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Panasonic TH-50PHD7UY (10/20/2004)

Panasonic TH-50PHD7UY

Entered CNET Catalog: 10/20/2004

SKU: 0037988240593

Manufacturer: Panasonic

Content [Hide]
  1. Manufacturer's description
  2. Product summary
  3. Editors' review
  4. Users' opinions
  5. Keywords

Manufacturer description

Demand is rising for extra-large display screens, and Panasonic has the solution. Panasonic's lineup of displays for professional applications includes a 50-inch plasma model that offers the superior image quality, extensive functions, and extendibility that make Panasonic an industry leader. A host of Panasonic imaging technologies combine to achieve both the industry's highest gradation and outstanding 4, 000: 1 contrast. The accuracy and detail that Panasonic displays provide cannot be adequately expressed by specifications alone. Their overall image quality goes far beyond conventional standards. They provide pictures with the kind of breathtaking beauty that stirs emotion. Dual Picture, Digital Zoom, multi-screen capability and other advanced functions enhance the usability of Panasonic displays. The popular Multi-Function Slots are also provided. And Panasonic's expanded its lineup of optional terminal boards, making its displays solutions to an even wider range of customer needs.

Product summary

The goodThe good: Good color decoding; excellent black-level performance; good video processing.

The badThe bad: Limited connectivity options included; few consumer features; basic industrial design.

The bottom lineThe bottom line: Dollar for dollar, this is the best-performing 50-inch plasma on the market, although you'll probably have to invest in additional inputs.

Average user rating: from 22 users
4.0 stars

Editors' review

  • Editors' Choice: No
  • Reviewed on: 12/22/2004
Panasonic's latest industrial 50-inch plasma, the TH-50PHD7UY, may be a little light on consumer features, but its performance ranks as among that of the best 50-inch plasma panels we've seen to date. Don't let the "industrial" label fool you; this panel and others like it--including its predecessor the TH-50PX25U, the TH-50PHD7UY has a no-frills design and lacks a few key features, such as cable and over-the-air digital/HDTV tuners, digital inputs, and even speakers. But optional speakers and even additional inputs are available, and when all is said and done, it'll cost less than most other 50-inch panels on the market.

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more.

The dark-gray-finished panel is mostly just a glass screen, with a few function buttons located on the lower left along the bottom. Panasonic does offer optional side-mounting left and right speakers, which make it look a little more like its consumer sibling, and they actually sound pretty good.

Measuring 48 by 29 by 3.7 inches (HWD) and weighing 95 pounds, the panel can be hung on the wall with optional brackets from Panasonic (including the TY-WK42DR1, the TY-WK42PR7, and the TY-WK42PV7) or from third parties. Or you can go with a conventional stand since none is included (the TY-ST05K). A complete list of accessories can be found here.

The bare-bones remote is small and quite well laid out. Since this panel is missing so many consumer features, the remote doesn't have otherwise common buttons such as a numeric keypad for changing channels, nor is it capable of controlling other components. We found the basic-looking internal menu system logical and easy to navigate.

The TH-50PHD7UY is pretty much just a monitor. Its 1,366x768 native resolution means it can fully resolve a 720p HD source and qualifies it as a true HDTV display. All other incoming sources, including 1080i HDTV and computer resolutions up to 1,366x768 at 60Hz, are scaled to fit the native resolution.

Panasonic's industrial plasma panels don't usually offer much in the way of typical consumer features, but the TH-50PHD7UY offers more than its predecessor. Dual-tuner PIP (picture-in-picture) as well as POP (picture-out-of-picture) are two features that will no doubt appeal to many people, especially sports fans wanting to keep track of two games at one time. A somewhat gimmicky feature is the 4X digital zoom, which allows you to divide the screen into zones and magnify the image. Like many new plasmas, this panel offers a variety of screensaver modes designed to prevent burn-in, which can occur if very bright static images are left onscreen for long periods of time.

The set offers three selectable color temperatures: Warm, Normal and Cool, with Warm coming the closest to the standard of 6,500K (see Performance). A setting called AGC (Adaptive Gain Control) in the Advanced Menu changes the contrast level depending on the content of the picture and is best left off if you want optimum performance for home theater. Also in the Advanced Menu are Gamma options; we recommend a setting of 2.2 to get the most accurate performance. Among the several preset picture modes, we found that Standard provided the best overall results.

Connectivity of the TH-50PWD7UY from the factory is quite limited. The input bay includes one component/RGB video input that also accepts RGBHV signals, one composite-video input (they use BNC-type connectors so you'll need to get inexpensive adapters if you want to use standard RCA cables), and one S-Video input, all with their own RCA-type stereo audio inputs. Also on tap are a 15-pin VGA-style PC input, an RS-232 control port, and a composite-video output. The good news is that you can purchase additional input cards (DVI, component video, and so on), and they are not expensive. As an example, an HDMI card sells for $145, while an additional component-video card costs $110. See more options here.

The picture quality of the TH-50PHD7UY is much more accurate straight out of the box than that of most consumer plasma TVs we've tested. Naturally it can still be improved with professional calibration, and once done, it is the best-performing plasma panel we've tested to date, bar none. The panel's fully independent memory per input includes the ability to calibrate the grayscale individually for each input/source, which makes it among the most flexible in terms of setup of any HDTV out there.

The color decoding is nearly dead on, with no red push and only a minor error in green. After calibration, grayscale tracking was near perfect, which indicates very good gamma implementation. Black-level performance, and therefore actual contrast ratio, is superior to any non-CRT technology on the market today. There are also virtually no false-contouring artifacts if black level (brightness) is set correctly.

After calibrating both the DVD component-video input and the HDTV DVI input (the set had an optional add-in DVI board), we looked at some of our favorite reference DVDs and HD content. The Finding Nemo DVD looked superb, with great color saturation and detail, while chapter 12 of the Seabiscuit DVD looked awesome, with natural-looking skin tones and plenty of detail. Meanwhile dark scenes, such as certain sections from the Signs DVD, looked nearly as good as they would on a properly setup CRT, with deep blacks and almost no visible low-level noise.

HD content from our DirecTV HD satellite feed looked excellent, and color saturation and detail again both appeared exceptional.

Geek box
TEST RESULT SCORE
Before color temp (20/80) 6,775K/7,625K Good
After color temp (20/80) 6,400K/6,600K Good
Before grayscale variation +/- 905K Good
After grayscale variation +/- 66K Good
Overscan 2.50% Good
Color decoder error: red 0% Good
Color decoder error: green -5% Good
DC restoration All patterns stable Good
2:3 pull-down, 24fps Y Good
Defeatable edge enhancement Y Good

User opinions

Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Truly Spectacular!by jdean10306 - January 24, 2006

Pros: Picture Quality for a flat panel, can change inputs

Cons: can't think of one.

Review: If your primary concern is Picture quality.... look no further!

This display is spectacular. I dont even care that it can't display 1080 HDTV. Cnet rates this a 7.5 due to design and features. IT IS A 9! (I never rate anything perfect sorry)

No speakers?
TV speakers can't compare to home theatre speakers anyway so why pay for them? And the display looks better on the wall with out them.

The fact that you can change the inputs on this monitor is a huge plus. I really dont mind that there are only 4 inputs.. I dont need more than that. I only use 2 anyway. Xbox 360 and Cable box.
After 6 months with this I still Love it. Friends who have LCDs and projection big screen HDTVs are blown away.

Spend the time and properly calibrate this monitor.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Feature set, quality, and beauty are superb.by skylinenet - August 30, 2005

Pros: Picture clarity, ease of use, options, inputs and output are all superior.

Cons: Should include HDMI connection - extra board, extra cost at present.

Review: This plasma has the latest in screen technology and bright, clear, accurate display. Power-save modes and energy efficiency add value as half-life is significantly extended.
I have had my Panny PHD7UY up and running for a month and can say it is worth every cent. PC Connection was my vendor of choice and they delivered nicely, not particularly quickly, but for a set this size the wait was not too bad.
Amazingly, there is a back-order on the HDMI Monitor Terminal Expansion Board with about a 2-week wait. Until that is delivered the HDTV via satellite is functioning nicely via component video inputs.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

a great choice for consumerby raidersteve - August 25, 2005

Pros: great picture, quite operation, energy efficient

Cons: Nothing so far

Review: It delivers the best core value with the price: amazing picture quality; fanless quite operation, energy efficient so the theatre room won't feel like a oven. Without the other usually unnecessary attachments, such as speakers, stands, it offers the best value. I have connected my computer, satellite, DVD to it with a set of bose speakers and enjoyed pc games, movies and TVs since dec. 2004.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Great piece - with surround its a perfect matchby idrachma - August 22, 2005

Pros: Clear, well balanced picture, full featured control

Cons: Scale 4x3 to 16x9 mode missing, ability to replace "stock" inputs with others

Review: Great picture, love the plug-in module capablity, but due to limitation of slots, can only accomondate 3. If DVI or PC D-SUB are not needed, would like to replace them with component or HDMI, having 3 hidef inputs.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Fantastic! I think it the best choice out there.by brianbjg - July 15, 2005

Pros: Amazing video quality, understated physial design

Cons: None....Haven't got any yet.

Review: I've looked at an untold quantity of plasma's and this model, the 50PHD7UY, has the best picture, hands down. I'm really happy with the simple physical design of the unit. I didn't want anything fancy with shiney or light finishes and this unit meeds these needs for me just right. I am using the HDMI adapter board for the DirecTV and off air HD receivers, the as configured component input for DVD, and the as configured s-vhs input for the Tivo. Everything works beautifully. One of the best positives however, is the price vs. value. I don't think you can make a better choice.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Absolutely Stunning and great priceby johncapn - July 14, 2005

Pros: Picture, Picture, Picture. No "Extras" I would not be needing

Cons: None that I can think of

Review: I spent several months researching for our "perfect" Home theatre setup. This site was invaluable for sifting through the Hype. I now have a fantastic value "Killer" system thanks to the Cnet guys and the user comments. Although this screen is in a small room, we are 8 feet back from the TV. It is perfect.

Butterfly Video sold it to me for $3450. What a deal! I did not need or want speakers or cable tuner built in, just a great big beautiful picture!

I teamed the Plasma with the Pioneer VSX-1015TX Home theatre reciever. I can switch 3 component video sources through it! PS2 (awesome on 50" 16x9), Comcast HD cable (to see American Chopper in HD and surround sound is a joy!) and the Toshiba SD-5980 DVD Player. Once there is a reasonably priced Home theatre system with HDMI switching I will upgrade to all digital. For the moment this system Rocks! Sounds are through KLH Model HTA-4906 5.1 surround sound system. Great price and to my ears in our small room, Fabulous.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

SPECTACULARby jonathanjaydaniel - July 1, 2005

Pros: Unbeleivable Picture & Price

Cons: None to speak about

Review: After much research and trips to all of the stores, I finally pulled the trigger and purchased this monitor. I have no regrets.
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Had looked at alot of plasmas and by far this was the best .by phisher12 - June 29, 2005

Pros: Great picture right out of the box.

Cons: Limited video connections

Review: By far the best plasma that I have seen and priced . Everthing and more than I expected .
User Rating:
3.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Great Screen, just plain bizarre serviceby JMallon - June 28, 2005

Pros: Beautiful Picture, Great Blacks, Wonderful

Cons: Panasonic Customer Service bizarre-oland

Review: Love the screen. HOWEVER. Stand was "Back Ordered" from Tiger DIrect. One month later "Back Order" cancelled w/o notice. I spent 4 hours today trying to track one down through Panasonic. Conflicting info, contradiction between department, hostile phone reps. What I found out (not from Panasonic BTW): You have to order each part of the stand and build your own! 9 parts in all! 6 Parts are "Back Ordered" here we go again....
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Great Bang For the Buckby moron101 - June 16, 2005

Pros: No Frills (Pay Only For Performance)

Cons: Cannot Display 1080i

Review: As the price continues to drop on these babies, I get more and more aggravated having paid over $5k just over 3 months ago. But short of my aggravation at the price drop, those of you waiting for a reason to get or upgrade to 50", here's a perfect plasma and getting cheaper everyday!
User Rating:
5.0 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Awesome Plasma TV - nothing compares to this 50" beast.by Ranjeet Sodhi - June 13, 2005

Pros: Amazing picture right out of the box; much better than any other I have seen (Sony, Gateway, Dell and others at the Circuit City and J&R store).

Cons: None that I can think of.

Review: Got this TV along with an HDMI add-on card that made the package complete. I have it connected to my Home theatre using both the standard component as well as the HDMI input.

The TV has no flaws that I can list... and to top it all, it can be had for a steal on some of the online etailers.
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Pretty darned nice ...by Michael Nowak - May 23, 2005

Pros: Great performance without paying for unwanted extras

Cons: One more standard input would be nice ...

Review: Having a cable box and a 6.1 surround system already, I just wanted a bare bones monitor, without paying for the extras. This fits the bill perfectly. Out of the box performance is really good (I've yet to do a calibration - the picture is pretty darned nice already, maybe the grey levels could be improved a tiny bit). Digital TV looks about the same as my old TV, only bigger. DVD & Xbox games look very, very nice. Cable HDTV looks stunning. "Daredevil" was playing, and my wife was moved to say, "This is a terrible movie, but it looks so good I feel compelled to watch." (Lots of grey in that movie, and it all looked good.) Then "Finding Nemo" came on, and that was absolutely stunning. Note for those with a lot of different inputs: default is that you get 3: PC, Component Video (here, HDTV Cable), and RCA/Composite *or* S-video (same board - if the S-video is plugged in, it overrides the RCA/Composite, even if you're switching at the receiver end). Hence my composite VCR and S-video Xbox can't be hooked up simultaneously (if I want the VCR). (Solution is to upgrade the Composite system also to S-video, or the S-video to component, or buy another input.) Further note: the remote is pretty simple and basic (which I consider a plus). Programming a "One for All" 9910 remote to TV Code 250 (Panasonic) gets you On/Off, PIP, and Input switch. If you're willing not to adjust the picture menus on a daily basis, you can then just put the "PIP-Select" and "Aspect" buttons into IR learning, and have everything you'll need on a regular basis. Overall, I'm very happy. (And also happy that we got the 50", not the 42", and that we got the full blown HDTV, and not the EDTV.)
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

What a video customers wants, without expensive, useless frills!by scarlin - April 19, 2005

Pros: Spectacular picture from every source: TV, DVD, HDTV

Cons: Minor glare from window opposite the monitor

Review: This exactly what electronics people should want. Get the basics, namely picture, color and contrast exactly right and leave out the unnecessary: ATSC tuner, crappy speakers, comlicated remotes, etc. Who uses a standard broadcast antenna anymore? Why pay for it? Who wants crappy speakers and connections you'll never use? I may get the HDMI board, but don't need it now. I may the DVI input, but don't need it yet. I got what I wanted: a monitor where the money went into creating a brilliant picture that is adaptabe enough to accept any connection that YOU want to hook up.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

I Love it so far.by ksaifullah - April 4, 2005

Pros: Great Picture

Cons: None if it is used as a display device (intended purpose)

Review: After much research (almost a year), I bought this plasma early last month and I have been extremely happy so far. If fits perfectly in my NYC living room (9.5*14). My viewing distance is about 8.5 feet and the cable and DVD picture looks perfect. I was more interested in buying a Sharp LCD TV but after comparison, the picture was much better on this plasma. Watching Carnivale on HBO-HD has been a revelation. I hightly recommend it.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

great product at a great priceby nps71776 - April 3, 2005

Pros: best picture for this price range

Cons: no hdmi/dvi terminal slot included

Review: overall if money is important to you, then this is the best money can buy 50 inch plasma monitor on the street today. i looked at a lot of different models, from samsung, pioneer, & lg, but panasonic made it easy for me to decide.
remember that this is just a monitor, and not a tv with a built in tuner. i saved about $700 - $800 just because i knew i would never watch over the air tv on my plasma.
i purchased the hdmi terminal board for this plasma online just recently, did not get it yet, but can't wait to see how much more better the picture quality will be compared to my current hook up thru the RGB cables.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Premium display with exceptional performanceby Tony Nodine - March 27, 2005

Pros: versatile, with no frivolous consumer features

Cons: Pricey, heavy and difficult to ship without damaging

Review: This display was the perfect compliment to my Denon 5805 and HD TiVo. Though consumer features are absent, the unit is very expandable and performs exceptionally.
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

9 out of 10by pjm1 - March 2, 2005

Pros: great value with great picture, very flexible

Cons: The plain design is not attractive

Review: This monitor is for people who want to use their sound system and have cable or satellite reception. HD is a must.
User Rating:
5.0 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Totally great display!by - February 3, 2005

Pros: This is the best picture I've seen on a plasma. It is the brightest, best contrast, and quality bar none, and I've seen them all at NAB and Infocom. The Panasonic blew them alll away. It is the panel to which all others aspire to be! The input modules are

Cons: None what so ever!

Review:
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

A brilliant picture with a fair price.by - January 14, 2005

Pros: Picture quality is amazing and the advanced settings give all the adjustability anyone could ever want. Upgradeable modules help for future-proofing it's connectivity. Simple black/ grey bezel gives it a clean modern look unlike it's consumer cousin.

Cons: Needs a button on the remote that turns on the screen-saver function.

Review:
User Rating:
4.0 stars

out of 22 user reviews

A Great Plasmaby - December 30, 2004

Pros: I didn't have to pay for things I would not use - speakers, built-in sound, HD tuner for over-the-air HD channels Full support of 480 i/p, 720 i/p, 1080 i Stunnning picture with incredible blacks and saturated colors right out of the box ( just turn dow

Cons: none not shared by other plasmas.

Review:
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

GREAT picture but digital inputs optionalby - December 28, 2004

Pros: Great contrast ratio, non-linear stretch, quiet operation, white balance and gamma adjustments, great price, modular inputs.

Cons: DVI and HDMI inputs optional, unable to zoom high-definition input.

Review:
User Rating:
4.5 stars

out of 22 user reviews

Abvsolutely the best 50" plasma on the market for the priceby - December 28, 2004

Pros: Spectacular picture

Cons: DVI input is an option

Review:

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Panasonic TH-50PHD7UY specifications

  • General
  • Product type Plasma panel
  • Diagonal size 50.0 in
  • Viewing angle 160 degrees
  • Video
  • Technology Plasma (PDP)
  • Resolution 1366 x 768
  • Display format 720p
  • Image aspect ratio 16:9
  • Progressive Scan Progressive scanning (line doubling)
  • Widescreen Widescreen
  • Image contrast ratio 3000:1
  • TV Tuner
  • TV tuner presence No
  • Tuner qty No tuner
  • Convenience Features
  • Additional features 3:2 pull down compensation , Real MACH system , Video noise reduction , Screen saver
  • Connectivity
  • Video interface S-Video , Composite , Component
  • PC interface VGA (HD-15)
  • Remote Control
  • Type Remote control - Infrared
  • Power
  • Power device Power supply - Internal
  • Power device nominal voltage AC 120 V
  • Power consumption operational 480.0 Watt
  • Dimensions & Weight
  • Dimensions (WxDxH) 47.6 in x 3.7 in x 28.5 in
  • Weight 94.8 lbs