This review is from: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display (Electronics)
I am really happy with this purchase. Here are the reasons:
PROS:
- Reasonable price for a 50" plasma. Great value.
- Great picture quality/color/detail (see caveat below)
- Appealing enclosure. Simple, clean. (This was big for me. I find that plasma case designs tend to draw too much attention to themselves. This TV has a slim dark grey, almost black frame. I like it since the plasma is dominated by the image and not by the unit itself. Also, a 50" TV is not a small appliance by any means and this allows it to not overpower a room.)
- DVI or HDMI inputs sold separately, as easily installed module. (This can be viewed as a 'con' but I like the idea of not paying for bell-and-whistles that I don't need. I only needed the DVI input)
CONS:
- Stand sold seprately.
Now having espoused how great this plasma is, it must be said that this TV is not for everyone. Internal processing (upscaling or rendering of standard definition and DVD content) is not as good as say the Pioneer 5070. In my research I found that the quality of video processing varies with each different model. This was an issue for me since a lot of what I will be watching will be standard def DVD's. So a lot of the TV's out there may display HD content fine, but SD content is all over the map.
So my solution was to treat the TV plasma as if it were a monitor and do the scaling/upscaling thorough a separate external video processor. The external video processor can render better quality SD content than most plasmas out there (even high end). What this allowed me to do was to invest less in 'built-in' processing and put that money towards a better video processing solution (I chose the DVDO iScan VP30). You end up paying more money in the end, but keep in mind that when I upgrade plasmas in a couple of years, I keep the video processor for the new monitor. I liken it to the choice between getting an all-in-one computer, like the iMac, vs a CPU/monitor set-up. You get the flexibility to upgrades the 'wheels' and not have by a whole new 'wagon.'
Ultimately, for me it comes down to picture quality (especially for SD content) and value, and this combination has it in spades!
(Also, the plasma/ext VP combination also allows for displaying video at the native resultion of the TV, which for this model sits somewhere between 720P and 1080i. The results make a big difference.)
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This review is from: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display (Electronics)
UPDATE:
I have now used this for several months. This TV is outstanding.
* The picture quality is excellent.
* Generates only modest heat.
* Generates no noise I've been able to detect.
* Glare/reflection is less than my old, non-plasma TV.
The only downside is that the manual is pretty hazy on some important topics: I can't figure out if there are screen-saver tools, so I'm still concerned about burn-in.
That notwithstanding, I'm happier with this purchase than I expected to be, and I had pretty high expectations... :)
ORIGINAL:
I started with some assumptions:
1. Plasma clearly has a better picture and picks up fast action (like the NBA playoffs) better than LCD, so deciding on a technology was pretty straightforward.
2. I have digital cable with an HD DVR (both from Cox Cable), so have no need for a tuner.
3. I have a five-speaker surround sound system from Sony, so speakers are moot.
4. The wall on which I would mount this was only 56" wide (between a door and the fireplace), so form factor was an issue.
5. The room in which this is placed is very bright during the day.
Given these, picking the TH-50PH9UK was a no-brainer. Since all the heavy lifting of reception and sound is being performed by other devices, all I needed was a solid monitor with a small footprint. The Panasonic was clearly the best choice.
The HD picture is outstanding when viewed from any angle. Colors are bright, fast action is picked up with no pixelation, and blacks are truly black. When watching in SD, I get a better picture than I did with my 36-inch RCA, and it frames and sizes the picture automatically and accurately.
I do get a fair amount of glare with this TV (as I said, it's a bright room), but don't be fooled by the hysteria surrounding glare. The only reason that a plasma has more glare than an LCD is that the plasma has a glass face (just like a regular TV), while the LCDs have an anti-glare front coating. Setting aside the fact that the screen is larger, the glare is absolutely no different than with a standard TV. If you're accustomed to whatever glare you currently experience, rest assured that this TV will be no worse. Don't worry about that in making your decision.
What I especially like about the TH-50PH9UK is its form factor. It's only 47" wide, including its narrow black bezel (only about 1-1/2"). It looks simple and clean on the wall. The height (about 28") is roughly the same as the 36" TV I was replacing, not unusual given the speakers and big cabinet of a standard TV. While it doesn't have speakers built in, it does have the ability to plug two speakers into it.
Getting it up and running was a breeze. I bought the HDMI card from Amazon, and installed it in two minutes. Other than some issues mounting it on the wall (not the fault of the TV), all I did was plug it in to the cable box and turn it on. Gorgeous from the start.
Wall-mounting tip: make sure that you get a wall-bracket that's wide enough to span and center over studs. My space was very small, and so was the bracket. I could have avoided a lot of hassle had I bought a bracket that was more than 32 inches wide (given standard stud spacing of 16 inches). The bracket I bought was 30 inches wide, which made alignment more difficult.
I have absolutely no regrets about making this purchase. It was hundreds less than buying something like the 600U, and if you (like most people) don't need all the built-ins like receiver and speakers, then don't waste your money on them.
This is an outstanding monitor, quiet and simple, with an amazing picture. Even my wife is now a convert to HD!
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This review is from: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display (Electronics)
The Panasonic TH-50PH9UK is the darling of knowledgeable A/V enthusiasts on a budget. Well reviewed by everyone from CNET to Audioholics, the 50PH9UK might be the most cost-effective way to put an incredible 50-inch plasma display in your entertainment system.
You should know that this is a monitor and not a TV. For many, that is a positive, not a negative. It has no built in tuner. Nor does it sport built-in speakers, enabling Panasonic to dress the display in an elegant, minimalistic black bezel. (Speakers ARE available as an option.)
This monitor comes with a few inputs. (Component and VGA, I think.) The user can have any input he wants, however, simply by purchasing the appropriate blade and installing it in one of the available slots. Many users get the HDMI blade. I myself purchased a DVI blade for technical reasons I will not go into here. This blade system is very nice and works very well. This "buy only what you need" aspect of the 9UK is one of its most attractive attributes.
Most importantly, the picture this thing produces is incredible. Properly set up, its probably close to as good as you can get. You can spend much more on a display to get slightly closer to perfect, but believe me, you will not be disappointed with the picture here.
I have mine wall mounted on a nice tilting Peerless wall mount. Which reminds me: this display IS pretty heavy (like 80-something pounds).
All in all, I doubt if you can get more display for your money.
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I am very happy with the product, price, transaction, and delivery (the monitor was delivered BEFORE the estimated delivery date). The picture quality is excellent and the monitor looks great in my home. If I had to make the purchase again, I would do it just the same. Thank you!
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This review is from: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display (Electronics)
I won't add to what's already been said about a great display. However, I would simply warn anyone that the HDMI board sold separately for this display only supports up to 1080i. If you are using a 1080p source, use the DVI input.
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This review is from: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display (Electronics)
Like many people, I have invested heavily in an excellent Home Theater sound system that is tied into a Yamaha receiver. My input sources are Satellite and Standard DVD (for now). As you can see, I had no reason to purchase the extras of a speaker and tuner on the TV. With this Panasonic, I spent about 100 extra dollars to invest in an HDMI input module and was up and running. The unit mounts clean on the wall with only two slim cords showing (power and HDMI). The picture is outstanding and appears to be as good as any 1080p sets I have seen. I was not concerned that it didn't accept 1080p since the present inputs I have max out at 1080i and it appears that will be the situation for some time (especially as far as the satellite service is concerned) If the same set had been available in 58 inch at the time I bought, I probably would have gone for that but for now...I am absolutly delighted with the quality.
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This review is from: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display (Electronics)
I bought this a number of years ago, as i was running PAL and NTSC sources at the same time. I did not have the optional speakers with this so cannot comment on the sound. The picture however is as you would expect from a Panasonic display - exceptionally accurate and very close to real life out of the box. I added a HDMI blade in the free slot and fund that this was as easy to use as the other inputs.
Overall this monitor worked as well with my PAL sources as it did with NTSC and picture quality is very good. These days the latest Panasonic and Samsung displays appear to have the best pictures and in particular upscaling from non-HD sources is noticably better than with this panel.
If you are looking for a multi-region panel and want accurate picture and color (as opposed to the overly bright store displays) look no further than any panel in this series from Panasonic. They can be put together in a matrix of up to 16 panels with the addition of special blades and a controller also if needed.
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This review is from: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK 50" Plasma Display (Electronics)
I purchased this product over a year ago. I have never regretted it. For those that use a cable box as their TV tuner and run their audio through an audio tuner, this is the way to go HD. For the same price and same amount of space as a 42 inch plasma television, I was able to buy and install this 50 inch plasma monitor. My only caveat: you should also buy either a HDMI or a DVI blade (sold separately) at the time of purchase. If you have more than one HDMI source you may want to buy 2 HDMI blades or a switching system. Another piece of advice is my set shipped with BNC (British Naval Connectors) for the component inputs. These can be converted to the more common RCA inputs with converters that sell for about a dollar each at an electronics store. Have a friend help you install the TV, it is heavy! That being said the installation and set up is pretty straightforward.
The set itself is wonderful. Overall appearance is very clean. It almost disappears when it is off. Many visitors have walked past it and asked where our television is. The viewing angle is very good, and we have had no issues with glare. There is a screen saver option that will create random small white squares to prevent burn in, surprisingly not distracting. It also has a display mode that minimizes distortion to the center of the screen when the picture is stretched and will crop out tickers that run across the bottom of the screen to further prevent burn in. After a year I have not been able to find a hint of burn in.
The picture is beautiful. The blacks are very dark, colors are bright. It is able to produce a brilliant red with no bleeding. Both SD and HD look great. Overall this is a great set. If it somehow became damaged, I would replace it with the same model.
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