDs were just not ready for my very particular video requirements. The black levels are just not there yet and the snow on large LCDs is still quite pronounced.
So I went back to Plasma. Evaluated the Samsung 1080p 50" vs. this Panasonic. Although very nice and bright, the Samsung showed more picture noise and the non-high def channels would show shadows. Then we saw the Panasonic and fell in love with that. I must say this is the best it gets today. And for $2139 bucks it is a steal compared to what you got for that 4 years ago. We also bought the latest Panasonic Blu-Ray player from Amazon. Just WOW WOW WOW. The picture on the 1080p and the uncompressed audio puts anything else to shame. We watched the latest James Bond movie in total amazement. As to the glare from the windows - we settled to darken the room with room darkening shades as opposed to losing out on brightness and contrast with LCDs. And the audio on the Panasonic when you use the HDMI cable is superb - much better than the Samsung.
Bottom line - if you really care about the picture and you are an early adopter like me - don't worry about ambient lighting. Fix that problem with room darkening shades instead of compromising with an LCD. The days of Plasma are definitely not over - they have become much better now at overall life and do not have any burn-in. And how many of us have time to watch TV during the daylight hours anyway to worry about that glare ?
Atul Gupta, Huntington Woods, Michigan
(5 out of 5)You will love this TV
Have had the 50PZ700U for one month now. Fantastic TV that delivers vibrant real life pictures when paired with HD programming. I watched Jay Leno's Tonight Show in HD and was blown away by the picture clarity and color reproduction. The built-in speakers deliver superb audio and I watch most shows without turning on my receiver.
I am a perfectionist for looks, picture clarity and an audiophile. I think the TV scores exceedingly well on all three grounds in my books. The look with the black piano finish is stunning. The remote is very user friendly and very comfy to hold.
The only thing buyers should consider is, plasma tv's in general are not good handlers of glare caused by light sources. This is becuase of their glossy screens. This is true for any plasma. The anti reflective coating in this TV is not very effective - I had to draw my blinds and curtains to watch glare free during the day. Again, this is an issue only of you have a window directly opposite to your TV. If glare is a challenge for you, go for an LCD TV. I also own a Samsung 40"LCD (Samsung-LNT4065F-1080p-LCD-HDTV) in our Dining room that has a lot of light coming in. It handles the glare with ease and delivers equally good picture quality.
I think this 50PZ700U TV was well worth the investment and I am extremely pleased with my purchase. If you are looking to buy a 50" plasma, this is your best bet on all counts!
(5 out of 5)Superb picture with HD sources, all round excellent TV.
Got this 2 days ago, and had a chance to put it through it's paces with HD-DVD and Blu-ray (Sony BDP-S1) sources.
The picture, once set up correctly, is frankly amazing with both 1080P sources, and particularly impressive with the Blu-ray player.
I watched Black Snake Moan, a 5 star Blu-ray transfer, and it does look superb - looks like celluloid at a GOOD theatre. Definition is superb, and blacks are nice and dark, much better than previous Panasonics. This TV replaced last years 42" Panasonic model, and in comparison black levels and contrast have improved considerably.
Another surprise is the sound from the built-in speakers, not bad at all, with reasonable bass, and it will play quite loudly. Now I only switch on the seperate surround system for movies, whereas before I'd turn it on for most programs and DVD based TV shows.
The only trouble is that now you can see the variance in HD-DVD and Blu-ray transfers, not a criticism of the TV at all, its just that it has very high definition which can show up less-than-perfect sources.
(5 out of 5)Fantastic
This is an absolutely gorgeous display.
It's hard to tell from the photos, but the black plastic bezel is actually glossy, not matte. Black gloss on electronics has high class swank written all over it. Yes, I said swank. And yes, it gave you goosebumps.
The built-in speakers are located on either side of the screen, not below it like they used to be on earlier models. They sound great if you choose to use them, and if not they're basically invisible and blend in naturally.
Out of the box the picture looks phenomenal. Standard definition looks as good as you could hope, but HD content is where it really shines. Take the time to calibrate your display settings using some kind of HD calibration disc like the Digital Video Essentials HD (HD DVD + DVD Combo Disc) or just search Google for one of the many free HD calibration images that'll help you tweak your color, sharpness, and everything else to get the best picture. If you skip this step and just try to eyeball it, you'll be missing out on the deep colors that this display has to offer.
This IS a 1080p TV, but it will ONLY display 1080p over an HDMI connection. It will not display 1080p picture over VGA, so if you're an Xbox 360 owner and don't have HDMI, 1080i is as good as it's going to get for you with this TV.
This is a good TV! You should totally get it. Make me proud.
(1 out of 5)Buyer Beware!
This TV looks good on paper, but watch out if you have a problem! Ours developed severe problems after a few hours- two large sections of the screen were broken. Of course, no company or product is always 100% perfect, but our attempt to get this repaired or replaced has been immensely frustrating. They're telling me it will be at least a month before we'll have the TV back fixed, and after nearly a half-dozen calls to customer support, they want us to go through a week-long process of bureaucratic paperwork just to get the case escalated. This is now how Panasonic should treat customers that have just spent $2,000+ on one of their products.