Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 56.9 x 16.2 x 37.4 inches ; 136.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 160 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B001DSYNB0
• Item model number: TH-58PZ800U
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #39,264 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description--August 05, 2008

Amazon.com Product Description--August 05, 2008 With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings anastonishing 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio to the table. advanced pixel resolution and image-processing technology with the plasma TV's natural ability to beautifully reproduce fast moving images, so every detail is rendered with amazing clarity, and all the action is delivered with a high degree of fluidity.

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What's New This Year?

• Super Contrast--native contrast ratios on the PZ85, PZ800 and PX 850 series are 30,000:1, double last year's 15,000:1.
  
• Dynamic contrast ratios are up to 1,000,000:1.
• new anti-reflective filter; lead-free "Tough Under Force" panel is resistant to impacts and scratches
  
• Built-in SD card slot with Photo Viewer/Gallery Player software
• x.v. Color and Deep Color (HDMI 1.3 features)
• 24p native reproduction
• Game Mode auto-adjusts image quality suitable to games and includes anti-image retention
• Viera Link is now compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems
  
• At least 3 HDMI inputs on all models (4 on PZ800 and PZ850 series)
• THX Certification on PZ800 and PZ850 series

Which Viera is Right For You?

Click here to see a comparison of step up features on each Viera series.

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One Sheet of Glass Design

Beautiful, elegant, and functional -- a single pane of glass covers the entire front of the television, including the bezel. This design reduces or eliminates the "halo" effect that can occur around lettering and logos with traditional 3-pane designs

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Amazing color reproduction The incredible black reproduction of a Panasonic High-Definition Plasma TV results in impressive contrast and beautiful, natural colors. So you'll get warm, accurate skin tones, gorgeous greens, breathtaking blues and vivid reds. For color that's as rich and bold as life itself, look to a Panasonic Plasma TV.

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Consistent brightness from any angle A Panasonic Plasma combines anti-glare and anti-reflection technology with the natural light-emitting properties of plasma, to give you a super-wide viewing range with a crisp, beautiful image from almost any angle.

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Smooth, graceful motion When you're watching sports or movies with fast-motion graphics, you want a TV that can keep up with the action. With over 900 lines of moving picture, self-illuminating plasma displays eliminate afterimages in fast-action scenes. So whether you're watching a sporting event or an action-packed movie, you'll always get the most impressive viewing experience possible.

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24p native reproduction Movies are shot at 24 frames per second. Unfortunately, TVs operating at 60Hz can only refresh 20 times per second, which means they must drop every fifth frame. With its 2008 Viera PZ85, PZ800, and PZ850 models, Panasonic introduces 24p native resolution, which means 24 frame per second movie content is reproduced frame for frame exactly, making for true-to-source smoothness of motion.

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1,000,000:1 Contrast The Panasonic's Real Black system (a pre-discharge suppression system) and improved panel production processes combine to reproduce outstanding blacks with superb contrast. Each image is richly expressive, from bright scense, like scorching desert landscapes, to dark cave scenes. Compare the image produced by conventional HDTV on the left to the Real Black image produced on the right

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More Colors Viera HDTVs support the xvYCC color profile (Extended YCC Colorimetry for Video Applications), or "x.v. color" for short. Standard RGB color space allows the display of a portion of the colors that are viewable to the human eye. The next generation "xvYCC" color space actually offers  an available range of colors that exceeds what human eyes can recognize. Next-generation "xvYCC" color space supports 1.8 times as many colors as existing HDTV signals Lets HDTVs display colors more accurately Enables displays with more natural and vivid colors

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Deep Color Where x.v. color expands the available range of colors your HDTV can display, Deep Color increases the number of colors your HDTV can display within that range, for smoother transitions from color to color. Lets HDTVs and other displays go from millions of colors to billions of colors Eliminates on-screen color banding, for smooth tonal transitions and subtle gradations between colors Enables increased contrast ratio Can represent many times more shades of gray between black and white.

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Connectivity

Viera flat panel HDTVs interact with an array of high-definition devices and services, making it easy for consumers to access and enjoy content as never before. As of 2008, Viera Link is compatible with Onkyo and Yamaha home theater systems.

Videos and stills recorded on SD cards can easily be viewed via the SD slots on Panasonic Blu-Ray Disc players and Viera HDTVs.	Viera Link means easy connectivity via HDMI cables. Finally, consumers can easily operate their Blu-Ray Disc players, DVD recorders and home theater systems with a single remote control device.
Equipped with an RGB input terminal, VIERA can connect with your PC and serve as a large-screen monitor.	4 HDMI inputs to connect all of your devices directly to your television.

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Long Life Panasonic plasma panels are rated to last 100,000 hours, which is about 30 years of regular or 11 years of non-stop usage before the brightness of the display is halved.

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Get Full HD with Blu-Ray Disc Players A Panasonic 1080p plasma television is able to render 1920x1080 pixels, but standard DVDs have a resolution of just 720x480. Blu-ray discs output true 1080p High-Definition resolution and have a storage capacity ten times greater than standard DVDs, so no pixel gos to waste.

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Which is the Right Viera for You?

	Screen Size Measured Diagonally	1080p Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixels	Native Contrast Ratio	PC Input	THX Cert	24p	Speakers	HDMI Inputs	One Sheet of Glass Design	Swivel Base	Shades of Gradation	H.264 Codec	Digital Cinema Color	Studio Reference Mode	Pro Setting Menu	Serial Port	Standard Features
TH-42PX80U	42 inches		15,000:1				2	3			4,096						480 Hz Sub-field Drive Technology Anti-Reflective Filter Viera Link HDAVI Control Built-in SD Card Slot w/Photo Viewer Deep Color Technology x.v. Color 3D Color Mangement Sub-Pixel Controller Motion Pattern Noise Reduction Anti-Image Retention Mode Game Mode Scratch and Impact Rsistant Panel 100,000 Hours to Panel Half-Brightness (>30 years @ 8 hours/day) Lead-free Panel
TH-50PX80U	50 inches		15,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-42PZ80U	42 inches		20,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-46PZ80U	46 inches		20,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-50PZ80U	50 inches		20,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-42PZ85U	42 inches		30,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-46PZ85U	46 inches		30,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-50PZ85U	50 inches		30,000:1				2	3			4,096
TH-42PZ800U	42 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-46PZ800U	46 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-50PZ800U	50 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-58PZ800U	58 inches		30,000:1				4	4			4,096
TH-46PZ850U	46 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120
TH-50PZ850U	50 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120
TH-58PZ850U	58 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120
TH-65PZ850U	65 inches		30,000:1				4	4			5,120

Product Description

58" Class Widescreen VIERA Plasma 1080p HDTV with Increased Native Contrast Ratio, THX® Certified Display, 24p Cinematic Playback, BBE® ViVA HD3D Sound, Built-In SD Card Memory Slot and 4 HDMI Inputs

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware -- Prices fluctuating wildly on this HD television, September 6, 2008

By 

Opinunated (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)

This is just a heads up about pricing.

I placed my order for this television on 9/2/2008.

THE PRICE from AMAZON with FREE SHIPPING was $2,835.21.

Delivery time quoted, when I placed the order, was 1 to 2 months. UPDATE: Amazon delivered my TV on 9/30/2008 (in about a month) in perfect condition at the price I've quoted ($2,835.21).

Prices are changing day by day. In fact, the day after I placed my order, Amazon raised their price by $500.00. That is quite a price increase in one day! Over the course of the next TWO weeks the price went up to match the list price of $3700. So, in just two weeks time, there was a $900 increase in price! Finally prices are drifting lower again. Early in November, the price has dropped back down to the $2800 range.

THE BEST DEAL YET (11/18/2008). Not only has Amazon lowered its price to an all time low of $2689.00 BUT Amazon says that if you add the Panasonic BDK-35 Blu-ray player (CNET - top rated!) to your cart you will get an additional $300.00 off the combined purchase. Since this player costs $239.00 you will not only receive the player for free but also save an additional $61.00 off of the price of the TV. This deal is a no-brainer, while it lasts. This player is top-rated and, of course, plays standard DVDs too. UPDATE: Unfortunately Amazon withdrew this offer after only a week.

There were no reviews published when I purchased this set but its 50" sister - the Panasonic TH-50PZ800U - had received top reviews. In fact, the 50" version of this set is widely considered either the best HDTV ever made or second only to the much more expensive Pioneer Kuros. UPDATE: This HDTV was Awarded "Editors Choice" by CNET on 10/3/2008 (now only the 50" Pioneer Kuro Elite is rated higher). CNET even rated this Panasonic 58" a tiny bit better than Panasonic's 50" version due to slightly deeper blacks.

Don't pay too much for this set. This set is just starting to trickle into stores and only, late in September, did Amazon have this TV in stock. I can't see why any consumer would pay any more than I have ($2835.21) and I hope they will pay less.

As a general guideline: I've found that a good discount for a Panasonic Plasma will be at least 25% off of the list price.

What is interesting is how carefully the other merchants listed on Amazon.com follow Amazon's lead on price. On the day I purchased this HDTV there were other merchants that were VERY close to Amazon's total price even after including any shipping charges (one was actually a few dollars less including shipping). Once Amazon raised its price, within 24 hours, all these other merchants raised their prices to match Amazon's new price. That trend has continued with these other sellers closely following Amazon's lead.

Amazon's white glove delivery service works extremely well. I was concerned about this and wondered how Amazon's delivery service would stack up against buying this set in person? Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The TV was delivered on time, it was unpacked, the stand was installed, and the TV was placed where I wanted it (the packaging was also removed). I knew how to connect the TV to all my other components but you certainly shouldn't expect the truckers to know how to do this for you! Still they waited 5 minutes for me to make all my connections and confirm the set was in perfect condition. Even if you don't know how to connect the set (prior to studying the manual) - just plugging it into a wall outlet (no other connections required) and turning it on displays a menu on the screen which confirms it was not damaged in transit.

KUDOS to AMAZON on its White Glove Service! Well Done and hassle free!!!

The picture quality exceeds my wildest expectations, assuming a few important changes are made to the set's default settings. With good high definition content the picture is absolutely stunning, better than what I recall was shown at my local movie theatre. High definition movies on HBO really do look better than when I saw them in the theatre. If there is a criticism to be found it is that the default settings are either too dim (THX mode) or too garish (custom mode). However it is easy to adjust the settings to produce a much better picture. I'd encourage everyone to use the settings listed in Greg Lavery's Amazon review (these were first published by CNET and then discussed/updated in the AVS forum). These settings are extremely important if you want the best possible picture and the improvements they yield are NOT subtle! However, having said that, this still may NOT be the best TV for a brightly lit room because it is not the brightest set available and the screen is somewhat reflective. For everyone else, you are purchasing one of the finest HDTVs ever made. The quality and naturalness of the picture is often jaw-dropping. It is hard to explain in words, exactly how good this set is --- even to those of you who have already purchased another HDTV. For example, I purchased a 26" Toshiba HDTV (2008 model) for my office. That HDTV looks pretty poor when compared to this Panasonic. It is almost impossible to overstate the quality of the picture that this set can produce.

Keep in mind this is one, very large, HDTV and it can easily dwarf everything else in a room.

One Final Comment: Know who you are buying from at Amazon. Just below the price if it says "ships from and sold by XXX company" you are NOT buying from Amazon but another company who pays a fee to Amazon to sell products on Amazon's website. While these other companies may be fine - I choose to purchase this HDTV directly from Amazon and NOT from one of these other merchants whose track record I could not as easily evaluate. The shipping policies of these other companies may also vary from Amazon's white glove delivery service.

80 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This TV is very crisp and beautiful, October 25, 2008

By 

G. Lavery - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)

I got this TV b/c cnet seemed to rave about it. I had a TH-50PX600U and that was a nice TV and I'm a big panasonic fan, but this TV I can definitely notice an improvement in quality from my cable HD channels, even though both are from the same 720p signal. In addition, watching Blu-Ray from this is beautiful (I'm using a PS3). I'm really happy with the purchase. One recommendation for anyone owning this TV is to use custom settings and not use the settings that are default.


The rest of the review is copy/pasted from "daarrid" over at avsforum.com
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1056962

However lets remember that the THX mode can be adjusted!!!! Panasonic's default settings for THX are just wrong. The CNET reviewer, using a completely dark room, adjusted the THX settings considerably upward from their default settings. Just for the sake of example - CNET increased the picture setting from 50 to 100 for their review.

I'd suggest that anyone owning this set start with CNET's THX settings:

CNET's THX settings (completely dark room):

Picture: 100
Brightness: 55
Color: 56
Tint: 0
Sharpness: 50
Color Temp: Warm
Cats: Off
Color Man.: Off
MPEG NR: Off
HD Size: Size 2
Black Level: Light


Or try My THX Settings (for a dimly lite room):

THX MODE:

Picture: 95
Brightness: 62
Color: 50
Tint: -8
Sharpness: 50
Color Temp: Normal
Cats: Off
Color Man.: On
MPEG NR: Off
HD Size: Size 2
Black Level: Light

While I use my Custom settings occassionally - tweaking the THX settings are much more important for everyday use. I use THX 90% of the time. The Custom Mode I created, I generally use ONLY for broadcasts made for TV. Remember THX is a movie standard and does not technically apply to TV shows (although some of these TV shows may also look better in THX).

Here are my custom mode settings again (already posted). Use these settings for TV shows and/or movies shown in a bright room:

CUSTOM MODE:

Picture: 85
Brightness: 50
Color: 34
Tint: -7
Sharpness: 50
Color Temp: Normal
Cats: Off
Color Man.: On
MPEG NR: Off
HD Size: Size 2
Black Level: Light

61 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't assume anything, ask if you're not sure!!!, September 15, 2008

By 

James Ulchinsky - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Panasonic Viera TH-58PZ800U 58-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV (Electronics)

Two months ago I bought a 52" LCD TV (not Panasonic) for my family room, so my grand kids could watch TV and play Xbox & Playstation 3 games. The TV was bought directly from Amazon and the shipping was free. When it got to my house over three weeks later, two men deliverd the TV and put it in my family room. They took it out of the box and set it up and pluged it in to make sure everything worked. (It did) They said the white glove service was on all TV's from Amazon. On 08/29/2008 I went to Amazon's web sight and bought my TH-58PZ800U ($2961.99) for my living room and the shipping was free too. My 58" Panasonic TV was actually bought from a partner company through Amazon, called Buy Now Inc., which still honored the free shipping. When the TV was delivered 09/11/2008 (in very good condition), it was only delivered by one man and it was a side walk delivery only. He saw I was disabled and was nice enough to bring it in through my front door and left it in my living room. I unpacked it and set it up two days later. The TV (140 lbs) comes with a stand and it's very easy to set up but you will need at least two healthy people and three is even better. I called Amazon and asked why the difference in my type of delivery? They said, All TV items bought directly from Amazon get the white glove type delivery treatment and from partner companies in most cases it will be a side walk delivery only. Both times the trucking company called a day or two ahead, to set up the delivery I strongly recommed you ask what type of delivery you're getting. I hope this helps?

Now about the TH-58PZ800U Panasonic Plasma TV which I researched for over a month before I bought it. I read all the personal and profesional reviews I could find. I was very lucky to have a major National Electronics store in my area that had a large selection of most of the major brands that made Plasma TV's. I want to be very honest in this review. Three or four other brands of Plasma TV's have come a long way and they looked great. I tried to compare apples to apples by comparing only Plasma TV's because that's what I wanted for my living room. It was very hard to see a major difference in picture and color in alot of todays Plasma TV's on display. I narrowed it down to two or three Plasma TV's in the 58" to 60" range. What made the decision for me was: My 58" Panasonic had a very good picture, colors were excellent, the non glare screen, all the HDMI (4) and other inputs, Panasonics Reputation, Quality and Repair history. I already own a 42" Panasonic Plasma TV that is 5 years old and it still has a great picture. Last but not least, the sound from the TV speakers is great if you don't have a home sound system, which I do, so I checked it out and then I hooked it up to my ow home sound system. The remote control is easy to use and the menu, doing the TV set up, is very easy and quick to do. Right now I have no negatives because I've only had the TV for 5 days and used it for 3 days. I hope this review has helped in some ways.