Customer Reviews

Panasonic TH-50PX600U 50" Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best TV on the market! Consumer Reports ranks it number one again this year (500U last year). Please turn the settings down out of the box though. Panasonic puts the TV in the horrid "Vivid" mode which makes you feel like you got ripped off, but once you turn down the settings the TV couldn't look any better. The sound quality is excellent for non-auxillary sound. CableCard, PIP, VGA input, better sound and much nicer bezel than the 60U were the reasons I chose this one over the 60U.

This is my first plasma TV and I love it. We bought this to put the icing on the cake after having remodeled our complete house. The TV sounds great, and looks great. HDTV is stunning! I am very pleased with my purchase and would recommend this TV to anyone.

First off as a background, I view HD programs on this TV from a FIOS subscription. I also watch blu-ray movies and play games using PS3.

It has only been 10 months and the price of this TV (TH-50PX600U) has dropped to more than half. I purchased mine from BB for $3,200++ on September last year with 36 months, 0% financing . Back then, this was Panasonic's top of the line for their 50-inch models and it was available only at the Magnolia Home Theater section (BB had the 60U, which was $500 less). 1080p models available then were limited and the price was too steep. The price points between the 720p and 1080p made me decide to go for this TV.

The good thing with shopping around first and looking at the floor models before making a purchase is that you can personally view the different manufacturer models' side by side so you can clearly discern the difference between them.

PROS:
- better picture clarity and vividness
- comparable to picture quality with the pioneer elite (arguably the best plasmas but the price difference is not justifiable to me).
- blacker blacks

CONS:
- Aesthetically, this TV was on the losing end because all the competition had the elegant pure black front side (panasonic has since then followed suit).
- does not have PIP feature when using HDMI
- PIP has only one mode (split sreen)
- when viewing pictures, you cannot resize or zoom in
- has different aspect ratio views but you cannot resize/stretch each setting (I have a toshiba HD TV and it has that feature)

Overall, I rate this TV 4 stars because of the cons stated above. Would I recommend to buy this 720p model now that there are 1080p? You have to consider a number of factors. The obvious reasons would be the price point and the screen size.

For a 50" screen is it worth getting a 1080p? I don't think so. The eye can only distinguish or resolve individual pixels at a certain TV viewing distance. Increasing the resolution at this distance will not make any difference unless the viewer goes closer or the TV is enlarged.

If you have DVD collections like myself, will there be a difference viewing them on a 720p or a 1080p display? DVDs have 480p resolution. No matter what they say about upscaling of 480p to either 720p or 1080p, it is still 480P and there is really no difference.

As regards the technology, there are no 1080p programs at the moment and most HD transmissions are either in 1080i or 720p. Both 1080p and 720p are capable of 1080i image conversions. Which is better in converting 1080i? Well, I only have 720p HD TVs so I cannot make a comparison. For 720p, definitely the 720p will be better as this is it's native resolution and unlike 1080p, no image scaling is required.

There is no question that 1080p will eventually be the choice as it is inevitable, but is it worth now to spend twice the cost of a 720p TV or roughly coughing up $1500 more? If you are getting a 50" TV with a limited budget, then NO. But if you can get the same financing that I got from BB, then GO FOR IT and get a 60" or a bigger TV.

Just got this 50" Panny on Father's Day. It was a terrific Father's Day gift to myself. I was torn between this 1080i plasma and the new 1080p, but the new models cost twice as much and there is no 1080p programming, unless you have a blue ray or HD dvd player. Some say go with 1080p to future proof your tv. However, since the major network just spent millions buying 720p/1080i cameras, I'm doubtful 1080p will appear soon. I'm in the process of ordering HD cable, so I can't attest to the quality of the HD picture yet. However, SD and dvd are great so HD should be too. It does reflect unwanted images in bright light, but this isn't a problem for me because I usually watch tv when it's dark. (That's why it gets 4 stars.) For the price, it's hard to go wrong with this tv.

I have hardly any criticisms of this set. The picture is brilliant and makes watching Planet Earth on Discovery HD a pleasure. If fact, I would not watch this show were it not for the 600U. It was very easy to set up and my Samsung DLP rear projection which I moved upstairs can't touch it. The 600U is a great TV...

This TV was delivered right on schedule with no problems. Installation was very easy with enough connection options to suit most any application. The default image settings are not ideal, but are simple to change through the straight forward easy to use menus. Once properly calibrated the picture quality is excellent.

Clearest and brightest high-def image of all the plasma sets available. Discovery HD is awesome on this set. If you are in the market for a 50" plasma TV, and you are not looking at Panansonic, then you are probably making a mistake.

I'm leaving this review just for reference only for whoever's needing performance history on this brand name & model.

I bought this TV from local brick and mortar store four years ago. It had the most absolute beautiful picture for many years until it died. It's picture quality kept up with the newer technology including the higher end LED TV's 5 years newer. I wouldn't have upgraded had it not started giving me power issues. It now turns itself off after 5 minutes of being on then won't turn back on until a day or two.

I was told it's the power supply board but the power supply board is almost half the price of newer TV's so I decided to just upgrade.

I compared the picture quality of this TV to my much newer LED TV by LG model 55LE5400. Played them side by side. The panasonic blows the LG out of the water in picture quality. The black level of this panasonic is just beautiful because they are truly black color and not just dark grey like on my LED TV.

Overall the TV was worth the money because it served me for 4 years. Back then the life expectancy for TVs were only up to 6 years. I guess the TV didn't reach the maximum because it was abused all through out its life including being plugged in directly to the wall since the day it was bought. It was moved multiple times. When I lost the OEM power cable during move, I used a similar cable but didn't have the "power noise" magnet on it. And brightness were always on full blast.

After all the positive reviews, I don't think I need to persuade you into get this visually-stunning plasma tv. This is by far the BEST HDTV. EVER. Bar none.

I have done serious, extensive research before finally taking my chances in ordering the unit. I wanted an impressive HDTV that could last for over a long haul. Believe me you: the HD-quality is amazing. Watching DVD/Blu-ray movies is just unbelievably awe-inspiring. You simply cannot believe your eyes.

My only regret? I probably should have purchased a larger version of the same line. For me, the set was not as big as I have come to expect. But 50" is indeed huge for an average household.

Other than that, I made a great decision. Decently priced, I think you should stop reading: go ahead and get it!

The picture and sound are outstanding. The cable card does not work, after three attempts by my cable company and a firmware update sent from the company Panasonic has established a case # for me and will arrange for a repair person to come to my home. It will not display ABC or CBS in high definition. Interestingly enough the new plasmas will not have cable cards. Also the IR blaster is cumbersome at best. The on screen TV Guide is supposed to tell my DVD/VCR recorder to record a program. To do this I have to connect with analog cables, turn off the sound, and have the tv on. This means I cannot watch (hear) another program while recording, what's with that? Too bad for me that two weeks after my purchase the price dropped $300. The new models came out just after my purchase.