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Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U 50-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV | 
 enlarge | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
Buy New: Too low to display
New (13)
Avg. Customer Rating:  33 reviews
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Batteries: 2
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 50
Shipping Weight (lbs): 88.2
Dimensions (in): 49.4 x 3.7 x 32.8
MPN: TH-50PZ800U
Model: TH-50PZ800U
UPC: 037988241927
EAN: 0037988241927
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | 1920 x 1080 Resolution | | • | 1000000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio for the Brightest whites and darkest blacks | | • | 5120 Shades of Gradation for spectacular Color Reproduction | | • | Viera LinK™ HDAVI Control lets you operate all of your home theater components by pressing a single button on your TV's remote control | | • | GalleryPlayer allows you to enjoy the world's finest high definition art and photography on your Panasonic HD plasma TV |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The PZ800 series meets the THX Certified Display specifications, signifying the highest standards of performance and quality. The PZ800 Plasma televisions feature an improved native contrast ratio of 30,000:1; Game Mode; VIERA Link; a PC Input, four HDMI connections and an all new one sheet of glass design concept.
Amazon.com Product Description--August 05, 2008
With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings an astonishing 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.
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.
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
| | 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. |
| | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | 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 |
 | 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. |  |  |
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| | 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. |
 | 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. |
| 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
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| 15,000:1
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096
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| - 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
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| 15,000:1 |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-42PZ80U
| 42 inches |  | 20,000:1
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-46PZ80U
| 46 inches | | 20,000:1 |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-50PZ80U
| 50 inches | | 20,000:1 |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-42PZ85U
| 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-46PZ85U
| 46 inches | | 30,000:1
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-50PZ85U
| 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | |
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| 2
| 3
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| 4,096 |
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| TH-42PZ800U
| 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | TH-46PZ800U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | TH-50PZ800U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | TH-58PZ800U | 58 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4
| 4
| | | 4,096 |
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| | 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 | | | | | |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 Panasonic 800 Series HDTV Review & Configuration Help June 13, 2008
120 out of 129 found this review helpful
My hope is that this review will come across as credible after a brief introduction revealing my technical background. I have been a home theater enthusiast since 1995 and ran a small video and independent film business from 1996 - 2001. This review and check list are based on both personal research and professional experience. If you do not wish to read this entire review, feel free to scroll to the bottom where I have created a systematic checklist that will enable any Panasonic 800 series HDTV to maximize its fullest potential. More specifically, I will attempt to draw upon the televisions abilities when viewing Blu-ray movies which, to date, offer the best HD image quality and upgradeable potential.
If you factor tax and delivery, I bought the TH-50pz800U Plasma for about $700 less than retail and it performs great. The best-upgraded features on 2008/09's Panasonic 800 series include the 24p playback for Blu-ray movies and 100,000-hour lifespan of the display itself.
Why the 100,000-hour lifespan is important
This feature was a major selling point for me because I wanted a Plasma due to LCD's poor dark color reproduction but was worried about the shorter lifespan of most Plasma's which is typically only 30,000 to 70,000 hours. However, this baby specs out at 100,000, which is equal to 8 hours per day for over 34 years. Unheard of for Plasma displays until the 800 series arrived in April.
Why 24p is important
Although this HDTV supports a variety of features that will be better utilized in the next stage of HD technology 24p is here now. Currently only Blu-ray and a variety of high-end camcorders are capable of outputting 24p content. What is 24p? In a nutshell 24p is the frame rate in which images are displayed on your TV or Computer screens. A 24p capable system can display video at 24 frames per second rather than succumbing to display a converted video signal at 30 frames per second. This is important because all Hollywood films are shot and later projected in theaters at 24 frames per second. After theatrical release, studios then convert their films to 30 frames per second and ship them to the home video markets as well as television broadcast networks. This conversion process is known as 3:2 pull down and it means that you ultimately lose several frames as they are blended together to display at 30 frames per second. This is why you sometimes will not see smooth motion when you fast forward or rewind DVD's. Once a Blu-ray begins, be sure to use your TV remote to enter the advanced custom picture options and select 48Hz (a factor of 24) rather than 60Hz under the "24p Direct In" field. The instructions to set this up are included in the checklist at the end of this article. At first, you may notice a slight flicker but after your eyes adjust, you will feel as though a State of the Art film projector is rolling your favorite movies right in your living room. When you are done with 24p content, the TV will switch back to 30 frames per second (60Hz) automatically.
Future Proof
The other features available with the 800 series Panasonic's are intriguing but will not be able to dazzle you until media technology catches up. For example, this TV supports Deep Color, which is technically the next step up from True Color. True Color is the color depth standard that has been output to computer displays for years. Deep Color enables many more variations of color. Unfortunately, nothing on the market except for a few high-end camcorders output images utilizing this advanced color pallet. It is safe to assume that Blu-ray movies will do so in the future because of there massive storage capabilities. For PS3 owners you will need to turn on the "Super-White" feature under "Display Settings" to enable this functionality. It took a bit of research but essentially "Super-White" is Sony's name for Deep Color. Again, detailed instructions for setting up this feature can be found at the end of this review.
Many websites and message boards claim that Deep Color will not be a big deal when it finally arrives because its full potential is impossible to detect. What this means is that although Deep Color will offer several thousand additional color variations the human eye will only be able to differentiate about 360 of them. Still, further research will reveal that those 360 additional shades essentially push the entire color pallet of the human eye to its limits. In other words, all the real time color data that went into establishing the next shot of a film appears in front of you exactly as it did for the director. No visible shade of color gets lost or fades when put through the eventual electronic transfer process.
Do you remember when HDTV first came out? The early reviews claimed that the picture was so clear it was like looking through a window. Well, theoretically Deep Color will bring this statement to life because for the first time in history an electronic image will be able to reproduce every single color that is recognizable to the human eye.
Conclusion
The 800 series of Panasonic displays are the perfect solution for consumers looking to add a long-term home theater display to their arsenal. The set is ready for features that have potential to become more of an HD standard in the years to come. The product line is truly future proof and ready to adjust to the rapidly evolving HD industry. If you are like me, you may also be considering the only other real competition in the high-end Plasma HDTV market, Pioneer. If so, consider this; beginning next year Pioneer will no longer continue developing their HD product line from scratch. Instead, they will be outsourcing for raw plasma displays and then tweaking them. Where will they get these raw displays? You guessed it, Panasonic.
Checklist to maximize this TV's Performance
If you wish to enable feature 5 you may need to toggle between "Size 1" and "Size 2" for maximum visuals during Blu-ray Screenings/Video Gaming (Size 2) and all other viewing (Size 1)
1.Connect your Blu-ray player or PS3 using a Category 2 HDMI cable to ensure that you are ready for future Deep Color support as well as current support for a broader color space through x.v.Color. Be sure to connect this device to the first HDMI port labeled "HDMI 1" in the input menu. If you search Amazon by entering: Category 2 HDMI, you will find several affordable options.
a.HINT: Expensive name brand cables make no difference when transferring a digital signal and do not improve picture quality. Digital signals are either present or not present. There is no such thing as a weak digital signal. That is why the world is moving away from analog and switching to digital. All data that travels through an HDMI cable is 100% digital.
b.You want to use the first HDMI port because it is possible that the HDTV bases its HDMI compatibility for future devices on the first port. In other words if you do not install the device with the most compatibility into the first HDMI port then your Blu-ray player may be limited to the specifications of whatever device ends up getting plugged into the first HDMI port.
2.Set the television's picture mode to "Custom" from the display menu.
a.HINT: If you use the other picture modes (i.e. "Game," "THX") you will not be able to turn 24p and other advanced features specific to Blu-ray. However, you can always manually adjust the "Custom" levels (i.e. brightness, color, and tint) to match the other picture modes and you will get identical results. You may even wish to have the "Custom" levels professionally calibrated although these options are often a matter of personal taste. I find the default "Custom" display levels to be sufficient with a slight tint level adjustment towards the green end of the spectrum.
3.Turn on your PS3 or Blu-ray player and enable Deep Color support. You will only need to enable this on the initial setup.
a.HINT: Deep Color support may also be labeled "Super White," "x.v. color," "RGB Full or Wide," and "xvYCC." Although x.v.color, xvYCC, and RGB Full settings are not technically the same as Deep Color they do increase the color spectrum and can most easily be thought of as a stepping-stone towards the realism of Deep Color. In addition, when Deep Color becomes available most players will automatically support Deep Color when these options are on.
4.Leave your PS3 or Blu-ray player on and prepare to adjust a couple settings within the "Custom" picture mode you enabled during step 2. You will only need to make the following adjustments on the initial setup:
a.Set the "x.v. color" option to "Auto."
i.HINT: This option requires you to scroll to the second page within the "Custom" picture mode settings
b.While your Blu-ray player is turned on with any title playing select the "advanced picture" option from the "Custom" picture mode menu and select "48Hz" from the "24p Direct In" field. The TV will automatically adjust you back to "60Hz" when you finish watching a Blu-ray movie. In addition, it will automatically go back to "48Hz" when you put back in a Blu-ray movie.
i.HINT: If 48Hz is not available to select make sure that your Blu-ray player or PS3 has the most recent firmware update and that the movie is playing beyond the previews and preliminary copyright warnings. If your player is connected to the internet, the most recent firmware update should be installed automatically by selecting the players "check for update" option. For Blu-ray devices not connected to the internet or those that do not include and "update" option search the manufacturers website for a downloadable update which can be burnt to a CD and installed manually. Although most players, PS3 included, have 24p enabled automatically, you may be required to enable it from within your players video output options. Setting the Hz output to any factor of 24 enables 24p (i.e. 24Hz, 48Hz, 72Hz, 96Hz, and 120Hz).
5.This step is optional, however, should be completed in order to maximize the potential of the current Blu-ray disc specification and the 800 series HDTV. Under the "advanced picture" settings within the "Custom" menu, you can select "Size 2" from the "HD size" field. By selecting "Size 2," you will reveal 5% more picture that is available on all Blu-ray discs and most current generation video games. Most Blu-ray players, the PS3 included, support this and if they do not you will see video noise (fuzz) around one edge of the picture, usually the top of the screen, or obvious black bars on the right and left sides. This noise DOES NOT harm your TV in any way so do not be afraid to experiment. After this option is set, the image size will remain fixed until you select "Size 1" again. If you elect to use this option chances are you will use "Size 2" for Blu-ray titles and games while switching back to "Size 1" for everything else (i.e. DVD and Cable/Satellite Broadcasts.Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTVPanasonic Viera TH-42PZ800U 42-inch 1080p Plasma HDTVPanasonic TH 50PZ750U - 50" plasma TV - widescreen - 1080p (FullHD) - HDTVPanasonic TH-58PZ700U 58-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV
Top Rated with a Low Price - this is a 2008 model April 2, 2008
75 out of 100 found this review helpful
On April 2, 2008 Amazon first offered this high end 50" 2008 Panasonic at $2499.95 with free delivery. Within weeks, Amazon jumped the price up to $3,199.99 which was the list price at the time. On May 4, Amazon dropped the price to $2,819.96 with free shipping. Since then the LIST price was lowered by Panasonic to $3000. As of August (2008) Amazon has been selling this set for between $2200 and $2300.
This is a 2008 model and Panasonic has improved their entire line-up for 2008. Panasonic Plasmas have always been highly rated. The 2008 models are better than last year's models. You can tell a 2008 model from a 2007 by looking at the model number. 2007 models have a '7' in their model number while the 2008's have, you guessed it, an '8' in their model number. Be sure to check the model number because 2007 models are still offered for sale.
Improvements for 2008 include longer life - now 100,000 hours (20+ years), more inputs, improved contrast, etc, etc. Also keep in mind that a few people on the web (and on Amazon) have claimed they experienced power supply failures with some 2007 Panasonics. However Consumer Reports says all Panasonic plasmas have been very reliable, including the 2007 models.
There is no reason to purchase a 2007 model given Amazon's aggressive pricing on the 2008s.
The Panasonic plasmas have received top reviews from Consumer Reports and every other credible source (both in print and on the web). The Pioneer plasmas also receive very high ratings but are considerably more expensive. Pioneer recently announced they will stop making their own plasma panels in 2009 and will be purchasing Panasonic screens and re-packaging them, using their own electronics, next year.
The short version is that you can't go wrong purchasing a 2008 Panasonic plasma. ANY OF THEIR MODELS ARE LIKELY TO SATISFY YOU. As of August, 2008 most of the 2007 models have disappeared. But do check the model number to be sure you are purchasing a 2008 model.
If you are a high end geek, never really satisfied with the picture on any TV, then I'd suggest you purchase the 800 series of Panasonics. In particular, these models offer THX certification. THX is a George Lucas company that independently certifies entire movie theatres, video mastering studios, and yes, home electronics, for excellence. The 800 series Panasonics are the first plasmas ever to achieve a THX certification. But companies have to pay a fee to THX for certification and some companies may not choose to participate. Nevertheless a THX certification indicates engineering excellence which has been certified by an independent entity and that certainly is a plus.
Keep in mind that the picture quality you experience is far more likely to be determined by the quality of the signal you receive than the model of TV you purchase!!!!!! That can't be over emphasized. Cable companies tend to provide poorer High Definition signals than satellite providers but your best picture will always be from Blu-ray discs.
 Wait and Switch? May 21, 2008
16 out of 112 found this review helpful
Amazon, how could you? 5 stars for the Panasonic Viera! No stars for the appalling delivery delay. Alas, I, too, was a high-volume, long-time, happy Amazon customer who now feels quite jilted by what seems to be a bait and switch routine. I've waited two months on the promise to have this plasma HDTV delivered, and still a no-show! Normally, who cares. But this was my son's birthday present. "That's okay, Weekend Dad, next month maybe?"
Note to the Consumerist; here's a classic sales pitch ploy: "The Loss Leader" Some big box stores lure the consumer into their web with the promise of huge savings on low, low priced super-discounted high end products, only to have that one item disappear when the customer arrives--the product is suddenly "out of stock, on the way, or it just sold out," etc. But once you've been lured into the superstore (or site) by the promise of "low prices" you are directed to other merchandise, or the item becomes available later at a higher price...so you quickly switch to the stack of inferior products with the higher profit margin for the big box (just to skip the wait and hassle of shopping somewhere else). I wouldn't have dreamt in a million years that Amazon might practice this kind of unconscionable marketing behavior, and truly hope it isn't so.
When I purchased this plasma HDTV I was not aware of any "pre-sale" characterization of the deal. The item was listed as In Stock in bold letters (fine print no doubt meaning: yes, "in stock" at some other vendor--but not at Amazon's low, low advertised sale price).
Amazon, you've never let me down before like this, please send soonest! Maybe this weekend? Waiting with ribbons and bows....
5 stars out of 100 for their poor customer service. Amazon, not Vanns. May 2, 2008
13 out of 26 found this review helpful
Long time customer here. I ordered this television on the 1st of April for 2499. I was ok with the delay because it would coincide with the end of escrow on my new place. A few days ago I saw that though it was in stock, it was not shipped so I changed the shipping address to my new condo. Today they email me saying my account was closed because their investigators thought a third party may have used my account to purchase the tv. They couldn't call me before closing my account? I replied saying that I authorized the purchase and they tell me to order it again. Well I did, except now it costs 2799. Call me crazy but I think they should have just reinstated my original order at 2499.
Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ800U KURO KILLER May 13, 2008
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
I had high expectations when I bought this Panasonic. After reading about every possible candidate plasma & LCD, I took the plunge on this newly released 800U. It exceeded my expectations and they were pretty high expectations. This has a great picture, great color and is totally adjustable - both with preset options or manually. I can't imagine ANYONE not being impressed by this set and its reasonable pricing compared to the Pioneer Kuro (the only other plasma that is even close to this performance). I can't say enough good things about it...
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