|
| 
 enlarge | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
List Price: $2,199.99
Buy New: $1,615.95
You Save: $584.04 (27%)
New (33)
Avg. Customer Rating:  72 reviews
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
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-50PZ85U
Model: TH-50PZ85U
UPC: 037988241811
EAN: 0037988241811
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 I love this TV, but it has to be installed in the right environment May 22, 2008
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
This is a great TV. I gave it 5 stars, because it is very well designed, it offers all the functions that I need and the image is gorgeous. I understand, however, the complaints about reflections. But this set is not to be blamed; reflections are a limitation of the plasma technology. If you believe plasma is the right choice for you, this TV is probably one of the best you can get.
A lot has been discussed about plasma vs. LCD. To me, the difference between the two technologies is quite simple: LCDs are "day" TVs, whereas plasmas are "night" TVs. During the day, my Viera TH-50PZ85U reflects quite a lot, particularly if I watch it from far in a wide angle, in a position opposed to the window (that happens when I watch it from my kitchen, which is opposed to the living room window--The TV is positioned perpendicular and close to the living room window, farther from the kitchen). The LCD Sharp Aquos that used to be in the exact same location had no reflections at all and I could easily watch it from the kitchen.
I am very picky when it comes to image quality when I am watching my movies at night, though. I just don't care about the reflections during the day, when my daughter is watching Elmo or Barney, but at night I want the most impeccable image. That's when my Viera shines. The image is not as bright as the LCDs, which is good in a dim room, and the contrast and black levels are just amazing, much superior to LCD. The image has more of a cinema feel and also feels more "analog" than an LCD screen. The image of an LCD screen can be also very beautiful, but it has more of "digital" feel, like a computer screen. The plasma resembles the feel of the old tube TVs, but in flat screen and high definition, which I like better for movies.
For those who want a multi-purpose TV that works great during the day and OK at night, the choice becomes very personal. I, for example, hate seeing my own reflection on the TV when I am watching it (which happens quite often with this set during the day, particularly in the black zones of the image, which look so beautiful at night). But my wife, on the other hand, does not even notice the reflections. My wife cares enough about image quality to appreciate this TV's blacks and strong contrast, but because the reflection's focus distance is different from that of the image, most people unconsciously just filter out those reflections. And it is true that reflection is much less noticeable when the TV is on. When it is on, sitting in front of the TV, the only reflections you see are in the black zones of the image. Even I forget about them, if I am just casually watching regular TV programming.
Another limitation of the plasma technology is the viewing angle. As I said above, wide angles are a problem during the day, because of reflection. But at night, the image itself reflects on the glass panel of the TV. That is particularly noticeable in wide angles when you have sharp image contrasts, like subtitles against a dark black background. The effect is one of double subtitles if you are watching it from a wide angle.
As for the glossy frame, it can indeed be distracting during the day. At night, it is a very beautiful frame, particularly if mounted on the wall.
Although this review may sound more negative than positive, this really is a very fine TV set. It beats LCD TVs in a home-theater setting, that is, dim rooms and narrow viewing angles. (It does not require a completely dark room and indirect light does not affect the image quality.) It does a very good job in bright rooms and narrow viewing angles and not so good a job in bright rooms and wide viewing angles, when the reflections take over. So it really depends on how the TV is going to be used. In home-theater settings, it is practically unbeatable.
 very reflective March 27, 2008
13 out of 41 found this review helpful
I just received my Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ85U yesterday. Upgraded from a Sony 46" 720p LCD. I also own one of last years Hitachi 50" plasmas. I chose the Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ85U solely from online information, as I was unable to find anyone who carried this model locally, being it had just been released in Feb 2008. The specs are impressive. This set's features were said to be next generational, with the 100,000 screen life, 30,000:1 static contrast ratio,1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and NEW and IMPROVED anti glare filter. The picture its self is great, however I am extremely, extremely disappointed with this model. It all has to do with the "new and improved anti glare filter", which is a joke. Believe me when I tell you, it reflects alot! And I mean a lot. If someone is walking by the set during a dark sequence, u can see them. During the day, when the set is off, you can clearly see the images of the tile floor, furniture and even ceiling lighting if its on. And the set isnt even facing any windows. The glossy black frame doesn't help. The reflection on the frame itself can be quite distracting as well. My Hitachi's screen reflected quite a bit, but it appears even worse on my new pani. I can honestly say that I will stick to LCD from now on solely because of its anti-reflective nature. I can only recommend this set to someone who will only be using it in a specially designed dark home theater room with no windows and concealed ambient light. Other than that, go with a high quality 52" LCD. I know I will from now on.
You WILL NOT be unhappy with this TV April 18, 2008
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
First off, I don't know why there have been a few negative reviews. The picture is stunning. It really is beautiful, and that is comparing it to the latest LCDs and other plasmas TV's, honestly, it hangs with the best of them and even surpasses most if not all of them when you consider the price and the many features,(panasonic is claiming 100000 hours out of these babies!!!!!and a 100000 dynamic contrast with 30000 native!!!!! PC input, SD imput 3 HDMI output and the list goes on). I was so close to going with the Samsung LCD 120mhz, I'm so glad I waited since Panasonic addressed every flaw that plasma tv's had (eg. glare, life span, burn in)and capitalized on what plus's they had going for them (eg. price, no motion blur, viewing from every angle, deep blacks, and cheaper $$$).
Secondly, I guess I'm the odd man out because I think the new anti reflection screen is awesome. I don't have alot of light coming in but there is light and I have had the lights on while watching it. Hell, I even shined a flashlight into the screen only to have a very soft dim reflection shine back at me, no different than shining the same flashlight it into my computer's LCD screen. However, the benzel is very shiney and you do see reflections in that.
Overall, this was my first time to purchase something like this through Amazon and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I was a little nervous, but just like other reviewer's have said, the delivery team took my TV in my house, then help me unpackage it, helped me assemble the stand and we turned the set on to make sure everything worked ok before they left.
I very very pleased with this purchase.
Know your TV and install area before you buy May 3, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I've read many reviews complaining about this TV yet it seems the majority of these people would've been better off had they done some research prior to purchasing a Plasma vs. an LCD. First, my review of this TV: This Panasonic is one of the best Plasma's I have seen. I won't bore you by restating the specs that you can read in the details of the listing but trust me when I say that the picture is absolutely beautiful. So why trust me? I've owned HD TVs for the past 5 years and have kept up with current models, always planning my next purchase. My first was an LCD. While the detail and colors were fantastic compared to SD, the lack of ability to show motion clearly was aggravating. After much research my next purchase was a Panasonic 720 two years ago. While the black levels, contrasts and motion ability were far superior to the LCDs I looked into, including my own, the reflective glass panel was irritating as I had the TV in a room with a lot of light. (Finding the best seating position was essential.) After yet more research, and a need for yet another TV in a room that previously contained a 13 yr. old 32" Sony that went out, I decided on this TV. The Panasonic brand of Plasma, 720 or 1080, is by far the best TV you can buy for the price. They are of equal quality to the Pioneers that will run you 50%-70% more. This particular Panasonic Plasma does a much better job at not reflecting light but there still is some reflection. I can say, however, that it reflects less than any of my old tube TVs. Now for the skinny on Plasma vs. LCD: It's very simple, Plasmas will give you the better picture but will reflect more light. LCDs do a great job of not reflecting light but are poor on motion...even the new 120Hz refresh rate LCDs. Before you invest in either, make sure you know what you're buying and where you're going to be placing the TV. It will save you much frustration.
Panasonic TH-50PZ85U: great buy from Amazon July 15, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have been the proud owner of the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U plasma TV set for about a month.
This is my first flat-panel television and I switched from a 27 inch CRT Sony Trinitron.
Pricing, Ordering and Delivery:
I had been monitoring the price of this set ever since it got released earlier this year.
I had many opportunities to look at the set with my own eyes at Best Buy and other retailers but the price from most of these retailers was a little high, when considering that I would need to add sales tax as well as shipping (I found out that the box with the television would never fit in my car!).
So, when I saw the attractive price - with no sales tax - on Amazon, I jumped on it. Also, the free "while glove" delivery was a big plus as I had read too many horror stories about people getting a damaged or broken television and spending way to much time and energy to finally get a replacement.
The price on Amazon was several hundred dollars less than most local retailers.
Ordering was easy. I also ordered a Sanus VMPL50B tilt bracket (also from Amazon) to mount the display over my fireplace.
I placed the ordered on a Thursday and the product was delivered the following Thursday. Not bad!
The display was delivered by a shipping company called CEVA Logistics. Two persons carried the large box to the second floor of my condo where my living room is and unpacked the television so that I could make sure that it was in good condition, which was the case.
Installation:
I didn't use the stand provided with the television. Instead, I mounted the display on the wall over my fireplace using a Sanus bracket.
Initially, I was going to use the Sanus VMPL50B but, because of the position of the studs behind the wall, I decided to exchange it for a longer, adjustable one. I picked a Sanus VMPL3B which is basically the same, with the difference that the plate is 10 inches longer, when fully extended.
This way, I was able to mount the bracket using 4 studs instead of just 2 studs if I had gone with the VMPL50B. It gives me a peace of mind and I know that I am not going to find my plasma television broken into pieces anytime soon.
The installation was fairly easy and took about one hour total. My wife helped me carrying the display and securing it on the wall bracket since it is pretty heavy (approximately 80lbs).
The display sits only 2.5 inches from the wall but it was actually hard to tilt because of the HDMI connectors in the back. The problem is that the panel in the back where all the connectors go is not recessed enough. I just wish there was an extra 1/2 inch of space.
What I did is that I purchased a couple of HDMI "right-angle" adapters (from an excellent Internet store called MonoPrice). This way, the HDMI cables run along the back of the plasma set and it is way easier to tilt the display.
Operation and Picture Quality:
I am truly impressed by the TH-50PZ85U. Not only it performs well but it looks great on the wall.
The only connectors I have are HMDI. I have one HDMI cable running from my digital cable box (Time Warner - Scientific Atlanta) to the TV and one HDMI cable coming from my SONY DVP-NS3100ES DVD player (up-converting DVD player, not Blu-Ray).
HD channels are simply outstanding, even in Standard mode. It is such a pleasure for the eyes to watch anything. I surprised myself at watching a full hour of an animal documentary on Discovery HD, even though I have never been a fan of animal TV show.
The level of details is amazing.
Standard cable looks very good too but obviously not as good as HD. My only concern is that currently I only have 22 HD channels (and 3 or 4 of those don't even have regular programming). Time Warner can't beat satellite in my area but I am not ready to switch yet. There are some reports that new HD channels will be added soon so I just need to be patient.
The remote control is easy to use and it can also operate other devices such as a cable box, a DVD player and more. With my configuration, this is pretty much the only remote I use now.
I like the fact that there are some extra video inputs (including HDMI) located on the side of the display. I use them to plug my video camera.
Several settings for the sound can be adjusted as well (balance, treble, bass and some other effects I am not really familiar with yet). Overall, the sound is excellent but when watching a DVD movie, I use my home theater system (I have a 5.1 speaker system with a SONY STR-DA3100ES receiver).
The great thing about HDMI is that it only takes one cable for both video and audio signals. I can always use the TV speakers while playing a DVD or watching a cable program. When I switch to the receiver, all I have to do is mute the sound from the TV.
Note on "break-in" period:
I know there are many forums talking about the 100-hour "break-in" period. There is no mention of it anywhere in the user's manual. So I went on the Panasonic website and I found some info. Basically, for the first 100 hours of operation, it is advised to watch television in Full Mode or Zoom Mode only (to avoid black bars on the side) and to avoid prolonged period of time of static image or channel logo.
Since I had read many threads dealing with playing a "Break-in" DVD, I called Panasonic Technical Support direclty. The person told me that it was not necessary as long as the above rules were followed for the first 100 hours of usage and that it wouldn't make any difference in the end.
SO I watched different shows in Full format mode as well as DVDs. Whenever I would watch a channel with a logo on the bottom-right corner for over 30 minutes, I would use the "Anti-Static Retention" feature for a few minutes (accessible with the remote in the Main Menu). What it does is that it displays a scrolling white bar over a black background.
Bottom Line:
The TH-50PZ85U is an incredible set for the price. I have been reading reviews and comparing with other existings sets (including LCD sets) for the past 6 months almost and I think that, for this size, this is the best option in terms of price and quality.
Panasonic is a reputable manufacturer and no one can go wrong with this display.
|
|
|
2005-2007 Zone1electronics All rights reserved.
| |
