DEAL: Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ85U
Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ85U 50" 1080p Plasma HDTV
Manufacturer: Panasonic
50" widescreen HDTV (16:9 aspect ratio) * built-in digital (ATSC) and analog (NTSC) tuners for over-the-air TV broadcasts (antenna required) *
Amazon.com Product Description--March 10, 2008:
With its 2008 Panasonic Viera Plasmas, Panasonic brings an astonishing 1,000,000:1 contrast ration 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 reproductionThe 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 angleA 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 motionWhen 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 reproductionMovies 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 ContrastThe 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 ColorsViera 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.
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 | Deep ColorWhere 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.
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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 LifePanasonic 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 PlayersA 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. |
Which is the Right Viera for You?
| 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 | 15,000:1 | 2 | 3 | 4,096 |
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| TH-50PX80U | 50 inches | 15,000:1 | 2 | 3 | 4,096 | ||||||||||||
| TH-42PZ80U | 42 inches |  | 20,000:1 | 2 | 3 | 4,096 | |||||||||||
| TH-46PZ80U | 46 inches | | 20,000:1 | 2 | 3 | 4,096 | |||||||||||
| TH-50PZ80U | 50 inches | | 20,000:1 | 2 | 3 | 4,096 | |||||||||||
| TH-42PZ85U | 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | | 2 | 3 | 4,096 | ||||||||||
| TH-46PZ85U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | 2 | 3 | 4,096 | ||||||||||
| TH-50PZ85U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | 2 | 3 | 4,096 | ||||||||||
| TH-42PZ800U | 42 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4 | 4 | | | 4,096 | ||||||
| TH-46PZ800U | 46 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4 | 4 | | | 4,096 | ||||||
| TH-50PZ800U | 50 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4 | 4 | | | 4,096 | ||||||
| TH-58PZ800U | 58 inches | | 30,000:1 | | | | 4 | 4 | | | 4,096 | ||||||
| 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 | | | | | |
- 1920 x 1080 Resolution
- 1000000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio for the Brightest whites and darkest blacks
- 4096 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
Color: Black
Model: TH-50PZ85U
Not what I had expected, but I am happy with it.
This was my first HD TV. When I bought the TV I thought I will have free access to HD programs on TV, I was wrong, Buying HD TV does not mean you can now view TV in HD free of charge, Comcast is charging me additional a month, in return they will send you a new HD cable box, The Quality of the picture is very good for HD programs, but for regular programs you may loose some resolution and the picture may look worse than standard TUBE style TV
Excellent choice for the price, outstanding image!!!
I got this TV from Amazon.com after several weeks of research, I finally decided for this model, the price was OK, at least 0 less than local stores here in Miami, I got white glove delivery for free, which is pretty good considering the price I paid for the unit, When the TV arrived the delivery guy unpacked and tested the unit for me, I already had another 42" Panasonic Plasma (TH-42PWD7UX)on my Living Room Wall, so Installation was a breeze, I used the Stand oh the TH-50PZ85U on my old TH-42PWD7UX and moved it to my bedroom, so I got an extra there... I was amazed when turn the TV on, the image was so crispy and clear even with the standard settings, the blacks are awesome, I plugged and indoor HD antenna to it and the images coming out the TV were just stunning, I couldn't be more happy with my purchase. The sound is not that great, but I also got a PANASONIC SC-PT660 home theater which does a good job and the VIERA LINK works marvelous. I'm waiting for the prices to come down a little bit to get the DMP-BD30k blue ray player to have my Media Room ready to go. I'm very pleased with this TV, it is very good quality for the price, Amazon was great and the delivery was. Can't go wrong with this TV.
HDTV review
Excellent picture -- which is why I purchased this particular set. I read in the October issue of PC World that there is a way to "tune" a plasma TV to improve the picture even more.
Awesome TV
This is my first Plasma TV.... I did extensive research before buying this one. In one word this TV is GREAT. I have it hooked up with a receiver, DVD player, Nintendo Wii and a PC. Picture quality is super. I am not impresses with sound - only has 2 speakers.. But I use it with my surround system - so it's not a big deal. My favorite feature is that you can change the format of the picture... it is so cool. It was great to buy it form Amazon, free shipping so can't complain. My experience with people who did the delivery was not so good. They unpack the TV but refused to put it on the stand that it came with it.. w/o the stand the TV will sit on its speakers and a wall to hold it from falling down. Then they ask you to fill out a document saying that everything was perfect.. When I refused to sign it...then they had to audacity to threat me to take the TV back. My rating reflects the product not the service. If I had to rate the Service, I will give it negative 5...
Almost a home run
I've had the 50PZ85U for about a month and now feel comfortable writing a review.
First off, I bought this TV from a different vendor than Amazon because they had 24 month no interest finance as an open box item for 00. Amazon now has it NEW for that price with the 24 month no interest and the step up model (which is what I really wanted anyways), the 800u for 00. I should've waited.
So, on to the review. This is my second HDTV. I had a 37" Viewsonic that had respectable PQ but horrible blacks. This is why I wanted to go with a plasma, as I had heard plasmas are best when it comes to deep blacks. I was not dissapointed. The PZ85u has Kuro like blacks which makes the overall PQ outstanding. It is almost 3D it is so good. I had heard that these sets had inaccurate colors, but to my untrained eye, they seemed great (greens were green, reds were red, etc.)
Another gripe about these sets is the glare. I have a big picture window (12'W by 4'H) where the set is placed on a perpendicular wall that is about 6' away. The set is similar to my LG Shine cell in that it is like a mirror when off but the image displayed is fine when on. One can still see themselves reflected in dark scenes during day time, however. Once the daylight subsides, the reflection is almost completely gone. The room is lit with a flourescent light that we had set up before that does not shine directly at the TV. Using that causes no reflection whatsoever. PQ is vastly improved during night viewing as well. This is really when this set (pardon the pun) "shines".
The worst thing about this set is the "noise" that is seen. Just to be clear, this is not audio noise that is heard but "specks" that are seen especially with white backgrounds but can be seen throughout if you look hard enough. I have yet to see it while watching HD discs. I do see it in a lot of cable programming, though. Again, this is not a deal breaker for me but it is annoying sometimes and can be too distracting for some sensitive viewers.
All in all, I'd give this set 31/2 stars but apparantly is not an option with Amazon. I would have liked to wait and get the 800u.
