Customer Reviews

Zenith Z50PX2D 50-Inch Plasma HDTV

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(40)

 

 

****UPDATE**** - After spending $1000 to have this t.v. fixed, it was about 7 months later, and once again, POP - out goes the picture. Zenith's products are a joke, and it's very clear that this particular product is defective and should have been recalled. However Zenith would rather keep your $3000+ instead of stand behind their product. It's no wonder Zenith changed their name to LG because they know that nobody will buy anything that says "Zenith" on it. It's only a matter of time until people catch on to "LG" and they earn a bad reputation. We also sent a very nasty e-mail to Zenith/LG about this, and have not heard squat in response. Not so much as even a "We're sorry you're unhappy with the product". Thanks for nothing Zenith. I wish I could have my $4000 back, because less than 2 years from original date of purchase, this t.v. is going to the dumpster. Would have been only a year if I hadn't had it repaired.

Everything below is my original review:

I bought this TV 1 year and 2 weeks ago. Overall I was happy with the picture quality (although the blacks are really splotchy). Unfortunately, I was watching TV when POP! there went the screen. Of course the warranty was only for 1 year (even though the website states a 2 year warranty on Plasma TV's) so I just got screwed by 2 weeks. Reading the other reviews I see out of only 7 reviews, at least one other person has had this happen as well. This makes me really question the quality of this TV. Do yourself a favor and buy a Sony or a panasonic or at least get a really long, extended service plan. Getting burned for $3500 sucks.

I know we had done consumer report reviews and were excited at the time b/c of the price and LG type plasma at a zenith price.MY D/H had seen these reviews 4 mos. ago and was praying it would not happen to us but it did.THE POP reality happened this am.I will never again buy anything with the zenith name.I thought they stood for quality but no more.Count us in on the class action suit for duping all of us that were surprised by such an inferior product that should have never been on the market in the first place.Cathy Naylor

Yup, heres another one. Great picture, even greater with HD channels especially Direct TV's NFL package. Discover HD is just incredible. Last Sunday my son was watching cartoons in the morning and POP there goes the picture. This TV was exactly 53 weeks old. I purchased the extended warranty offered by Best Buy so lets see how that goes.

Today I Googled my Zenith Plasma TV, model Z50PX2D for reviews. I was amazed at how many other people had the same experience that I have had with this TV. It was a great TV until about two days after the one year warranty expired. It's funny how Circuit City (were I bought the TV) had kept contacting us about getting an extended warranty. I kept declining, my thinking being, I spent $3,000.00 on a TV, I should be good for 10-20 years. Stupid!!! Two days after the one year warranty, we lost all picture on this TV, nothing but a black screen with audio. This was preceded by red sparkles being visible on black screens and sometimes during actual viewing of a picture. I called LG and at first they said too bad, the warranty was for one year. I was mad! I decided to try again a couple of days later and call them again. This time LG said, no, my warranty was for two years and they would replace this TV with a new one of the same model. This was unusual to me, seeing how they changed answers on their policy, on the second call I made to them. I asked them if our warranty would start over with the new TV and they said "no", we would be under our original one year warranty. I asked them if we could get a full refund and they said "no". I asked if they were aware of an ongoing problem with this model of TV and they said "no". I told them that I have bought TVs at pawn shops that have lasted 10 times as long as this one did. The person who I was talking to at LG, laughed. He must have thought that this was funny. I for one, do not think this is funny. $3,000.00 is a lot of money too me and I can't believe that there has not been a recall on this model. Will the second TV do the same thing? If so, I have spent this money on a two year TV and LG will have a large problem on their hands - ME!

I've had this TV 14 months; while my sister was watching it a loud pop and black screen appeared; I have a feeling I'm going to get screwed on this like the other 2 reviewers; the warranty is only a year; I mistakenly had faith in zenith so I didn't buy the extended warranty from CC; I wasn't that happy with it to begin with; the sound is tinny and crackly at times; with a black background there's a lot of varibility in the blacks which is what I think other people are referring to as artefact with a black background; they form these black/grey blotches which is annoying; I don't recommend you purchase this; this is certainly making me question the LG refridgerator and dishwasher that I have bought too; there must be more cases like mine and the other 2 reviewers; zenith/LG's quality control was got to be better

*Updated, since we've gone another year of heavy usage with this TV, and it's still as good as the day we bought it. We leave it on in the evenings, whether or not we're watching it (I like the background noise, and news), so we're probably going on 5,000 hours.

For those of you who have had the "popping" problem, it would help the rest of us owners (whose TVs are still fine after well over 2 years) to know:

(a) What was the manufacture date of your TV?

(b) When did you buy the TV?

(c) What time of year (month/season) did it "pop"?

(d) What is your setup? Wall-mount? Stand?

(e) Is the area behind the TV well ventilated?

*The previous few questions are only because plasma TVs use a lot of power, and of course will run hot (just feel the back after a couple hours). One of the number 1 rules to owning a plasma is to use it in a VERY well ventilated area.

(f) What were your TV settings most of the time? Brightness/Contrast? Low/Regular power? Did you lower the settings for the first 200 hours as recommended for all plasmas?

(g) How many hours a day did you typically run the TV?

I only suggest that people update their reviews with more info, because it might make a difference as to how the owners of working sets continue with their current setup. If it turns out many of the "poppers" were hung on the wall in a room with no venilation behind it, or right up against a wall, or anywhere near a heater/vent, or left on for several hours at a time - that's going to make a huge difference, and it might help others preserve their TVs, saving from the same outcome. The average owner might not be aware of the proper care and setup of their plasma, which could lead to some (of course not all) of the unhappy buyers of this TV.

Just a thought.

Even if it dies, we had some good times.

Do not buy Plasma. This unit, like all others didn't last even 2 years. It Popped and will no longer work. Researched internet to find out I bought a lemom (purchased with my house). Also, found out that Plasma tv's are packed full of Printed Circuit Boards, need lots of voltage and produce the most heat compared to LCD's and possibly DLP's. I don't know much about tv repair, but I know my way around computer repair, and typical repairs include power supply and mother board replacement due to heat and voltage. 2+2 in this case does not equal 5, so take my advice if your dishing out lots of money for a tv you want to last until your kids reach the college age.

The picture was nice while it lasted but our television "popped" at 1 year and 3 days after purchase. For a television this expensive it should last a lot longer. Too bad I didn't get to hear about all these other people with their televisions popping before purchasing this one.

I bought the Zenith 50" plasma 14 months ago and from the looks of it, these TVs don't last more than that. Last night our TV made a huge POPPING noise and that was all she wrote.

I now have to battle with Best Buy and convince them to give me another brand or store credit. I bought the warranty for the TV ($399 for 4 years) but I don't want this TV fixed. I want a different brand.

I can't believe that their isn't a recall on this item. The internet is full of this popping problem.

Wish me luck on getting another brand.

I would rate zero stars but the minimum is one. Ours popped 3 months outside the one year warranty. LG(maker of zenith's) has such poor customer service. They said they had to have someone review issue and call me back. No call for 2 wks.I called again and again. No one ever did call me, but on my 3rd callback they said it was out of warranty and we should've bought the extended warranty at the time of purchase. $2800.00 for 15 months of TV use is not something Zenith/LG care about. When I mentioned this was a known problem since it's posted on the internet, they denied knowing of issue. I wish someone would get a class action suit against LG.