Customer Reviews

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ80U 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This is just an incredible set, I can't rave about it enough!
We did a ton of research on LCD Vs. Plasma and decided to go with Plasma because of the sharper picture quality and the fact that Plasma's are better at handling high speed images which comes in handy since I watch a lot of sports.
Like other reviewers have mentioned, last years model was among the highest rated Plasma's out there and although the reviews are just starting to come in this set seems to have picked up where last years models left off.
3 HDMI inputs allow you to hook up just about everything you could want without sacrificing quality and one of the many great features of this set is that it allows you to independently setup your picture quality for each input so you're not constantly adjusting settings when you switch inputs. Switching also couldn't be easier and you can customize the menu so you know that you're switching to Game, DVD, etc. instead of input 1, input 2, input 3, etc. You can even disable unused inputs so you're not scrolling through "dead" inputs when you're switching devices. The set also has 1 set of inputs in front which are also very convenient for a quick hookup.
For those that are worried about image burn in, this set has 2 other nice features not in last year's model (that I'm aware of) which is built in pixel shifting and a scrolling bar. Pixel shifting subtly adjusts the pixels (your eye won't pick this up) so an image doesn't get burned into the screen since the pixels don't remain static. This isn't foolproof but it does help reduce the chances. And what if you do ever get an image burned into the screen? Well, this set has a white scrolling bar you can run. This runs a white bar across the screen for up to 15 minutes that should eliminate any image that gets burned in.
On top of all the other features that I can rave about, the most important is the picture quality and I must say the image is GORGEOUS. I have HD through DirecTV and I am simply amazed at the quality of the picture, it's absolutely stunning! This set is in our living room and we do get sunlight in the room during the middle of the day and I see no glare, reflection, etc. Amy time of the day the picture is just incredible.
Of course do your research, go to some stores and take a look but I think anyone who gets this set will be absolutely floored by everything it offers and the truly incredible picture it gives. I really couldn't be happier having decided to purchase this set.

I own the 2007 version of the TH-50pz80U, which was the TH-50pz77U. I'm very pleased with my plasma, and it was great value for the money. So I'm confident you'll have the same experience with this very slightly upgraded 2008 model (mainly, three HDMI inputs instead of two). However, the pz77U had been misrepresented in customer reviews, and I really didn't understand what I was buying. It's clear from reading these reviews that the same misunderstandings persist.

Many customer reviews say that this model is the new version of the model that got top marks from Consumer Reports last year. That isn't true. That last year's model was the TH-50pz700U. I was misled by similar customer reviews last year. If you want the 2008 version of that model, you will need the TH-50pz800U at 50% higher cost than the pz80U.

The online retailers describe all of the features of the most expensive Panasonic plasmas in the listing for every model, creating the impression that the least expensive models have all of the features of the most expensive models. Again, not true. Compared to this pz80U, the pz800U adds 30,000:1 native contrast ratio compared to the 20,000:1 of the pz80U, native 24p playback, a brand new panel construction ("one pane of glass"), display of 5,120 shades of gray vs. 4,096 for the 80U, and an upgraded speaker system.

Again, I'm pleased with my pz77U and probably wouldn't have paid to upgrade to the pz700U even if I had been given better information. But know what you're getting. I had the opportunity to see the pz77U and the pz700U side by side after the return period was over, and the pz700U was noticeably superior.

Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ80U 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

I've researched HDTVs for the past 3 weeks very intensely and shocked myself when I ended up with this Panasonic 50PZ80U. I told myself I would stay away from Plasma due to the stories of burn-in (image "burned" into the screen and faintly visible always, no matter what you are watching) and image retention (image is temporary "stuck" on the screen - slightly visible with anything you are watching, but fades after a short period of time)... It turns out that these things are really a thing of the past. Plasmas have really come a long way!

Trying not to ramble, I will get down to the good stuff for those considering this TV.

Pros:
-Unbeatable price for quality. I was looking at the new Samsung 52" 650A LCD for almost 1000$ more, but the picture quality on this Panasonic was better, especially standard definition TV (which is important since most stations are still SD!).
-The most amazing blacks ever! Watching shows like Cold Case are just amazing. Those black suits never looked sooo good. Any LCD was just crushed by this Panasonic's blacks.
-Very easy to get a good picture. This is a pro and a con, as it's easy to get a great picture, but there really aren't that many options to mess with. So, for those that like to get down to the nitty gritty with adjustments, this really doesn't have that. Those that like simple options that produce great picture will love this though.
-Anti-reflection is awesome on this TV. My partner and I just stared at it and she said over and over that she couldn't see any reflection from our windows in the living room, no matter how hard she tried to look for them. I agree with her :)

Cons:
-With the brightness high, you can start to see some very minor "noise" on the picture (little speckles), but you can only see these up close. Our couch is 10 ft from the TV and you cannot see this at all. Even up close, it is very very minor and may partially be due to the HD feed from our cable provider. I also think this may be due to the built in pixel mover to help remove any problems of burn-in and image retention that I mentioned earlier.
-No nitty gritty adjustments for the picture. This was the pro that I listed as well. Although picture quality (PQ) is great, some advance users like to reaaallly adjust things to make their TV best for them, but this TV really only has options like Picture, Brightness, Tint, Sharpness, and Color (with some other options like noise reduction and stuff).
-Stand is kind of cheap plastic. Although the stand works great for it's job, it does feel a little cheapy... it works fine though and it's not like people move their TV all over the place anyway. It almost seemed like an afterthought with Panasonic (like, "Whoops! Boss, we need a stand for this thing!" -- "Oh here, just slap this on there...").


All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase. (I bought mine from 6 Ave as they match prices from price grabber!). I was a little nervous has I hadn't looked them up before I jumped the gun, but after looking around and then actually getting my TV about 5 days after I ordered it in perfect shape, I could not be happier.

Consider this plasma for your next HDTV purchase. This is considered a mid-range priced HDTV and for the money will beat out any LCD at equal size. I was really an LCD only guy before this and I couldn't be happier with my purchase.


Oh and I hate giving things 5 stars as nothing is perfect, but this TV is definitely more than 4 stars... maybe 4.5 :)

I have only had this tv for a few days but so far it is awesome. I looked for almost six months before buying this baby and it is everything my wife and I had hoped for. I would recommend this tv to everyone.

I can also recommend buying it from 6ave through Amazon as I did. They were GREAT!! I ordered it on Sunday and it was in my living room on Friday. Even the freight carrier they use (ICAT Transportation) was awesome. The driver was incredibly helpful and would not let me sign until we opened the box and verified there was no physical damage.

Everything about the entire purchase and the product was perfect.

We looked at and compared many HDTV's before going with the Panasonic plasma. We compared LCD vs. Plasma and decided the plasma was the best way to go for us. The lives of these new plasmas have increased greatly from where they use to be. We have a den that has a couch 10' - 15' away from the corner TV area. We originally bought the 46" version of this plasma from Best Buy and the price for the 50" on Amazon was the same price plus we didn't have to pay shipping or tax. We ordered this on a Sunday and received it via the White Glove service 10 days later. We returned the 46" to Best Buy with no problems since we only had it for 2 weeks. The 46" had an excellent picture as well and we were very pleased with it. We just decided for the same price to go with the larger. Best Buy does not match prices with Amazon.

The glare some people refer to does not show up on either of these plasmas. This is not a problem at all. We do not have it in a bright bright room but there are still windows on the side of the room that the TV is placed on. There isn't any glare from our room lights either.

Another great feature are the different modes you can set each of your components to view. There is a Standard, Cinema, Game, Vivid and Custom. We prefer Game, Vivid and Custom which you set up your own brightness, tints, sharpness, etc. There are 3 total HDMI connections. Two connections are located in the back in which we hooked up our XBox 360 and the digital cable box. The other connection is located in the front and we hooked up a Sony Up Convert DVD player. All of these provide an excellent picture. We purchased the cables from Monoprice and they worked as well as the high dollar Monster cables we originally purchased and have now returned as well. We also purchased Wii cables for a HDTV from Monoprice that improves the picture on the Wii.

All in all, we are extremely happy with the Panasonic plasma HDTV's. Whether you choose the 46" or 50", either one is an excellent choice. Make your decision on what size will fit the area you have. We are glad we purchased the 50", especially for the price. The 50" price is fluctuating between $[...] which is a pretty big difference. Be sure you look at return policies if you happen to order somewhere and it ends up being defective and you need to return. Some places don't accept returns on TV's over so many inches, etc. Others may have a restocking fee, etc.

We are definitely happy with our Amazon purchase!

I researched different brands and types of flat screens for several weeks before settling on the Panasonic plasma tv; I was pleased to see Consumer Reports recommended this particular set as well. We purchased our Panasonic plasma set from 6th Ave Electronics because of the online excellent rating they have as well as their fantastic price. The set arrived in pristine shape, and in one hour we had the base mounted and the set interfaced with a Panasonic SC-PT1050 Home Theater in a Box (HTIB). The sets interfaced with minimum problems (always read the instructions!) The picture is absolutely vivid and razor sharp and the DVD & TV surround sound is amazing!
We didn't know this when we ordered the tv, but Panasonic offers a lifetime "Concierge" service where you can call and get product support and have installation questions answered (they're very knowledgeable, too!) (Um... did I mention, "Always read the instructions"?) They also guarantee they will have someone at your home to repair problems within 48 hours if needed.
The antireflective surface is pretty good, and within a few minutes of daytime watching, you will find that outside reflections are soon ignored. We had looked at other sets without the reflective coating at an electronics store next to a Panasonic, and were impressed at how well the Panasonic coating cuts down on picture interference!
Bottom line.. We are extremely pleased at the quality of our investment as well as the comfort knowing that Panasonic will provide worry-free support over the life of our set. The worry-free shipping offered by 6th Ave Electronics (through Amazon) was an unanticipated benefit!

Panasonic TH-50PZ80U TV

Overall, I love this TV. It is fantastic. A few comments:

1. The speakers are great, as far as TV speakers go. Anyone who complains about them are just surround-sound speaker snobs. That's like complaining that your Ferrari won't float in the lake. That's what your boat is for, dummy. Let's compare apples to apples. A TV is not a surround sound system.

2. Most movies are not 16:9 ratio, as all widescreen TVs are. They are 1.33:1, which means you will still have black bars on the top and bottom of the screen, just like you did with your old tube TV. But the bars are much thinner, at least.

3. Regular analog cable TV looks okay, not great, not bad. I think when you get a TV of this size, since there are limitations on the quality of regular cable, a 50" TV will magnify them, simply because it's so big. However, regular DVDs look fantastic. So if you are getting a digital signal, you shouldn't have any problems.

4. I've had no issues as far as burn-in goes. I've had a movie paused for 20 minutes with no ghosting. I've also had the black bars on the top and bottom for 3 hours watching a movie, and light gray bars on the sides watching regular TV for hours, as well, with no problems. It also has a manual burn-in prevention selection, where you can run a white vertical bar slowly across a black screen as a prevention measure. I do that every once a while on my own, just to give myself a warm and fuzzy feeling. When you watch programs made for the old 4:3 tube TV ratio, it shows light gray bars on the sides of the screen. You can change these to black, but the TV likes them to be light gray to help prevent burn in, although it will default to black bars on the top and bottom when playing a DVD.

5. Reflection, the other concern about Plasmas besides burn-in, is no big deal. It's glass on the front of the TV, so it won't reflect any more than your old TV, or the family portrait on the wall. You might have to turn off a lamp, or close the drapes to remove some glare, but even if you didn't, it's not a deal breaker. LCDs don't have glare problems, but then you have to deal with some blurriness on fast movement, so Plasma seems a better choice to me, especially since burn-in seems non-existent.

6. The box says to keep the TV upright, and the manual said that some internal circuitry could be messed up if it was set on it's side, and I've heard from other people that you need to have the TV upright for 24 hours before you turn it on, but after doing research, the true concern is the huge, expensive piece of glass on the front of your TV. Remember when you see glass trucks rolling down the street, and all the glass is vertical on the side of the truck? That's because it's stronger on it's edge, and being horizontal in the back of a bouncing truck could crack it. I think that the TV is firm enough to keep the glass from cracking or the internal circuitry messing up if you drove slowly and cautiously. Besides, you kind of have to put it on it's side just to get it out of the huge box. I drove it in my van on it's side for 30 miles (that's how the store put it in there), and have had no problems.

7. The box was so big, I initially thought that the TV might be too big for my living room. No such thing. The bigger, the better.

8. The black setting was set to off, which keep the blacks from being as black as they could be. I switched it to on, which made everything a little darker, but I like it better. It's not the brightness setting, as this option was "off" or "on". I think this is a default setting they had for display purposes, to try to make the TV seem brighter for display.

9. One last minor issue, there isn't a separate button for closed captioning on the remote control. I know most people never use closed captioning, but sometimes I can't understand what someone says, and I want to quickly read what they are saying, then turn it back off.

Overall, this is a fantastic TV. I am extremely happy with it.

As an aside, don't pay a ton for an HDMI cable. "Category 2" is as high quality as hdmi.org recognizes, and RadioShack sells them for $40. I have found that Mediabridge cables online for $4 are just as good, as well.

This a great TV set. I am glad I went with this over LCD which I was leaning towards to begin with. No degredation in the picture at all from a wide angle; even the best LCDs cannot match that. It's just like a regular CRT TV set but much sharper and bigger; which means it's nothing like a regular CRT TV set. It will blow you away. The picture quality is great even on non HD channels. All digital channels looked great both Standard and High def. Analog channels were not good but that was because I had bad signal. I had a lot of "snow" in the background. The delivery was fast enough (matched the estimated date 7 business days). They came in and plugged it in. It turned on and they were gone; not great but functional.
Bottom line, this is one of the best deals for the money. Go with LCD only if your TV will double as a PC monitor on regular basis and you want to save a litle energy. Plasma screens run hotter and use more power. This one gets warm but still tolerable. There are 3 small PC style fans on the back to keep it cool. In any other way Plasma rules the picture quality department. It's just as good on sharpness and provides better contrast and a much wider viewing angles than the best LCDs out there and does all that for comparably less money for the same screen size, and this one is one of the best plamas out there and the best deals. Panasonic has good thing going here. I would definately recommend it.
Update: Had the TV for 6 months now, still going great. I have seen other LCD HDTV's at friends and I have to say they do not give the same "cinema like" view that this TV has. I have been spoiled. Plasma big screens certainly have that movie theater feel and quality especially in a "darker" room. Blu-ray movies look amazingly good and sports are more fun. I love this thing. I have to admit though I find it hard at times if I can see much difference between a 1080p blu-ray and a 720p one. If you want true 1080p I think this model is the best value as you get a great product. But if you can settle for a 720P you can go with the TH5080X instead.

I have had ours Panasonic 50" Plasmasince July of this year 2008), I have a bunch of kids & was leary of the track record of some of these other manufacturers I was considering, in regards to warranty assistance SHOULD the need arrive!

I tried (I repaeat TRIED!!) to contact several manufacturer's that were in the running for my consideration, in regards to their warranties, WHO, WHERE HOW...etc would I send/take my humongous plasma to?
I am VERY rural (in the hills of TN!) MOST of them required I SHIP it to them!Do you know how big those boxes are that they come in? & the logistics of repacking it.........NOPE! "It aint a-happenin'!"
NO WAY do I have the room to store that big box, which would be needed to send it to them (& the cost!! Bad-WOW!)

Anyhow.... after MUCH deliberation & research I went with Panasonic (as their warranty is INTO YOUR HOME REPAIR SERVICE should you need a repair, GOOD-WOW!! :-)

I bought this as an older model with GREAT comsumer reviews,& a good value as the newer models continue to roll out & the price continues to fall!
I have been EXTREMELY pleased, & nothing has happened so far to need any warranty work!

The TV is crisp & clear, plays beautifully!

I don't think anyone would be unhappy with any Panasonic TV, I haven't seen a bad one yet......& NO, I don't have any stock (or work for panasonic!!) LOL.....just a bunch of kids & needed a dependable, quality TV....

In hindsight........the ONLY thing is, now that we've had it awhile,,,it actually looks SMALL to us!

We all want a BIGGER one! At least with all the research I've already done on Manufacturer's & their warranties (some are absolutely WORTHLESS!)
I only will have to look for the best deal on the bigger screens!
Hope this helps, 'cuz what good is a great deal on a TV IF you can't get it fixed should you need to!

We own a 42" version of this TV which we love, and decided to add a 50" downstairs. The TV arrived with a defect -- a two-inch vertical line on the left side of the screen which never went away. Everything else was working ok. After many attempts to get through to Panasonic customer support, they arranged in-home service for the TV. The technician replaced one board and it now works perfectly. We love it now. The technician commented that he purchased the 720P version of this TV because Panasonics have fewer problems than the other brands they work on, including Samsung.