Panasonic Viera TH-50PX80U 50-Inch 720p Plasma HDTV

I like many, spent countless hours on researching the best TV for our viewing preferences and even after deciding on plasma over LCD, it still took months to commit to the purchase. I appreciated the suggestion someone here made to go for the 720 rather than spend the money for the newest technology.I think over time, I will be happy I went this way. I was deciding between Panasonic Samsung, Panasonic was the one for me based on reviews and the poor service reviews people wrote about Samsung. The goal was to watch the opening ceremonies on our new TV. Thankfully, the shipping was 1 day early, so we received the TV on Friday and watched the Olympics in awe for a lot of reasons. The TV is awesome and is the perfect thing for us. The blacks are great, the contrast, detail and color are amazing. So far, so good. I am happy with the entire transaction and would definitely buy a large item from Amazon again.

...When big screens now are so mesmerizing? Why we waited so long to get a plasma now is beyond me (Actually it had something to do with high prices and having no excess entertainment funds).

Thrilled with the Panasonic, though I think we probably would be thrilled with any 50" plasma. To save dollars, we kept to the 720 rather than the 1080...Don't feel we're "suffering" as a result. I'm sure ours, like all recent technology, will be an "antique" shortly. Nevertheless I just don't see how the imagery could get much better.

Now the big decision is what to do with the old tradional set: give it to mother-in-law?... put it out on the street, donate to Salvation Army...

Paid under $1100 during a Sears event as I was looking for a screen for my playroom in the basement. Price was a big factor and is is not going to be for critical viewing purpose. This is for teens!

I set this up in my den as I wanted to test it for a few days before mounting, and I am very impressed with this set. Its a nice design and a good piece of glass. Seems that the low end of Panny's line benefits form some better materials. The sound is really quite good.

I am really impressed what this set does for what I paid, this it makes for an outstanding value. I used an Opppo DVD player and it really looked excellent. Analog is not great on this set, but thats about par for what you get these days. HD was also very good.

No, Im not blown away by this Sub 1080i set, but for a 20 foot viewing it leaves nothing to be desired, looks attractive, and satisfies.

sometimes thats all that is needed!

I'd recommend this set for both its performance and price. Four Stars!

This TV is great. I have HD channels on my cable and it seems that the signal is the weak link in resolution, not the TV. The resolution is great and I don't understand why people pay more for 1080 when 720p looks almost identical from four feet away.

I've been thinking about getting a HDTV for some time now, but have been price-watching and comparing, afraid to make a commitment - confounded by the same worry that accompanies all large electronics purchases : What if the price drops immediately after I buy the TV? What if it's not so great as everyone else describes? Can I trust an online "deal"?

Because I consider myself as very picky about what I buy in terms of quality - but also frugal to some extent, I would endlessly walk around stores, to see if I could spot a winner at a reasonable price. One note of caution: Be wary about picking a TV merely based on its performance in a store. The lighting is rarely similar to that in your living room and the color, contrast and brightness are turned way up to grab your attention. The LCD TVs show better in brightly lit stores because their bright vivid displays attract but blow out the finer details. What drew my eye on two separate occasions (without first noticing the brand) was the Panasonic plasma TVs. The black level and the sheer clarity for a 720p TV, even up close, seemed superior to the other more expensive and 1080p TVs surrounding it. The color and brightness didn't seem like it was turned up, but the picture was stunning nonetheless.

When I came back home and plugged the model number into Google, I was amazed at the positive reviews about the Th-50PX80U from everyone who had bought it. When I price checked on Froogle, I was amazed to see the price was at around $1,198 at Amazon including shipping (but not white glove service). There were only 2 left at that price so I bit the bullet and bought it. Electronics Expo (the actual seller) was very pleasant to deal with and saw that the TV was delivered within 4-5 days - I upgraded to the white glove service and the delivery men unpacked the TV and installed it on the stand.

To be honest, when I first turned it on, I had it connected to the Std Definition (480p) content, and of course that is always unimpressive on a 50 inch screen (imagine your current TV stretched to that big and that wide) - however when I switched to the HD content from the Comcast DVR, it was like night and day.

I'll say this - the TH-50PX80U looks best when connected to an uncompressed 720p HD source like a DVD player. Most of the content that comes in on cable HD especially Comcast is somewhat compressed to maximize bandwidth and as a result you will see blocky patches and artifacts where the signal has compromised on detail and averaged those pixels. For a plasma screen this size, it also looks best in a fairly dark room and about 8 to 9 feet away - though even if you walk up close, it's incredibly clear and tack sharp. What's amusing about the HD signal is that it's so sharp and detailed that what I thought was patchy skintones is actually the texture of the actual make-up - yes it's that clear!

I would definitely recommend this TV for those who want a large clear plasma TV with great color and picture quality.