Panasonic Viera TH-50PZ850U

Pros: Deep blacks, vivid colors, great HD picture over cable and Blu Ray, TONS of picture tweaks, sleek single-pane frame, thinner and lighter than last years model.

Cons: Softened non HD picture, somewhat softened HD pictures on some channels (probably due to bandwidth rather than the TV), flicker from 24p Blu-ray on bright scenes (in darker movies it looks amazing!)

Summary: First off, this is a beautiful TV. The single-pane of glass that fronts the TV makes for a very sleek look. Setup was a breeze. I was able to unbox it, set up the stand and mount it within 20 minutes without anyone to help. There is a lazy susan swivel in the base that made cable hookup simple. After doing a few setup items (setting HD to size 2, turning on the noise reduction features, etc.) I was ready to go. Studio Reference is a great picture setting to default to. It is a great feature to have. I have a friend with the PZ800 and I prefer the studio ref to the THX setting. Not by a ton, but I prefer it nonetheless.

There are tons of adjustments available to tweak the picture. I am a constant fiddler so I like having the ability to do it, but I found myself coming back to the Studio Ref preset time and time again.

I have to the TV hooked up to a Panasonic BD30 Blu ray player. After setting it to output 24p, I decided to see how apparent the flicker was. In bright scenes, it is rather blinding, almost like a TV screen in an old movie at high frequency. It really is only noticeable in the brighter sections of the picture, so darker scenes still look fantastically smooth and natural. Even without the 24p output, Blu ray looks amazing with a very crisp, detailed picture. I really was amazed at the wideness of the color gamut. I feel like I was missing out on a range of colors my old TV just couldn't produce.

I do not have the TV hooked up to the internet, so I can't comment on the Viera Cast features. It didn't enter into my decision to buy the TV, and I don't plan on using it.

Overall, this is an amazing TV. Panasonic continues to have my vote as one of the best TV makers, period. Highly recommended.

P.S. I ordered it direct from Panasonic on Monday, had it by Friday. Quick shipping, good service.