Yamaha vs. Onkyo vs. Denon
Over the past few weeks I have been searching for a new a/v receiver to replace my Harman Kardon. I have added a bluray player and a new plasma. The H/K was running out of open connections. I began with the Onkyo 606 which I got at Circuit City for 9. It had a great power section, but ran very hot. The biggest issue was every time an explosion or a flash would go off on the screen, I would lose video signal to my projector. Returned it and purchased the Yamaha 663. Very clean and clear through my Jamo surround setup. I won't elaborate on details because much has already been said about the quality of the Yamaha. A week after I got the Yamaha, CC ran the Denon 988 for 0 on closeout (same as the Denon 2808). I had high expectations since it retails for 00. Bottom line is it sounded about the same as the Yamaha. I got the Yamaha for 0 at Best Buy and can't justify the extra $$ for the Denon name. Also was not as user friendly as the Yamaha. With my particular setup, the Yamaha gave Denon performance at a much lower price. Hope this helps anyone decide as these 3 receivers are very close in features.

Nice sound
Just got this after reading all the reviews here plus checking around on-line. Hooked it up with a new set of KEF 3005s and it's currently blowing my socks off. I'm sure I'll learn a lot more about it as I get deeper into it, but first impression is, wow!

Big sound-small volume
I live in a small apartment in Greenwich Village, so really can't play music/movies very loud. As soon as I set this up I noticed a vast improvement in the sound quality from my existing speakers in an 18X28 room. Without blowing out the windows, and my neighbors, I can hear the full surround effect; the sound track from movies surrounds us now, . Some nice features, including a max volume feature.
Has more than enough inpuits, and you can piggy back some. The scene feture is great, and easy to program. I set up 2 for TV, one for 5.1 HD programs and one for 2.0

A couple of small issues:
1. The remote does not control my Time Warner Cable box DVR, but I can live with that (until I get a new TIVO HD box with a 2 way cable card if they ever release them)
2. You can not save the auto setup and make small changes to it (or if you can I haven't figured it out yet)
3. Can't get it to upconvert my VCR past 420p (not that it matters much)

The "Mac Daddy" of Surround Sound
Wow! I've been putting off entering the Surround Sound world for many years, but with the purchase of my LCD TV and "HD" from Dish Network in January I began my search for the best Surround Sound receiver I could buy without sending myself to the "poor house". I certainly understand the phrase "Analysis leads to paralysis" now that I went through the process. With so many products to choose from and so much information available via the internet, it's easy to get squeamish about ACTUALLY MAKING THE PURCHASE. It all paid off with this Yamaha.
I had 2 Yamaha Tower speaker on my 2 channel amp that I loved; so I wanted to use them as my mains for Surround and I have. I bought a Yamaha Center speaker based on size and appearance (I had entertainment center measurement constraints) which sounds very nice and a Yamaha Sub that doesn't overwhelm everything. My Surround speakers are basic KLHs that are quite adequate.
It realy was "plug and play" for me and I did the whole installation myself (my KLHs were already in place as a 2nd set on my 2 channel, positioned for "rear" use in a Surround system). I turned the unit on once everything was connected and basically did nothing and it sounded spectacular. I'm using all HDMI with the Dish Receiver/DVR on one input and my Samsung Upconverting DVD on the other and obviously the HDMI Out to my Samsung LCD HD TV.
I've just touched the "tip of the iceberg" with programming features on this Receiver and yet I'm totally pleased. I added the Ipod Dock and that works perfectly too.
In the 0 range I cannot imagine how this thing can be beaten. If you are in "paralysis" right now over a Surround receiver - BUY THIS. You will not be disappointed.

Sweet !!!
I've had this receiver a couple of weeks now and I love it. For me third time was the charm. It was time to upgrade my 11 year old Sony STR-DE915 with a HDMI receiver to go with my PS3. I tried the Sony STR-DG720 and it sounded nice but did not have switched AC outlets so I went with the STR-DG910. I was not impressed with the power of that receiver at all. I did a lot of research after those two didn't work out and came across this receiver.

I knew Yamaha made quality products so that wasn't my concern. I was mainly worried about the power ratings. Well I can tell you that I was worrying for no reason. This receiver has plenty of power, and clean power to boot. I know I have a bit of a redundancy in that this receiver decodes True HD and DTS-HD MA but my PS3 already decodes it into LPCM but I got a really good deal on this unit and I couldn't pass it up. The SCENE function is cool though I have not set mine yet and I like the way it automatically detects when I switch sources. I did not use the auto mic calibration, figured I'd set it by ear since that's the only mic that really counts. I just picked up my new 50" 1080p Panny plasma and the picture quality through this receiver is superb. By the way I'm NOT using overpriced/hyped monster cables. With a pair of HDMI cables the picture is stunning and the TV info states a full 1080p signal.

The bottom line is that this receiver is freakin' sweet. Plenty of power, nice HDMI switching, HD audio decoding, on screen display is a big plus. The only minus would be only two HDMI inputs but if that's all you need then do not hesitate in picking this bad boy up.

great
This radio works great but I got tired of paying the xm radio fees and gave it to a friend.

Roady 2 - even given as a freebe they still aren't worth the price
I got a Roady 2 about 2 years ago and it performed well enough that my son bought one and got one free which he gave to my son-in-law. That one never worked, mine has been plagued with poor antenna and power connections and now has completely quit. So that makes two of three dead in under two years. Reliability and performance are both poor.

I certainly won't be buying another Delphi product to replace this one. The user interface wasn't very well thought out and the limited number of channels that you could use for the FM Modulator made it have limited use in Washington DC where you could not drive from outside the Beltway to inside the Beltway without having to change the channel selection. All in all one of the most disappointing pieces of electronics I have ever purchased.

No problems for 4+ years.
Still using and working well over the last 4+ years. Great price at the time of purchase. Easily transferred between vehicles.

Fantastic
I have had this product for a couple years. I am an Over the road truck driver and it stays on 24/7. Bottom line Fantastic! Good price, always works. Best investment I ever made.

XM satellite radio receiver
I love this receiver. I have it installed in my car and absolutely cannot live without it. The only problem is that one of the outlets is not secure, therefore I keep the receiver in my car and dont' take it into the house set. I don't want it to get broken.

great freaking TV
You just can't go wrong with this tv. Best bang for the buck in 2008. Thing looks awesome mounted on the wall. Super thin, nice minimal design... a no brainer if I had the choice to make again.

So far so good
Got it a couple of weeks ago, so far very happy with it as well as Amazon's service. While I expected a good picture, the most pleasant surprise has been how "smart" the user interface is and how it can sense what things are plugged in and where...

Excellent service
The television was delivered ahead of promised date and am completely satisfied with the transaction.

Awesome TV
HDTV came packed really well to insure no damage during delivery. I love the thing, colors are really clear.

Awesome TV; no downside
This TV is a no-brainer! The picture quality is amazing and the number and location of inputs/outputs are excellent. The set is super-thin and light, and looks fantastic. Great colors and contrast in the picture. The remote is simple enough, though I guess it could be improved. Don't hesitate to buy this one.

Don't buy this
Great plasma - when it works.
the web is alive with reports of power supply issues for Pansonic plasmas,
and unfot. it happened to me too. Red light flashing 10 times, no picture at all and very little help from the "concierge" center.

It's a great screen with a huge reliability issue

Great Purchase
Best price available. White glove shipping included. Wow! Great TV. This is my 3rd flat panel but my first plasma. I really love the contrasting blacks and clear picture. My family agrees with me that this picture is superior to our LCD's. Speakers are poor. Highly suggest running this through a home theater system.

Panasonic TH_50PZ85U
Amazon.com has the most competitive pricing on the internet plus the free shipping makes it the place to shop not only for me but also for people that i know. The tv arrived sooner than the scheduled date. I have compared this tv with other brand names in the same screen size, and decided it was by far the most bang for the buck. I have the Pioneer Kuro Pdp-6010fd in my living room for the comparision and so far i've got to say the Panasonic came very darn close to the Pioneer. Set up was the easy part. Adjusting it required 1 hour of calibration. I got the color and grey scale came close to the Pio. Based on what i have been able to review so far, i can say that color is very vivid ( i chose to use the movie setting ), black level is more than enough to please those hardcore videophiles. The Pio produces a " theater-like" image and the Panasonic gives me more vivid picture. I have also considered the new Pio 5020fd, but with the low price of Amazon, i was able to save easily 00 over the Pio, and lived with a picture that i feel good enough to live with. All and all, an extremely quality product that will make people happy if they choose to purchase this tv.

Amazing service from Amazon.com
I purchased this TV after reading the reviews and comparing several in the same price range at a local store. I purchased it through Amazon.com with their free shipping and white glove treatment. I was told that it would be a couple of weeks before delivery yet I was contacted within a few days by the shipping company and the TV was delivered less than a week after I ordered it. The white glove treatment was fantastic. They brought the TV into the house, unboxed it, and hooked it up to make sure everything was working. They also offered to take all the packing materials with them. When I ordered the TV, I thought I had got an incredible deal and ordered when the price was the lowest I had seen in a month. Immediately after I ordered, the price went up slightly and then started dropping. I would check the price daily and whenever I saw it was less than I paid, I would contact Amazon customer support and they would refund me the difference under their 30-day post purchase price guarantee. I have now had the TV for a month and the picture still blows me away. With the 30-day post purchase price guarantee, I have been refunded 1. So not only have I been able to enjoy an amazing TV for the past month, I have been making money while doing so. Overall, I would give both the TV and Amazon.com's white-glove treatment, free shipping and prompt delivery, and 30-day post purchase price guarantee 5-stars!!!

Panasonic TH-50PZ85U: great buy from Amazon
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.