Panasonic TC-P54Z1 54" Plasma 1080P

by Panasonic

Product Features

• 54-inch Viera Z1 Series Plasma
• 1-inch Ultra Thin Design
• WirelessHDTM Connectivity
• 600Hz technology lets you view superb full-HD motion and still images with 1,080 lines of resolution
• THX reproduces movie images exactly as the movie's creators intended them

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Product Description

Amazon Instant Video

Watch Amazon Instant Video on This Device

• Choose from over 90,000 movies and TV shows, with thousands available in HD
• Purchase or rent the latest new release movies and TV shows
• Start a one-month free trial of Amazon Prime and get unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of more than 5,000 movies and TV shows
• Begin watching instantly - no waiting for a download
• Pause, fast-forward, rewind, or watch it over again - just like a DVD

Product Description

The Z1 Concept The combination of the VIERA Z1's innovative technology and aesthetic design is truly without equal. The ultra-thin profile of this sophisticated series delivers stunning picture performance and elegant style making a bold statement within any home decor. With their thin and light designs. VIERA models offer unique new installation styles that have never before been possible. For people who want the ultimate in design.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Plasma, but very pricey January 16, 2010

By Albatross

This is my first plasma HDTV purchase. The picture quality is fantastic. This is a NeoPDP panel (single pane of glass)

The panel thinness is still amazing to me. A screen this big and this thin looks crazy.

The sound is surprisingly good... the included speakers are also extremely thin. Not huge bass, but still very good for TV speakers.

The wireless feature is nice... especially for those who want a wall mount installation. You still have the option to use an HDMI cable from the separate tuner to the panel, if you like. I am using wireless, but on a stand. The stand has glass shelves. I have the tuner component on a lower shelf. Line of sight between transmitter and receiver, for the wireless, seems critical. This may be since I have the receiver almost directly over the transmitter.

The Viera Cast is nice, except I haven't been able to get the Amazon-On-Demand to play anything. It logs in and I can access content... nothing plays. I have contacted both Panasonic and Amazon... twice and have not received a comment from either. You Tube, Picassa, Weather Channel and Bloomberg all work well. Viera Cast could be a very nice feature if they can add more content... Vudu, Hulu, Netflix, etc. would be nice.

The THX picture setting option has a yellowish hue... this seems to be inherent in the THX settings that Panasonic is using.

Pros

Picture quality
THIN screen

Cons

Price (although I did get this well below MSRP)
Amazon-On-Demand doesn't play (has been corrected by firmware update see below)

2/4/10

I contacted Panasonic about the inability to stream Amazon VOD content. They were able to replicate the same problem on a TC-P54Z1 at their facility. Panasonic kept me posted via e-mail about their progress with this issue. A few days later, Panasonic tech support issued a firmware update that corrected the problem. Amazon VOD content now streams through Viera Cast. Very good customer support!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Z1 Plasma December 30, 2010

By yblikevery1LS

Amazon Verified Purchase

Wow! How did I get here! I can't believe I own a Z1. I was looking to buy either a Plasma or LED TV in the 46-50" range. Originally was looking at the Panasonic V10's and the Samsung c8000 LED's. I liked the performance of the Plasma & the looks of the LEDs. I was NOT looking for 3D TV's, but that's what corporate is pushing in their higher end units-I was quite frustrated by their market research and product direction (fad). The Z1 was in the upper stratosphere of price and quality, royalty really; I knew about it, but had no hopes of ever joining its inner circle. There was no way I was paying $5K for any TV. So I bought it (more later on this).This is an amazing TV. It combines the performance of Plasma with the aesthetics of an LED. It's just about 1" thin. It is only available in 54". The side mounted speakers add about 2.5" per side to the unit. Set-up time is just about 1 hour. Back-end connections are straight forward. The "controller" is not integrated to the TV (that's part of why it can be only 1" thin), so there is a separate "tuner" box that connects to HT and to the TV and to the remote receiver (it is a wireless remote, not IR-so you don't even have to point it to the TV, but you do need to register it to the TV). I have only hooked up through fios (1080i) so I have not tested the tuner's HD over the air function. The unit exhibits no sunlight glare or vieweing angle issues.
Viera CAST (IPTV)is pretty cool - got to see my Picassa slide shows, Stream HD movie from Amazon VOD, YouTube videos, Bloomberg, etc. - easy set-up and navigation - the unit even updated to latest firmware version- I wish I could add my own app's and content I like, both public and private. Also, this concept (IPTV) is not quite there yet by these manufacturers. Some of the data entry is cumbersome on the TV remote-better concept would be to have a registration site where I could manage content and accounts online as well. SD slide shows ran smoothly from the SD card directly from my Canon PS, but not from my Nikon DSLR (5MB ea photo). SD detection was automatic. HD movies are....phenomenal...on this unit, be it camcorder, DVR or BlueRay. Sound output is fantastic on a 7.2 AVR home theater set-up. I haven't spent too much time (yet) on THX and I haven't yet played PCHD TV fed from PC through the TV.
This is a phenomenal TV. It is last year's model and I am ok with that. It lists for $5K. IMO, it is not worth the list price. For $1700 you can get this unit on Amazon now. At that price it is worth every penny. The TV has much better performance than the new 3D TV's out there today in that price range and above. You'd be hard pressed to find a better TV at this price. It is a beautiful unit.
This is a phenomenal TV. It is last years model and i am ok with that. It lists for $5K. IMO, it is not worth the list price. For $1700 you can get this unit on Amazon today. at that price it is worth every bit and more. much better performance than the new 3D tv's out there now in this price range.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great TV June 5, 2011

By Graham G Steeds

Amazon Verified Purchase

Well worth the new low price. I have had this TV for 6 months now. It has an amazing amount of great features and the picture quality is amazing. Nothing bad to say. I don't get the people who are complaining about the detachable speakers, they are the best sounding 1' deep speakers you will find, and you cannot compare them to an aftermarket sound system, it's just sense. Panasonic made them 1' deep so they would not affect the slim profile of the rest of the TV.