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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 25 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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10 out of 11 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Great TV- No Complaints"
Pros: Stunning picture- Nice variety of inputs- Easy to set up
Cons: Only con would be no 1080p, but see review
Summary: I finally decided to take the plunge and purchase an HDTV. I had been perfectly happy with my old SD 32" Toshiba for the last 12 plus years, but then I got an Xbox 360 and any text in games was hard to read while sitting on my sofa about 14' away.
I picked a price range and after doing a lot of online research, I finally decided I was interested in either this 50" Panasonic Plasma or a similar model that offered 1080p. Most of the more current reviews I've read state that if you're going with a HDTV that is 50" or less, spending the extra money on 1080p over 720p is a waste. I wasn't sold until comparing this TV side by side with the similar Panasonic 1080p model and not seeing any discernible difference.
One of the things that concerned me was that some of the older plasmas that friends own do not do a very good job handling standard definition sources. I was immediately impressed with how well this set does handle 480i sources, but was totally blown away after getting a HD/DVR box from my cable company. Standard definition sources still look good on the set as long as you are at least 5 feet away, but HD sources are amazing regardless of where you sit/stand. The set is also easily viewable from an angle unlike some of the older LCDs I've seen.
My only true HD sources of video for this set are that cable box and an Xbox 360 (hooked up via HDMI) and I can't imagine either looking any better on a different monitor.
I got a deal at Circuit City on this and a Panasonic Viera link Home Theater system (model SC-PT760). The TV speakers sound great and are more than loud enough on their own, but my set up does sound noticeably better when listening through the linked Home Theater surround sound system.
I really couldn't be happier with this TV.
My advice others who are considering this TV:
1) Shop around for the best price and print off any internet deals that you find if shopping at the box retailers (if you're a AAA member, they currently have a coupon that can be accessed via their website for Circuit City for 8% off, but Circuit City wouldn't honor the coupon or the internet deal I found at the store- I saved over $400 buying through their website and picking it up at the store instead of paying at the store).
2) With this TV I'd strongly advise against paying the fee that most sellers try to charge to set a HDTV up for you. It did take me about 2 hours to set the TV and Home Theater system up and I've done quite of bit of tweaking since reading the manual, but it looked great without all the tweaking.
3) Use HDMI cables for any hookup that you can. HDMI cables are far less cumbersome and are higher quality than any other hookups (and shop for HDMI cables online as you can find high quality cables for a fraction of the cost of those Monster cables the retailers try and sell you for big $).
4) If you are a current cable subscriber and need an HD box, consider picking it up yourself instead of having an installer come out. Hooking up my HD/DVR from the cable company took all of 2 minutes- unplug the coax cable from the TV, hook it up to the Cable box, plug the HDMI cable into the cable box and TV and you're done- saved me $50 over having a professional installer come and do that.
Where to buy
Panasonic Viera TH-50PX80U:
$1,099.99
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$1,099.99 | Yes |
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